Ingush President Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, who was badly injured in a suicide bombing in June, was released from a Moscow hospital on Monday and said he might be back to work in a week.
“If today they were to name the one who did it, I’m ready to forgive him,” Yevkurov told reporters as he left the Vishnevsky hospital, according to comments released by his press office.
“I don’t want to take revenge, but those militants who won’t lay down their weapons will be eliminated,” he said, Interfax reported.
Yevkurov suffered serious head and internal injuries when a car raced up to his motorcade near Nazran on June 22 and exploded. He has undergone several operations.
Despite the security lapse, Yevkurov said he was not planning to shuffle his staff, although he said he “has a few questions” to ask them.
“The policies will remain the same, although a bit tougher, including toward corrupt officials,” he said, Interfax reported.
“He is keeping the situation in the republic under control, receiving reports from the ministries and giving orders,” the Ingush president’s spokesman, Kaloi Akhilgov, told The Moscow Times on Monday.
A Chechen terrorist group, Riyadus Salikhin Martyrs’ Brigade, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Yevkurov, 46, stressed the importance of fighting against rebels, whose “leaders are bought” and “blackmailed.” People who became rebels unintentionally must be returned to the peaceful life, he said.
The Ingush leader is scheduled to stay in a health resort in the Moscow region for additional rehabilitation before returning to the republic. He said he hoped to resume his work in a week but would heed doctors’ advice.
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