Magomed Tushayev

Magomed Salaudinovich Tushayev[1] (Russian: Магомед Салаудинович Тушаев; born 23 February 1986) is a Russian Lieutenant Colonel and advisor to the Head of the Chechen Republic. He is a commander of the 141st Special Motorized Regiment (Kadyrovites).[2][3][4][5]

Magomed Tushayev
Native name
Магомед Салаудинович Тушаев
Birth nameMagomed Salaudinovich Tushayev
Born (1986-02-23) 23 February 1986
Sernovodskoye, Checheno-Ingush ASSR, Soviet Union
Allegiance Russia
RankLieutenant Colonel
Commands heldCommander of the 141st Special Motorized Regiment
Battles/wars

Tushayev is part of a group who terrorized the LGBT community in Chechnya. This included the kidnapping and torture of dozens of men who were suspected to be gay. These acts have been called Chechnya's "anti-gay purge".[6][7][8][9]

In 2022, he was claimed to have been killed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[10][11] However, posterior footage disputed this and showed that Tushayev was still alive.[12][13]

Biography

Tushayev is an only child, and he was interested in the military since he was a child, being fascinated by the theme of military uniforms. After graduating from the school in Sernovodskoye in Chechnya, he studied finance and law in Makhachkala, Dagestan.[2] In 2008, Tushayev joined the OMON, a special police unit within the National Guard of Russia.[2] He later became a riot police officer in Chechnya, and was later transferred to the SOBR, another special unit.[14] Tushayev was later made deputy head of the department of SOBR.[15]

In 2017, Tushayev became the commander of the 141st Special Motorized Regiment (Kadyrovites),[2][3][4][5] one of the elite units of Russia, and started serving as commander in April 2018.[14][16]

In 2019, he was promoted to the rank of major.[17] In 2021, Tushayev took part in tests at the training center of the National Guard of Russia in Stavropol Krai. After positive results, he obtained the right to wear a red beret, which is the highest distinction for special forces soldiers.[18]

Human rights abuses

Tushayev is a close confidant of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic, and one of Kadyrov's three senior advisers. Tushayev was personally congratulated by Kadyrov on his 34th birthday.[14][19] Tushayev was also one of the key executors of the anti-gay purges in Chechnya. According to the Daily Mirror, citing news from a Russian human rights organization, Tushayev was part of a group who terrorized the LGBT community in Chechnya. This included the kidnapping, torture and extrajudicial killing of dozens of men who were suspected to be gay.[6][7][8][9] Tushayev also kidnapped gay human rights activist Ibrahim Selimkhanov in Moscow in May 2021 to Grozny to interrogate him about the Chechen LGBT community and people. LGBT activists filed a complaint about the kidnapping of Selimkhanov to the Russian Federal Investigative Committee of the Russian Ministry of Justice, but officials refused to take further action.[19][20]

Russian invasion of Ukraine and claimed death

In the first half of February 2022, he was the commander of the 141st Special Motorized Regiment as a major.[21][22] According to Interfax-Ukraine, Tushayev died during hostilities during the Russian invasion of Ukraine near Hostomel, where a battle was taking place in which Ukrainian troops defeated a Chechen national guard special unit.[23] Ukraine claimed that Tushayev led a special mobile group into Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine to behead a Ukrainian dignitary, but that he was killed on 26 February in an exchange of fire with Ukrainian Alpha Group forces at Antonov Airport.[3][24] It was claimed that the Chechen special forces and 56 tank columns led by Tushayev were all annihilated and captured by the Alpha Group.[4] The death of Tushayev was confirmed by both the Ukrainian president's government and Ukrainian media.[19]

Following the claim of Tushayev's death, Kadyrov in the following days denied the information that he had been killed and assured that the soldier was alive.[25][26][27][28][4] Kadyrov released a video in which he claimed to speak by telephone with Tushayev. Videos were then published on social media denying the reports of Tushayev's death.[29] A Chechen-based media outlet posted a video of Tushayev himself denying his death on 16 March.[13] The amateur film shown as evidence does not allow to unequivocally verify neither the identity of the man claiming to be Tushayev nor the date of the recording itself.[28] According to Libération, Tushayev's death was still not confirmed as of 24 March 2022.[30] BBC News Russian would later confirm that he was still alive.[31]

In many media reports from that time, Tushayev was titled as a general.[2] Later, in the message of Telegraf.com.ua, unlike other Russian generals killed, Tushyev was referred to as a general of the Rosgvard (Federal Service of the Russian National Guard Troops).[32] On March 16, 2022, he was also mentioned as a general in a statement by the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council on Russian generals killed by the Ukrainian side since the beginning of the invasion, of which he was the first reported to be killed.[33]

Decorations

Tushayev has received numerous decorations, including:

