Apti Alaudinov
Apti Alaudinov | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Апти Алаудинов |
| Born | 5 October 1973[1] Gorny, Stavropol Krai, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union[1] |
| Allegiance |  Russia |
| Years of service | 2001–present |
| Rank | Major General |
| Battles / wars | |
Apti Aronovich Alaudinov (Russian: Апти Аронович Алаудинов, Chechen: Апти Алаудинов) (born 5 October 1973) is a Russian Major General and a high-ranking member of the 141st Motorized Regiment of the National Guard of Russia.
Early life
[edit]He was born into a Chechen family. His father was an officer in the Soviet Army.[2]
During the Chechen civil war and the First Chechen War in the 1990s, Alaudinov lost around 20 close relatives, including his father, uncle, and older brother.[3] However, Apti did not participate in them.[4]
In 2001, he graduated from the Chechen State University with a degree in jurisprudence.[5]
In the Second Chechen War Apti continued to support the federal forces, this time of Vladimir Putin.[4]
Career
[edit]Chechen Interior Ministry’s organised crime unit
[edit]Alaudinov started his career in the Chechen Interior Ministry’s organised crime unit. He was seen at the Moscow assassination of special forces commander Movladi Baisarov in November 2006. The operation was led by Kadyrov lieutenant Adam Delimkhanov.[4]
Deputy Interior Minister
[edit]A man who criticised local officials and Kadyrov in a YouTube appeal to the Russian President became a target of threats and had to flee to Dagestan. In May 2016, his house was burnt down by a group of masked men, and his family was dragged out, put in a car, and thrown under a bridge. His wife stated that they threatened the other residents if they reported the matter to anyone. Later, the Chechen police cordoned off his village to hunt him down. Kadyrov's spokesman denied these reports were true.[6][7] The complainant later publicly apologised to Kadyrov and accused the media of distorting his remarks in his video complaint.[8] He again fled to Dagestan in November 2016. According to human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina, he had to flee after Alaudinov, who was then Chechnya's Deputy Interior Minister, threatened to kill him.[9][10]
In 2019 Alaudinov was detained in a Kadyrov-administered purge of federalists associated with Ibragim Temirbaev, a now-deposed mayor of Argun, Chechen Republic who was killed in a car accident two years later. After August 2019, Alaudinov absented himself from the Ministry, although he was still paid his salary. He later fled to safety in Moscow until March 2022.[4]
Commander of 141st Motorised Regiment
[edit]On 26 February 2022, it was reported that General Magomed Tushayev of the 141st had been killed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces along with most of his troops in the Battle of Hostomel.[11] On 16 March, Tushayev announced he was alive.[12][13] On 17 March 2022, Ramzan Kadyrov announced he was sending 1,000 troops to fight in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that they would be led by Alaudinov.[11]
In July 2022, Alaudinov was made secretary of the Chechen Security Council by Kadyrov.[4]
In September 2022, Alaudinov was appointed commander of the Akhmat volunteer special forces unit.[4]
In February 2023, Alaudinov was reportedly poisoned by a letter laced with toxin.[14][15]
In June 2023, Alaudinov was noted as the commander of the 141st.[16] In April 2024, the Danish and Swedish governments published a report which listed Alaudinov as one of four leaders of the Chechens.[17]
In April 2024, it was claimed that Alaudinov had been for a time estranged from Kadyrov: "Alaudinov has managed to survive in Chechnya despite initially being on the opposing side to the Kadyrov clan, and even being banished from Chechnya five years ago. As war broke out in Ukraine, Alaudinov finally got a chance to atone for his sins and help Kadyrov save his private army from ruin."[4] In May 2024, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty cited Russian opposition sources stating that Alaudinov had a good reputation within the Russian federal government after helping integrate former Wagner Group members into the 141st Motorized Regiment following the Wagner Group rebellion, and was favored as a successor to Kadyrov by the defense establishment.[18]
In June 2024, Alaudinov was deployed to the Kharkiv oblast.[19]
On 20 June 2024, Alaudinov made an appearance on the national TV broadcast of Olga Skabeyeva, where he talked about the end of the SMO. He figures that the Ukrainian forces have been heavily drawn to Kharkiv Oblast where they will in 2024 be destroyed in a final battle.[20]
On 9 August, Alaudinov said that Ukrainian forces had gained an incursion into Kursk Oblast, where the Kadyrovites had been stationed since April 2024.[21]
On 19 August, Alaudinov berated Russians who complained that conscripts were forced to defend Kursk Oblast. Conscripts had been exempted by Vladimir Putin from serving in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and he never expected the Ukrainians to attack Russia. Alaudinov promised those who were killed would go straight to heaven.[22][23] A Moscologist said that whereas the FSB and Kadyrovites had been tasked with protecting the border, now that the Ukrainians had made progress in Russia, some conscripts from the Leningrad Military District and the Moscow Military District had been sent to Kursk as reinforcements,[23] and the Daily Telegraph said Alaudinov mocked the mothers of the conscripts.[24]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Apti Alaudinov". Open Sanctions. 5 October 1973.
