According to Anzor, his father was killed in a different way than previously reported in the Russian media.
There was no undermining of the bunker, as well as careless handling of weapons, he claims. At first, Maskhadov, in the course of negotiations with the special forces, through his security guard, agreed to save the lives of his three comrades, who were surrounded with him in a house in Tolstoy-Yurt. After they left the room, Maskhadov took up the fight.
According to Anzor Maskhadov, the separatist leader was killed with small arms.
Immediately after the special operation, Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen government Ramzan Kadyrov said that Maskhadov had died as a result of the careless handling of weapons by a bodyguard who was next to him. However, over time, in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper, Ramzan Kadyrov said that his words "were a joke."
A little later, the representative of the regional operational headquarters (ROSH) for managing the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, Ilya Shabalkin, said that Maskhadov was in an underground concrete bunker, which had to be blown up in order to get inside. It was when the bunker was blown up that he died, Shabalkin noted.
In addition, Anzor Maskhadov rejected the version according to which the leader of the separatists came to a house in Tolstoy-Yurt to pick up his allegedly kidnapped brother. The son of the former leader of Ichkeria also admitted that Aslan Maskhadov could have been betrayed.
At the same time, Anzor Maskhadov confirmed that the duties of the President of Ichkeria were transferred to Abdul-Khalim Saidullaev (according to other sources, his name is Akhmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdulkhalim), who is the chairman of the supreme Sharia court of the unrecognized republic.
Earlier this was mentioned in the statement of Shamil Basayev, published on the website of the Chechen separatists "Kavkaz Center".
Local residents surrendered Maskhadov?
Meanwhile, on Sunday, March 13, a representative of the Russian special services, on condition of anonymity, also spoke on the air in the Vesti Nedeli program, aired on the state television channel RTR, about the details of the operation against Aslan Maskhadov.
He claims that the leader of the Chechen separatists was surrendered by local residents, who reported that a major field commander was hiding in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt. Almost the entire composition of "Alpha" was transferred to Chechnya, but only three knew about the purpose of the special operation, said an anonymous spokesman for the special services.
He also stated that Maskhadov "at different times appeared in different parts of Chechnya," and in letters abroad he complained that he did not spend the night in one village for more than two days.
A spokesman for the special services also denied the version that Maskhadov could have been killed earlier, but save this news for March 8. According to some reports, Maskhadov was killed on Sunday, March 6. One of the residents of the Nozhai-Yurtovsky district gave out his whereabouts for a large sum of money. A group led by Ramzan Kadyrov left to capture Maskhadov.
But Kadyrov decided not to take upon himself the murder of Maskhadov, fearing shame and revenge, and asked the federal special services to attribute the results of the operation to other structures.
The intelligence officer said that this was not true. “We found evidence in one of the houses that the leader of the bandit formations was or is there,” he says. the number of payment cards for telephone calls, although the owner of the house and his family members did not have mobile phones. "
Soon the entrance to the secret hideout was discovered, says a spokesman further. The owner of the house was asked "to name who is there, but he categorically refused, saying only that the one who is there will not surrender under any circumstances." The manhole found led to a special bunker, which was built before 1999, when Maskhadov was the president of Chechnya. "The owner of the house knew that a cache was being built, but he did not know for what purpose," a spokesman for the special services said. Later, "a courier came to him and warned him that from October last year, that is, the (Muslim) holiday of Uraz, he would have distinguished guests."
During the special operation, there were no negotiations with Maskhadov. “We proceeded from the fact that Maskhadov would not surrender - we had every reason for that. We knew that Maskhadov was wearing a suicide belt,” a spokesman for the special services said. According to him, the task force had two options - "either to demolish the entire house and open the bunker, or to sacrifice part of the house, thereby not harming the owners, and only blow up the hole."
After the explosion, “Vakhid Murdashev (Maskhadov’s security guard) was the first to get out of the bunker, and the first question he asked was whether Maskhadov was there. He said:“ Yes, he’s there. ”When asked:“ Is he alive? ” no. "Maskhadov's nephew Eliskhan Khadzhimuradov surrendered together with the guard.
When the secret service officers entered the cache, weapons, explosives, communications equipment and a voluminous archive with many "handwritten and printed documents" were found, which, according to a spokesman for the special services, "reflect both Maskhadov's mood and his plans and plans of people who believed yourself associated with him. "
Seven examinations
Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel said on Sunday that the prosecutor's office had carried out seven identifications of Aslan Maskhadov's body, including four by relatives of the murdered leader of the Chechen separatists.
According to him, blood was taken from Maskhadov's relatives for genetic examination, "so that later there would be no talk that the killed was a double of a terrorist."
Shepel said that law enforcement agencies continue to study the archive found on Maskhadov's computer. The Deputy Prosecutor General did not rule out that materials about the seizure of a school in Beslan would be found in the archives, and promised, if found, to hand over the documents to the parliamentary commission to investigate the terrorist attack.
Shepel confirmed that Maskhadov would be buried without specifying the time and place of burial. Earlier, the department of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus stated that the bodies of persons under the article "terrorism" were not handed over to their relatives.