See also

References
  1. "Війна і санкції - ТУШАЄВ Магомед Салаудінович - Поки що не застосовані санкції". sanctions.nazk.gov.ua.
  2. "Мечтал о войне с малых лет: что известно про убитого в Украине генерала Кадырова". Телеграф (in Russian). 27 February 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  3. Ostrowski, Kurier (27 February 2022). "Czeczeński oddział Tuszajewa przestał istnieć – rozbity przez ukraińską Gwardię Narodową i jednostkę Alfa | Wiadomości Ostrów Wielkopolski". Kurier Ostrowski (in Polish). Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  4. "Рамзан Кадыров развеял слухи о гибели Магомеда Тушаева и Анзора Бисаева в Украине (+видео)". ИА Чечня Сегодня (in Russian). Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  5. "Полк имени Героя России Ахмата-Хаджи Кадырова грозненского соединения Росгвардии отметил 15-ю годовщину со дня образования". 26 February 2022. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  6. He murdered homosexuals. He was killed by the Ukrainian military, Pomponik, 1 March 2022
  7. Kieren Williams (1 March 2022), "Ruthless warlord who led 'gay purges' in Chechnya killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine", The Mirror, At a Council of Europe meeting last year the suppression of gay people in Chechnya was described as "the single most egregious example of violence against LGBTI people in Europe that has occurred in decades"
  8. Michael Goldstein (3 March 2022), "World's Largest Aircraft Another Casualty of Russian Attack on Ukraine", Forbes, The death of Russian General Magomed Tushayev, head of a 'motorized regiment' of the Chechnya National Guard, was confirmed by Ukrainian news services. Killed by the elite Ukrainian Alpha unit, Tushayev was a warlord and advisor to Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov. Tushayev was also widely known for terrorizing the Chechnyaa LGBTQ+ community.
  9. Goldstein, Michael. "World's Largest Aircraft Another Casualty Of Russian Attack On Ukraine". Forbes. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  10. Michael K. Lavers (27 February 2022), "Warlord who persecuted gay Chechens killed in Ukrainian fighting", Los Angeles Blade
  11. "Ukrainian Armed Forces neutralise Kadyrov's fighters who planned to kill Zelenskyy", Ukrayinska Pravda, 1 March 2022
  12. Ling, Justin (26 February 2022). "Russia Tries to Terrorize Ukraine with Images of Chechen Soldiers". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  13. "Магомед Тушаев: "Я тот, кого "трусливые зайцы" в интернете назвали мертвым" (+видео)" [Magomed Tushaev: “I am the one whom the “cowardly hares” on the Internet called dead” (+ video)] (in Russian). 16 March 2022.
  14. "Родина всегда тебя бросит: данные об убитом под Киевом кадыровском генерале резко исчезают из сети". Телеграф (in Russian). 27 February 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  15. "Кавказский Узел | Чеченский полк имени Кадырова возглавил Магомед Тушаев". amp.kavkaz-uzel.eu. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  16. "Полк имени Героя России Ахмата-Хаджи Кадырова грозненского соединения Росгвардии отметил 15-ю годовщину со дня образования – Новости Росгвардии". Федеральная служба войск национальной гвардии. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  17. Рамзан Кадыров встретился с первым замдиректора ФСВНГ России Сергеем Меликовым [Ramzan Kadyrov met with Sergey Melikov, First Deputy Director of the FSVNG of Russia] (in Russian). National Anti-Terrorism Committee. 13 March 2019. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  18. "15 росгвардейцев Чеченской Республики завоевали право ношения крапового берета". ЧГТРК ГРОЗНЫЙ. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  19. Lavers, Michael K. (28 February 2022). "Warlord who persecuted gay Chechens killed in Ukrainian fighting". Los Angeles Blade. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  20. Williams, Kieren (1 March 2022). "Ruthless warlord who led 'gay purges' in Chechnya killed fighting for Russia". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  21. "ПОЛКУ РОСГВАРДИИ ИМЕНИ ГЕРОЯ РОССИИ АХМАТА-ХАДЖИ КАДЫРОВА ИСПОЛНИЛОСЬ 15 ЛЕТ — gazeta-iman" (in Russian). 29 March 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  22. "В Грозном состоялась встреча росгвардейцев с представителем администрации Чеченской Республики | Информационное агентство "Грозный-Информ"". www.grozny-inform.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  23. "The subdivision of the National Guard Forces Command of the Chechen Republic is destroyed near Kiev, commander of the regiment Tushaev is killed - Ministry of Defense of Ukraine". Interfax-Ukraine. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  24. "Breaking News: Russian general from Chechnya Magomed Tushayev, one of Ramzan Kadyrov's top warlords killed by Ukraine's Elite Alpha Group". Alvin Alexa. Archived from the original on 26 February 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  25. "Кадыров опроверг слухи о гибели чеченских командиров на Украине - РИА Новости, 27.02.2022". ria.ru (in Russian). 27 February 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  26. "Разведка Украины опубликовала данные о телефонных разговорах кадыровцев". RFE/RL (in Russian). 10 March 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  27. "Рамзан Кадыров: "Бандеровские пропагандисты только на словах хоронят наших офицеров" | ИА Чечня Сегодня". 12 March 2022. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  28. "Wyborcza.pl". wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  29. Saint-André, Elsa de La Roche. "La mort du général tchétchène Magomed Tushaev, bras droit de Kadyrov, a-t-elle été prouvée?". Libération (in French). Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  30. Saint-André, Elsa de La Roche. "La mort du général tchétchène Magomed Tushaev, bras droit de Kadyrov, a-t-elle été prouvée?". Libération (in French). Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  31. От генералов до добровольцев: потери России в Украине к началу июня
    Груз 200: что известно о потерях России в Украине к середине июня
  32. "Стали вантажем 200: що відомо про знищених в Україні російських генералах". Телеграф (in Ukrainian). 11 March 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  33. "Украинские СМИ: под Мариуполем убит российский генерал Олег Митяев". NEWSru.co.il (in Russian). 16 March 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  34. "Под Гостомелем ликвидировали кадыровского генерала и разбили его "элитный" отряд". Телеграф (in Russian). 27 February 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
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