A popular Chechen opposition blogger has been hospitalized after an assassination attempt in Europe, the Chechen human rights group Vayfond and multiple news outlets reported Thursday.
Tumso Abdurakhmanov fled Russia in 2015 and has attempted, so far unsuccessfully, to gain political asylum in Poland. His YouTube channel where he regularly criticizes Chechen officials, including the Russian republic’s longtime leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has more than a quarter-million subscribers.
A widely shared video of what appears to be Abdurakhmanov’s Instagram story shows the disheveled blogger filming his would-be assassin lying head-down on a blood-stained floor. In the ensuing exchange, the assailant, who identifies himself as Ruslan, says a man from the Chechen capital of Grozny had ordered him to travel from Moscow to “scare” Abdurakhmanov.
“You came with this hammer to scare me?” Abdurakhmanov, breathing heavily after apparently disarming Ruslan, asked as he showed the alleged weapon on camera.
The Guardian reported that the assassination attempt took place in Poland.
The Kremlin on Thursday said it’s “not inclined to draw parallels” between the attack and Abdurakhmanov’s criticism of Kadyrov.
Kadyrov’s close ally Magomed Daudov declared a so-called “blood feud” against Abdurakhmanov in March 2019 for calling his father and former Chechen leader Akhmat Kadyrov a traitor. Observers noted that the assassination attempt took place on Daudov’s 40th birthday.
Earlier this month, Abdurakhmanov claimed that a fellow Chechen native with alleged high-level ties had killed another opposition blogger Imran Aliyev in France.
Aliyev’s stabbing death and the attempt on Abdurakhmanov’s life are the latest in a series of what are believed to be politically motivated murders of ethnic Chechens outside Russia. An ethnic Chechen of Georgian citizenship was shot and killed in Germany last summer, a broad-daylight murder that investigative reporters blamed on Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
