Are Kadyrov’s Thugs Now Working to Intimidate Critics of Ingushetia’s Yevkurov?

Paul Goble

            Staunton, November 12 – A person or persons unknown kidnapped and threatened the brother of a critic of Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Ibragim Lyanov, head of the European Association of Ingush in Brussels, with physical harm unless his cousin stopped criticizing the Ingushetia leader (ekhokavkaza.com/a/29595770.html).

            Because Ramzan Kadyrov has used similar tactics against his opponents in Chechnya, in the Russian Federation, and abroad, it is entirely possible that the Chechen leader has decided to use his thugs against the opponents of someone who cooperated with him. Even more troubling, this action could represent a willingness by Yevkurov to copy Kadyrov’s actions.   

            Regardless of what the facts of the case turn out to be, if in fact they are ever discovered, this latest act of attempted intimidation will only exacerbate the anger of Ingush opponents of the Chechen leader and also against Yevkurov who has proved willing to give up extensive territory of Ingushetia to Chechnya without the referendum the republic constitution requires.

            Two other developments over the last 24 hours also are likely to have an impact on the controversy.  In Ingushetia, Yevkurov’s regime has announced plans to develop a village on the border with Chechnya, a transparent effort to portray himself as a defender of the Ingush nation and its territory (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/327811/).

            And the mufti of Ingushetia has complained that Moscow has somehow mislaid 1.7 billion rubles (60 million US dollars) that it had promised to provide for the construction of a new mosque in Magas, an action that almost certainly represents another effort to punish a critic of Yevkurov (credo.press/220806/ and  newsru.com/religy/09nov2018/ne_stroili.html).

                Such actions will backfire, further unifying the Ingush Muslim establishment and the Ingush opposition, thus further undermining Yevkurov’s position and ensuring that Muslims elsewhere will have yet another reason to believe that Moscow is quite ready to attack their faith for political reasons.