The corresponding provision is contained in the Criminal Code of Russia. Terrorists are buried on the territory of the subject of the Russian Federation, where they were killed, while only a few representatives of law enforcement agencies know about the place of burial.
On Friday, the head of the military medical department of the Russian Defense Ministry, Igor Bykov, said that Maskhadov's body had been identified with an accuracy of 97 percent. According to Bykov, the experts used 16 identification methods, including the dental formula. Bykov promised that the results of the genetic analysis will be ready within two weeks.
According to official data, the leader of the Chechen separatists, President of Ichkeria Aslan Maskhadov on Tuesday, March 8, in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt, Chechnya.
He was hiding in a bunker under one of the houses. Russian security officials report that the bunker was blown up, as a result of which the leader of the separatists was killed. However, the deputy prime minister of the Chechen government, the son of the murdered president of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, told reporters that Maskhadov was killed by an accidental shot by his bodyguard.
As stated in the message of the headquarters of Russian troops in the North Caucasus, during this operation, Maskhadov's associates were detained - Vakhit Murdashev, Vkhan Khadzhimuratov, Iles Iliskhanov and Sayderbek Yusupov. The federals also got the personal archive of Maskhadov.
Responsibilities of the President of Ichkeria after the death of Aslan Maskhadov, a native of Saudi Arabia Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdulkhalim.
Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov reported returning to the republic Kusama Maskhadova- widow of the second president of the "Chechen Republic of Ichkeria" Aslana Maskhadova and the chief of staff of the "Ichkeria army" during the first Chechen war, liquidated by the FSB special forces on March 8, 2005 in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt.
At a meeting of the Chechen parliament, Ramzan Kadyrov explained: “When they said that Kusama was very ill, that she really wanted to return to her homeland in Chechnya, I ordered her to have a Russian passport and returned her to Russia. Although Maskhadov himself ordered to kill me during his lifetime. His son still insults me. But I brought Kusama home. She is not guilty of anything, she is just a woman. " The press reports that the news of the return of Kusama Maskhadova came as a surprise not only to the residents of central Russia, but also to many Chechens. No one knows for sure when Maskhadova arrived in Chechnya, where she lives and how she exists.
With the widow of a successor Dzhokhara Dudaeva the deputy of the Chechen parliament managed to meet Magomed Khambiev... “Kusama Maskhadova has not been at home for 15 years. The woman was very sick and tired from the road, so the conversation with her was short, - Magomed Khambiev told Komsomolskaya Pravda. “But Kusama Maskhadova asked to convey her gratitude to everyone who helped her to return, and was happy with the restoration of the republic.” In Chechnya, it is assumed that Kusama Maskhadova received Khambiev, since he is “her own” for her. During the first Chechen campaign, Magomed Khambiev fought on the side of the separatists, personally communicated with Aslan Maskhadov.
Ramzan Kadyrov, speaking of his desire to return the widow of his failed killer to his homeland, mentioned: Kusama Maskhadova has nothing to do with the Chechen war, since she is "just a woman." But those who personally knew the Maskhadov family testify that the Chechen leader deliberately downplayed Kusama's role in those events. Maskhadov's widow, of course, did not kill anyone in those years (at least nothing is known about this), but she was not a passive observer either. With her husband, strong-willed and active Kusama was a "gray eminence". When the former colonel of the Soviet Army Aslan Maskhadov became president of Ichkeria, his wife began to play about the same role in Chechen politics as Raisa Gorbacheva in the Soviet in the last decade of the existence of the USSR. Even formally, Kusama Maskhadova was not “just a woman” in the 1990s. She owned the Marsho (Freedom) foundation, created on behalf of Maskhadov, where Kusama Maskhadova was the de facto and official president. Many events in Chechnya, which took place with the participation of Maskhadov, were actually behind his wife. More precisely, the opinion of her relatives and the elders of her teip Gordaloy stood behind the advice of a strong-willed Chechen woman to her husband. The higher the status of Kusama, the greater the wealth of the teip, based mainly on the uncontrolled traffic of Chechen oil.
This opinion is confirmed by a number of significant facts. In 2000, when the Chechen militants realized that Maskhadov was weak as president, and the Russian authorities relied on Akhmat Kadyrov, Maskhadov's wife decided to help her husband's authority, which is crumbling before our eyes. In May 2000, Kusam Maskhadov, accompanied by his daughter Fatima, the press secretary of "Marsho" Luiza Saidullaeva and assistant Maskhadova Saida Bersanova arrived through North Ossetia to Georgia. In the neighboring country of "Ichkeria" the spouse of the president of "Ichkeria" intended to meet with the president of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze to persuade him to become a mediator in the negotiations between Maskhadov and the leadership of Russia. Also, the Georgian media reported that Kusama Yazedovna met in Tbilisi with the head of the OSCE, who was then in Tbilisi. Benita Ferrero-Waldner... The Chechen woman tried to convey to the head of the OSCE the report of the Marsho Foundation on the situation in Chechnya and Aslan Maskhadov's appeal to the European community, where Aslan Maskhadov called himself the only legitimate head of Chechnya, elected by popular vote and recognized by the international community and the then Russian leadership.