- ^ "Апти Алаудинов — достойный сын своего народа". Информационное агентство «Грозный-Информ». 3 September 2013. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ "Начальника полиции Чечни уволили с заместителем прокурора Подмосковья". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 18 March 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Redeeming futures. How Kadyrov's potential successor has been using the war in Ukraine as a path to redemption". Novaya Gazeta Europe.
- ^ "Апты Алаудинов назначен замглавы военно-политического управления армии". Коммерсантъ (in Russian). 16 April 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
- ^ "Chechen leader 'has 1,000 wedding guests questioned after losing phone'". The Moscow Times. 13 May 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Police 'surround' entire village in Chechnya in the hunt for a man who dared to complain about local officials". The Telegraph. 17 May 2016. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Man Whose House Was Torched Apologizes for Criticism of Kadyrov". The Moscow Times. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "Missing Chechen Whistle-Blower Flees Chechnya". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ^ Tom Parfitt (12 November 2016). "Chechen who sought help from Putin flees village". The Times. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ^ a b Mazurenko, Alona (17 March 2022). "Kadyrov announces that he is sending another 1,000 troops to Ukraine". Ukrainska Pravda.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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)]. Chechnya Today (in Russian). 16 March 2022.
- ^ Ankel, Sophia (13 February 2023). "A Russian general was poisoned by a letter laced with an unknown toxin, close Putin ally says". Business Insider. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ "Chechen commander Apti Alaudinov returns to special operation zone in Ukraine after being poisoned". Caucasian Knot. 8 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
- ^ Aleksandrov, Georgy (28 June 2023). "Akhmat to the rescue: How do Chechen special forces operate? Kadyrov's Akhmat battalion was the only military unit in Russia that declared it was ready to quell Prigozhin's armed rebellion". Novaya Gazeta Europe.
- ^ The Danish Immigration Service; The Swedish Migration Agency (April 2024). Russia: Recruitment of Chechens to the War in Ukraine (PDF) (Report). COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION (COI) FFM REPORT. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2024.
- ^ Coalson, Robert (23 May 2024). "Amid Reports Kadyrov Is Ill, Kremlin Mulls What's Next For Chechnya". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
- ^ "Chechen Special Forces Deployed in Ukraine's Kharkiv, Commander Says". The Moscow Times. 3 June 2024.
- ^ "Russian general floats deadline for end of Putin's war". 20 June 2024.
- ^ "Chechen commander admits Russian losses, Ukrainian advances in Kursk Oblast". 9 August 2024.
- ^ "Chechen special forces commander upbraids Russians unwilling to fight for their country". Novaya Gazeta Europe.
- ^ a b "Chechen commander promises "paradise" for Russian soldiers dying in Kursk".
- ^ Barnes, Joe. "Chechen commander mocks mothers of teenage Russian conscripts sent to fight in Kursk". The Telegraph.