Magomed Khambiyev, who turned himself in 2004 after around 40 of his relatives were abducted by forces loyal to Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, left for Western Europe on Sunday to meet with leading separatists living abroad.
In an interview published Tuesday in Gazeta, Khambiyev said he would bring his brother, Umar Khambiyev, back to Chechnya.
Umar Khambiyev, a former health minister in the separatist government and envoy to Western Europe for late separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, currently lives in Paris.
Magomed Khambiyev said he would talk to other senior separatists that emigrated from Chechnya to Europe.
"I don't want to name them now. I will say only that these are not run-of-the-mill guys," Khambiyev told Gazeta.
Timur Aliyev, an adviser to Kadyrov, said by telephone Tuesday that Khambiyev's initiative was not officially endorsed by the Chechen government.
Aliyev conceded, however, that he could not have undertaken the tour without tacit approval from the republic's political leadership.
Khambiyev has repeatedly called on Chechen rebels to surrender and asked exiled separatists to return to the republic, which has recovered rapidly from two bloody wars over the past 15 years.
Khambiyev told Gazeta that many self-exiled Chechens in Europe fear returning to the republic because they do not know the real situation there.
He has argued that Chechens have essentially gained independence from Russia under Kadyrov, who has replaced Russian officials in the republic with ethnic Chechens.
Both Aliyev and political analysts said the return of prominent separatist figures to Chechnya would boost Kadyrov's image as the leader of all Chechens.
Given that most Chechen rebels in Europe adhere to a secular, nationalist separatism -- as opposed to Islamist separatists, who are sworn enemies of Kadyrov -- Khambiyev's arguments could be effective, said Alexander Khramchikhin, a security expert with the Institute for Political and Military Analysis.
"[Kadyrov] indeed built an effectively independent state and used Moscow's money to do it," Khramchikhin said.
Chechen separatists living in Europe have lost their legitimacy since Maskhadov's death in 2005 and the subsequent deterioration of the rebel movement from nationalist to jihadist resistance, said Nikolai Silayev, a Caucasus expert with the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
"If they want to regain any political face, the Khambiyevs' appeal is their chance," Silayev said.
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.