It is not known exactly how Maskhadova's meetings ended. In any case, both the OSCE and the Georgian authorities kept silent about the real outcome of the negotiations. The Georgian Foreign Ministry said that Maskhadov's wife and daughter did not talk about any politics, but asked to allow them to travel through Georgia to a third country. The OSCE said that the head of the organization treated Maskhadov's wife very coldly. However, later there was information that Kusama Yazedovna managed to transfer her husband's appeal and documents on Chechnya to the OSCE, and then this information formed the basis for the document flow of international organizations that were dealing with Chechnya at that time.
We can say for sure: the shuttle diplomacy of Maskhadov's wife in 2000, which was difficult for the head of Ichkeria, turned out to be much more effective for Ichkeria than the real policy of the Ichkerian president himself. Thanks to his wife, the late Maskhadov is still “shaking hands” in liberal circles in Europe and is considered there a “victim of Russian imperialism”. In 2000, the Georgian authorities also turned out to be not as indifferent to appeals from "Ichkeria" as the Georgian Foreign Ministry tried to present. Since the beginning of the 2000s, Georgia has become practically an official refuge for Chechen separatists. The permanent representation of "Ichkeria" is located in Tbilisi, and in the Pankisi region there are stationary accommodation centers and training camps for militants arriving from Chechnya. It is unlikely that this could have happened without the assistance of Maskhadov's clever and active wife. And also, to be completely honest, without the then President of North Ossetia-Alania Alexandra Dzasokhova, who allowed the Maskhadov family to settle in 1999 near Vladikavkaz and provided them with support and protection. From Ossetia Kusama Maskhadova went on her diplomatic trips, where she defended "honor and conscience" of "independent Ichkeria" in different offices.
With the death of her husband, the diplomatic activity of Kusama Maskhadova only increased. Besides Georgia, she actively worked in Azerbaijan. For example, with her submission, the Azerbaijani authorities in March 2007 gave the go-ahead for mourning events to take place in Maskhadov's honor in the Land of Fires. In Baku, the two-year anniversary of Maskhadov's death was celebrated for two days - from 8 to 10 March. In one of the cinemas of the Khatai district of Baku, the film "The Price of Freedom", dedicated to Aslan Maskhadov, was shown.
The film had a great response in Azerbaijan. But the central figure in mourning for Maskhadov was not the deceased himself, but his wife. In the presence of the leading media outlets who then flocked to Azerbaijan, Kusama Maskhadova accused Russia of violating human rights in Chechnya. According to her, refugees from Chechnya in Azerbaijan are regularly abducted by Russian special services, and the FSB is even trying to kill some prominent refugees. For example, Maskhadova reported that the FSB allegedly tried several times to kill her son Anzor. Considering that the leading Western media were accredited to mourn for Maskhadov in 2007, it is easy to imagine what resonance these loud confessions of Maskhadov's widow had in the civilized West.
Especially the western man in the street was shocked by such confessions of Maskhadova: “The Russian leadership, calling the President of the CRI a“ terrorist, ”is trying to absolve itself of the blame for his murder. And it does not give out the body for burial, violating universal human norms. This is blasphemous in the conditions of the modern civilized world and contradicts the commandments of all world religions. " Ms. Maskhadova, of course, reasonably kept silent that the special services of the civilized world, to which she appeals, are free to dispose of the bodies of the killed terrorists as they see fit. Most likely, she was not worried about the fate of her husband's remains. The main thing is PR. Moreover, even emotionally, the spouses were already strangers to each other for a long time: in 2002, Aslan Maskhadov divorced Kusama and married a young Chechen woman from the village of Iskhoy-Yurt, who bore him a daughter. The Kusama family and her teip Gordaloi took this fact calmly.
The strong-willed and intelligent widow of the second president of "Ichkeria" did not abandon her by no means female struggle for "Ichkeria" for the entire time she was outside Chechnya - for more than 15 years. Her son Anzor follows his mother's footsteps. In social networks and in confessions to journalists, he never misses an opportunity to show how noble his father was, "treacherously killed" by the FSB. For Ramzan Kadyrov, Maskhadov's son demonstrates undisguised hatred.
Why did Kusama Maskhadova, after 15 years of being in voluntary emigration, decide to return to Russia, and even to the "lair of her enemy" - to Chechnya? Russian and Chechen experts do not yet give a clear answer to this. There are only three versions, not yet supported by any facts.
First, the entourage of Ramzan Kadyrov, in which there are many former Dudayevites, managed to convince Kusam that Chechnya in its current status received what the ideologists of Ichkeria called for: economic freedom and de facto sovereignty, including the right to conduct its own economic policy and the presence of its own armed forces. formations.
The second version: the return of Kusama Maskhadova to Chechnya is a strategic move by the Kremlin. If this is indeed the case, then the Kremlin can celebrate diplomatic success. It is much better for Russia to have a strong-willed, intelligent and active Kusama Maskhadova in Chechnya than in the West or Turkey. And the very fact of the return of such an active separatist to Chechnya is a strong PR move for Russia.
The third version is purely personal. Kusama Maskhadova is already a middle-aged woman. She could be corny tired of constant wandering in a foreign land and took the feeling of being eternally lowered. Therefore, she decided to return to her homeland in order to finally live the way any elderly Chechen woman of her age wants to live - like a respected by all respectable woman, mother and grandmother.
“A purely human version may be correct: Kusama came to Chechnya because she wants warmth and peace. She is an elderly and sick person, ”a source in Chechnya said. But, according to the source, this option is hard to believe: “In this case, her return looks like surrender. And Kusama is not the kind of person who is used to giving up. "
Analytical group of the North Caucasian edition of EADaily
Anzor Maskhadov: "Father did not want Chechens to kill Chechens." The son of Aslan Maskhadov, chief of staff of the armed forces of the unrecognized Ichkeria during the first Chechen war, and the president of Chechnya during the second, in an interview with The New Times told about what happened and who is to blame
Where were you when the first Chechen war began?
I was then 24 years old, and in the first days I was next to my father. But then, when the storming of Grozny began, I had to take my mother and sister to the village of Komsomolskoye, where it was safer. Then my friend and I tried to drive to my father's headquarters, which was located across the Sunzha River, not far from Minutka Square, but came under fire from mortars and "hail". Russian troops beat the city quarterly, not paying attention to whether there were civilians there or not. Realizing that we could not get to our father's headquarters, we took two Russian families and took them to Komsomolskoye. And in February 1999 I left for Malaysia, where I was going to study.
Colonel of the Soviet Army Aslan Maskhadov was born in 1951 in exile in Karaganda, served in Lithuania. In 1992 he came to Chechnya and during the first war became the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (CRI). On January 27, 1997, he was elected president of the republic. In 1999, after the introduction of Russian troops, he led the armed resistance. He was killed on March 8, 2005 in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt during a special operation by the Russian FSB. Anzor Maskhadov now lives with his wife, children, mother and sister in one of the Scandinavian countries.
Recalling the events of the past 15 years, what do you consider to be the main mistake made by your father as well?
There was no unity after the first war. If it were, events could develop differently. And there would be no these Kadyrovs.
But then everyone had their own interests. War is over. Russian officials and oligarchs began to come to Chechnya with suitcases of dollars.
Emissaries from Arab countries also came. Easy money appeared. First, the Russian military took hostages, then sold them. The bodies of the dead were also sold. Our Chechens bought soldiers from Russian officers in order to free their relatives from captivity. Then they were exchanged. And that's how the hostage business started. The names of those who were involved in the seizures and murders are known: Deniyev, the Saidov brothers, Khultygov, Baisarov, Yamadaevs, Khusiev, even the people of Kadyrov, the current Kremlin protege in Chechnya. Everyone knows what these people did. Despite this, Russian officials at all levels meet with them. The republic was being pulled in different directions. In addition to Russia, there were also internal forces: Basayev, without becoming president, decided to become the imam of the Caucasus. Power also wanted Vakha Arsanov, * * Vice-President of Ichkeria, killed on May 15, 2005 in Grozny. the leaders of the "jamaats" also wanted.
Chechens are proud people. But this pride now needs to be pushed aside and admitted to our mistakes. At least once. We must also talk about Dagestan. Explain why in 1999 the Chechens went to the aid of the Dagestani groups. I mean Shamil Basayev and some of Doku Umarov's people. They were then in opposition to their father.
Why didn't your father dissociate himself from Basayev's campaign in Dagestan in the fall of 1999?
He condemned these actions. But it was not Maskhadov who sent Basayev to Dagestan. Basayev then did not hold any official post in the CRI. He went to Dagestan of his own free will. I am interested in other questions: why did Basayev return from there accompanied by Russian helicopters? Why was not a single shot fired at the convoy of returning vehicles from Dagestan? Why was the ring open and the borders hastily opened? The people were in favor of President Maskhadov at that time. But there were several thousand people on Basayev's side. Among them were many who fought in the first war. They could only be stopped by war. A blood feud would begin. And off we go.
Was Aslan Maskhadov afraid of blood feud?
Yes. But not in relation to his family. He understood that everyone would be tied with this blood. He didn’t want Chechens to kill Chechens. This is what is happening in Chechnya now. After all, Kadyrov killed many of his enemies and non-enemies. People were tortured, mocked at them. And believe me, he will have to answer for it later. The relatives of those who were killed are still alive. They are alive, and many of them are biding their time.
Is your family also going to take revenge on those who killed your father?
No, what should I do, I will, but by other methods ...
Is it true that your father agreed to come to Beslan to negotiate with the terrorists who took over the school?
My father told me about it himself. I lived in Baku at that time, and all communication with my father passed through me. Akhmed Zakayev (Deputy Prime Minister of CRI. - The New Times), who spoke about this with the President of North Ossetia Alexander Dzasokhov and Ruslan Aushev, contacted his father through me. Some politicians did not believe this. But tell me why then they took all our relatives hostage and brought children, old people, women on the paternal and maternal side to Khankala? They were kept in Khankala and released only after the assault.
Why didn't Maskhadov come to Beslan like that?
And how could he come if he was not given any guarantees of safety? This means that the release of the children was unprofitable for the Russian authorities, since they did not care about the children who could be saved. My father was then not far, on the border of Chechnya and Ingushetia. But, having refused to give his father security guarantees, the Kremlin gave the order to storm the school.
So you want to say that Maskhadov could have been caught on the way?
Yes. It would be just suicide.
They say that shortly before his death, your father was ready to negotiate with Russia to end the second war?
I knew from the end of November 2004 that negotiations were to take place. On October 5, 2003, Akhmat Kadyrov was elected president of Chechnya, but Aslan Maskhadov continued to be considered the president of the CRI. The father took the first step when he made Shamil Basayev swear on the Koran that he would no longer be associated with hostage-taking.
And what happened next?
An armistice was declared, on January 14, 2005, Maskhadov signed a decree "On the unilateral suspension of offensive hostilities throughout the territory of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and beyond." there were no shots, no sabotage from the Chechen side. And for those who wanted to continue the war, it was the hardest blow ever. It was unacceptable for the Kremlin that the war on terrorists was suddenly stopped. Everywhere they began to say that it was the Chechens who had put forward the peace initiative. Therefore, the hunt for my father began. He was identified by his mobile phone. Special equipment was brought to the administration of the village of Tolstoy-Yurt. They wanted to coincide with the murder of my father on March 8.
Who killed him?
Father was killed by those who did not want to sign peace with Russia. First, the father announced a truce. Then Umar Khanbiev * * Aslan Maskhadov's special representative in Europe, recently returned to Chechnya. had to negotiate with the Russian side and prepare the ground for a meeting between the two presidents in a third country.
Do you know how your father died?
Different versions are being put forward. Some say that my relative killed my father, others say that my father went to a meeting and was killed there. According to another version, he was allegedly killed somewhere in the Nozhai-Yurt district, and the body was transferred to Tolstoy-Yurt.
My father had indeed been in Tolstoy-Yurt since October 2004, immediately after Beslan. In mid-November, he met there with Shamil Basayev and Abdul-Halim Sadulayev. Maskhadov's successor after his death, was killed on July 17, 2006 in Argun. Father was tired of taking hostages, which only did us harm. He said: "We call our fight jihad and should not fight against peaceful people." Shamil objected to him: “No, we must do what they do to us. We were also taken hostage, people were used as human shields ”. Sadulayev supported my father. Father told Shamil: “That was Budennovsk, you went there. Yes, the war stopped, there were negotiations. But that was for a while. Then the negotiations were disrupted by the Russian side. It was an illusion of success. Then you arranged "Nord-Ost". People were killed there. You have not achieved any results. Beslan: the school was seized. Children were killed. So what, are you going to go and grab the kindergarten now? Children will also be killed. Don't you understand who we are fighting with? There are thousands of enemies in Russian uniform, and we must fight with them. "
Have you returned your father's body?
No, they haven't returned it yet. Immediately after the murder, we filed with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. What can I say, if they even refused to give us his personal belongings. Explaining their refusal, they blame their father for everything: in the so-called campaign against Dagestan, in the murder of children in the Beslan school, in the death of hostages in "Nord-Ost". Those who knew the father are sure that he was not involved in anything like this, and glory to the Almighty
Do you feel safe in Europe?
Of course I am wary. I know where the danger might come from. But I'm used to it. I would prefer to live at home, in Chechnya, if it were possible. I was offered to return. Not only pro-Russian Chechens came to me with such conversations. The family was under pressure from representatives of the Russian special services. They literally ran after us, wherever we lived: in the United Arab Emirates, in Turkey, in Azerbaijan. Now I do not want to return, because everyone in Chechnya knows me. I do not want to be shown on TV, to be used in something. But all political regimes are changing. And when this regime changes, I will be able to return home.
Maskhadov Aslan Alievich is one of the most controversial personalities in modern history. Some people consider him a hero of the Chechen people, others - a terrorist. Who was Aslan Maskhadov really? The biography of this historical figure will become the subject of our study.
Childhood and youth
Maskhadov Aslan Alievich was born in the fall of 1951 in a small village on the territory of the Kazakh SSR, where at one time his parents were deported. His family came from teip Alleroy.
In 1957, with the beginning of the thaw, the rehabilitation of the deported took place, which allowed Aslan and his parents to return to the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. There they lived in one of the villages of the Nadterchensky region.
In 1966, Aslan Maskhadov joined the ranks of the Komsomol, and two years later he completed his studies at a secondary school in his village. In 1972 he graduated from the military school in Tbilisi, which specialized in the production of personnel for artillery. After that, for five years he served in the army in the Far East, where he rose to the position of a divisional commander. At the same time, he was admitted to the ranks of the CPSU.
In 1981, having shown excellent results in his studies, he graduated from the Military Artillery Academy, located in Leningrad.
After graduation, he was sent to Hungary, where he rose to the position of commander of an artillery regiment.
At the end of eras
In 1986, as regiment commander and with the rank of colonel, Aslan Maskhadov was sent to Lithuania. During his time in command of the unit, she was repeatedly recognized as the best in the Baltic States. He himself was appointed chief of staff of the missile forces.
At this time, processes were taking place in the country that in the near future led to the collapse of the USSR and a change in the social system. Centrifugal tendencies began to manifest themselves in the Baltics before other republics. However, before active protests began and the use of armed forces against them, Maskhadov was recalled, although part of him took part in actions against the rebels.
In 1992, he resigned from the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces. Some experts believe that this decision was primarily dictated by his disagreements with the top military commanders, while others - aggravation on the Chechen-Ingush border.
First Chechen
After his resignation, Aslan Maskhadov went to the capital of Chechnya - Grozny. There, at that time, Dzhokhar Dudayev had already come to power, proclaiming an independent Ichkeria (CRI). Immediately upon his arrival, Maskhadov was appointed by him as Chief of Civil Defense, and then as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.
Since 1994, the so-called First Chechen War began. Aslan Maskhadov successfully led the defense of Grozny, for which he received the rank of divisional general from Dudayev. After that, under his leadership, a number of successful operations were carried out, in particular, the capture of Grozny after the occupation of the city by Russian troops.
In Russia, a criminal case was opened against Maskhadov as the creator of an illegal armed group, which, however, did not prevent him from negotiating with the Russian authorities.
In 1996, during a special operation, Dzhokhar Dudayev was killed, but this did not prevent the successful actions of the Chechen militants against the Russian army.
In 1996, agreements were reached between the government of the Russian Federation and representatives of the self-proclaimed Ichkeria. The signing of peace agreements took place in the Dagestani city of Khasavyurt. On behalf of the CRI, the agreement was signed by Maskhadov Aslan Alievich. The history of the Chechen conflict seemed to be over. These agreements assumed the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Chechnya, an agreement on the election of a new president of Ichkeria, as well as a postponement of the issue of deciding the further fate of the status of the Chechen Republic until 2001. This is how the First Chechen War ended.
Presidential office
After the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements before the presidential elections, and. O. President of the CRI was Aslan Maskhadov, who became both prime minister and minister of defense.
In January 1997, presidential elections were held, in which the victory was won by Aslan Maskhadov, who was ahead of Shamil Basayev and Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev.
Initially, Maskhadov tried to build an independent Chechen state on the democratic principles of civil society. But his position was too weak. On the contrary, Islamic extremists, field commanders and leaders of various bandit formations began to acquire more and more power in Chechnya.
Maskhadov, by and large, was not a politician, but a military man. He was forced to maneuver between these groups, to make concessions to them. This led to further radicalization, Islamization and criminalization of the Chechen society. Sharia law was introduced in CRI, the republic was flooded with foreign extremists, field commanders began to show more and more disobedience to the government of Ichkeria.
Second Chechen
The result of this situation was that in 1999, field commanders Shamil Basayev and Khattab unauthorizedly, without the sanctions of the President and the government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, invaded the territory of Dagestan. This is how the Second Chechen War began.
Although Maskhadov publicly condemned the actions of Basayev, Khattab and other field commanders, he could not really control them. Therefore, the Russian leadership, after knocking out the militants from the territory of Dagestan, decided to carry out an operation to completely destroy them on the territory of Chechnya.
The introduction of Russian troops into the territory of the CRI led to a direct confrontation between Maskhadov and the government of the Russian Federation. He began to lead the resistance. The President of Ichkeria was declared first on the all-Russian, and then on the international wanted list. At first, Maskhadov could only direct a relatively small detachment directly, since most of the field commanders actually did not obey him, and only in 2002 a general command was formed. Thus, Basayev, Khattab and other leaders of the militants sided with Maskhadov.
The actions of Russian troops on the territory of Chechnya this time were much more successful than in the first campaign. By the end of 2000, the Russian army controlled most of Chechnya. The militants hid in mountainous areas, organizing acts of terrorism and sabotage.
Death of Maskhadov
In order to finally destroy the terrorist hotbed in Chechnya, the Russian special services decided to carry out a series of operations to personally eliminate the militant leaders.
In March 2005, a special operation was carried out to detain the former leader of Ichkeria. In the course of it, Aslan Maskhadov was killed. According to one version, a bodyguard shot him, since Maskhadov did not want to surrender alive.
A family
Maskhadov had a wife, son and daughter. Aslan Maskhadov's wife, Kusam Semiyev, was a telephone operator before her marriage in 1972. After the death of her husband, she stayed abroad for a long time, until in 2016 she received permission to return to Chechnya.
Aslan Maskhadov's son - Anzor - was born in 1979. Educated in Malaysia. He currently resides in Finland and is an outspoken critic of the Russian authorities, in particular Ramzan Kadyrov.
Maskhadov's daughter, Fatima, was born in 1981. Like his brother, he currently lives in Finland.
general characteristics
It is rather difficult to give an impartial characterization of such an ambiguous figure as Aslan Maskhadov. Some people overly idealize him, others demonize him. It should be noted that the majority of people personally acquainted with him characterize Maskhadov as an excellent officer, a man of honor. At the same time, he showed an inability to lead the state and was unable to subordinate to the central government many different groups in Ichkeria, on whose lead he was often forced to follow.
Currently, rallies and pickets are being held in memory of Aslan Maskhadov demanding that the Russian authorities hand over his body to his relatives. But so far they have not led to results.
While studying at the academy in Leningrad, Aslan Maskhadov asked to be called Oleg, and in the documents he was listed as Oslan. In addition, classmates noted the complete lack of religiosity in Maskhadov, as well as the fact that he was not averse to missing a glass, although this was strictly forbidden by Islam.
According to his colleagues, Maskhadov spoke sharply negatively about the proclamation of Lithuania's independence, considering it separatism.
According to some information sources, the Russian special services were able to calculate the location of Maskhadov by the IMEI of a mobile phone.
Exactly six years ago, in the Chechen village of Tolstoy-Yurt, named after the great Russian writer, Russian FSB special forces fighters shot the president of independent Ichkeria, Aslan Maskhadov. Then, Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov Maskhadov's death "a gift to all women in Chechnya by March 8".
As the head of the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs Ruslan Alkhanov said: “It is symbolic that our president, Akhmad-haji Kadyrov, died heroically on the men's holiday - Victory Day. And this so-called President of Ichkeria found his death in a damp cellar on International Women's Day. There is nothing to add to this. " Indeed, there is nothing to add to the cynicism and baseness of these two men.
Maskhadov, being the legitimately elected President of the Ichkeria Republic, has been on the wanted list since 2000. All this time he was in Chechnya. The leader of the Chechen resistance was killed only when the threat of peace talks really hung over the Kremlin: when the soldiers 'mothers (the Union of Soldiers' Mothers Committees) and Maskhadov's emissary (Akhmed Zakayev) adopted a joint document “The Path to Peace in Chechnya”, and after Maskhadov himself declared that he can end the war in 30 minutes after a personal dialogue with Putin. Peace in Chechnya was not necessary to Putin, and then a decision was made to liquidate Aslan Maskhadov forcibly.
Testimony of Maskhadov's son - Anzor (born 1975), who fought alongside his father throughout the first war.
Anzor Maskhadov: Yes, it happened on March 8th. On the same day, they officially disseminated information that Aslan Maskhadov had been killed.
RFI: Was your family in Azerbaijan at that time?
Anzor Maskhadov: Yes. A friend of mine called me and asked if it was true or not? My heart told me that my father had been killed. Then they announced on TV that an operation had been carried out in Tolstoy-Yurt and "after a fierce and short battle, Aslan Maskhadov was killed." Later I found out some details of what happened through my channels. A special-purpose group was sent from Moscow. They surrounded this house and began to carry out a special operation. Local police and special forces cordoned off the village.
RFI: Did the Chechen special forces take part in the murder of Maskhadov?
Anzor Maskhadov: They didn’t even know and didn’t take any part. They were not entrusted with this operation, and they did not entrust this operation to those Russian troops that were in Khankala and at other bases.
RFI: The president's whereabouts were highly classified. Was this a betrayal on the part of compatriots and those who hid Maskhadov?
Anzor Maskhadov: There was no betrayal there, although there were rumors that someone had betrayed for some millions. It is not true. I know he was there and how safe the place was. They calculated it in a completely different way - using the phone.
RFI: When Dzhokhar Dudayev asked his proxies that he needed an urgent and reliable connection, it was among his proxies that there was a regular intelligence officer who “successfully” developed and implemented the operation to eliminate Dudayev. Is this the same option?
Anzor Maskhadov: Dzhokhar Dudayev was framed by another country - it rendered a service to Moscow. The same thing happened with my father. Now I will not name this country, this is what happened - the use of the phone. Father himself did not call, but those who were next to him called. There is also a version that he was killed at the request of our relative - this is not true. Bullets of different calibers from different sides.
RFI: Let's stop at this point. If Kadyrov is to be believed, Maskhadov died by pure chance - “because of the careless handling of his bodyguard's weapon,” and that no one was going to kill him. Shabalkin, a representative of the operational headquarters, presented a completely different version that the president was in a bunker, which had to be blown up in order to get inside. It was during the explosion of the bunker that he died. Which version is true? Do you have a forensic medical examination report?
Anzor Maskhadov: I have some documents on hand and I don’t want to show them yet, but the time will come - I’ll show so that people know the truth, as it really was. There was no explosion there. To have a barotrauma, a powerful explosion is needed, and if there was a powerful explosion, then this house would not exist. The house was blown up after he was killed, and there will be no barotrauma from some grenade. There were several bullet wounds, three in the head. These bullets entered from different directions and from different angles. The voiced version does not add up, according to which it means that he was killed by the one who was with him. I don't think they took him alive and then killed him. When this operation was carried out, doctors were with them. When the father's bleeding body was dragged upstairs, the doctors rushed to him. He was killed immediately. A person will not survive from these bullets in the head.
RFI: According to the official statements of the security forces, it turns out that the presidential aides left the shelter before the start of the operation. Does this mean that they abandoned their president?
Anzor Maskhadov: It is not true. As soon as the security forces entered the courtyard, they seized the owner of the house. In addition, they used gas. I don't know which one, not tear, of course. And those who were with their father - they are not guards, but assistants, they were dragged out of the house already unconscious. The military immediately began this operation, knowing that Maskhadov would not surrender alive, in any case.
RFI: After you learned that the owner of the house, Yusupov, was alive, did you meet with him to fully clarify the circumstances of your father's death?
Anzor Maskhadov: I would not dare to do this for their safety. Without asking them, we will still learn the truth from other sources.
From a letter from President Maskhadov to his colleague:
“Hello, Vasily Ivanovich!
I am infinitely grateful that I remembered and wrote at such a terrible time. Understand, in this terrible time for my small and unfortunate people, and for the people of Russia, too, for me - a person who, by the will of fate, was at the head of the other side of the barricades, it is very important to know the opinion of my fellow soldiers, friends and comrades in the service. I do not know who is to blame for this tragedy, but I will say with full responsibility that it is not my fault here. When the terrible, monstrous, huge army of Russia entered my republic, destroying and sweeping away everything in its path using the most sophisticated methods, I knew that it would be difficult to resist this bulk with a handful of brave men, but I could not act otherwise. "
RFI: Anzor, your family was immediately denied a body for burial. Six years have passed, is there any hope of burying your father's body?
Anzor Maskhadov: It is useless to wait for a step from the country in which people were buried alive, from the government, which is barbarously disposed towards us. There was even no hope that they would do it. The time will come when everything will be decided. Six years have passed since the murder. The Russians themselves would have to think - why is this happening in their country? Why are the mothers of those soldiers whom my father betrayed are silent now? I remember how they came to us and turned to their father to return their sons to them. He gave them away, there were not only privates, but also officers. Once they gave a whole group - about 50 contract soldiers. They should have turned to their government. Or my father's colleagues - he was their boss, commander, friend.
Here is another excerpt from the same letter from President Maskhadov to his colleague, 1996.
“From the very first day of the storming of Grozny, I contacted generals Babichev, Rokhlin, suggested that they take responsibility for stopping this massacre, I myself, as a military man, was ready for this even against the will of politicians on my part, right up to Dudayev. Russian generals Babichev, Rokhlin, Kvashnin, Kulikov did not dare to do this - they thought about pension, position, apartments.
When everything that entered the city was burned, destroyed, thousands of snotty young handsome guys, Russian soldiers, lay on the sidewalks of the city, it was impossible to walk through the city from the corpses, and these corpses began to be eaten by hungry dogs and cats, I asked General Babichev to stop war for at least one day (if necessary, then we will continue) in order to collect our own corpses. They didn't even go for it. Instead, they offered me to raise a white flag over the presidential palace, and I sent them to hell and even further. I fought with Russia, but I never lost my dignity. "
Anzor Maskhadov: Even before the start of the second war in 1999, my father appealed to the leaders of the North Caucasian republics to gather in one fist and do everything to prevent Russia from starting this war. Solve this problem peacefully. The presidents of Ingushetia and Ossetia responded. This did not work out - the leaders of Dagestan were afraid of Moscow, realizing that the war would begin in any case. And then their father warned them, said that the war would not only be in Chechnya - "by our will or not by ours, it will spread throughout all the republics." Here are the prophetic words. What is happening in our homeland, in our land. We even fight against each other: Chechens against Chechens, Chechens against Dagestanis, Ossetia, Ingushetia - blood is shed everywhere. Between us ... we were forced to shoot each other. And the way out of this situation is our union.
RFI: The opposite side has united today - these boys in their twenties who undermine themselves "in the name of jihad." And we got a completely opposite result to what President Maskhadov said.
Anzor Maskhadov: Today a completely different war is going on, unusual for our peoples. People go to take revenge ... it is very bad when they take revenge in such ways. It could be different, since this is a war.
RFI: In place of a balanced politician, ready for dialogue and understanding, who was not only the commander-in-chief of the Chechen armed forces, but a symbol of resistance, the Kremlin received Doku Umarov, who was already known for his aggressiveness and intransigence towards Russia. And no one sees a way out of this situation. The Caucasus is drowning in blood.
Akhmed Zakayev: After Taimiev Beibulat - Maskhadov was the only one who was recognized by everyone. Subsequently, the Russians managed to split, dismember, create an armed opposition. Of course, they understand what Aslan Maskhadov means for the Chechens and Vainakhs. Today, being dead, he is much more terrible for the Russians than he would be alive. His life, his death became a symbol of faith and courage.
RFI: Anzor, you have not been home for a long time, do you want to return to your homeland?
Anzor Maskhadov: I've always missed her. You understand, to ride around the Soviet Union all my life. We returned home in 1992, it worked only for a few years. I have no friends left - almost all of them were killed. I would like to see the rest, to visit the graves of those people who were close to me. But I can't go there. I will just consider it a betrayal to those who were killed. To smile at those who call themselves power there - no, I don't want that. I'll just live my life with dignity.
The program featured the favorite song of the President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Aslan Maskhadov, performed by Suleiman Tokkaev.
