Ruslan (Khalid or Halid) Bekmirzayevich Yamadayev (russian: Руслан (Халид) Бекмирзаевич Ямадаев) (10 December 1961 – 24 September 2008) was a Chechen military leader and politician. A member of the high-profile Yamadayev family, he was assassinated in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in 2008. Yamadayev was one of Kremlin's most loyal allies.

Biography

Ruslan Yamadayev belonged to the

Gudermes Gudermes (russian: Гудерме́с; ce, Гуьмсе, ''Gümse'' or , ''Guthermajas'') is a town in the Chechen Republic, Russia, located on the Sunzha River east of Grozny, the republic's capital. Population: 32,000 (1970). History Gude ...

-based Chechen Benoi

teip Teips (also taip, teyp; Nakh тайпа ''taypa'' : ''family, kin, clan, tribe''Нохчийн-Оьрсийн словарь (Chechen-Russian Dictionary, A.G. Matsiyev, Moscow, 1961), ''also available online:'Чеченско-Русский сл� ...

. Along with his brothers Sulim Yamadayev and Dzhabrail Yamadayev, he fought against the Russian forces during the First Chechen War before turning to Russia's side in 1999. For his struggle against the separatists in the

Second Chechen War The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 ...

, Yamadayev was promoted to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

and granted the title of

Hero of the Russian Federation Hero of the Russian Federation (russian: Герой Российской Федерации, Geroy Rossiyskoy Federatsii), also unofficially Hero of Russia (russian: link=no, Герой России, Geroy Rossii), is the highest honorary title ...

. From 2003 to 2007, he was a deputy to the

State Duma The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper hous ...

from Chechnya. In 2004, he was nominated for the Chechen presidency. He and his brothers ran several businesses, including a car market, a construction company, and a concrete factory, in Chechnya.

Death

On 24 September 2008, Ruslan Yamadayev was assassinated on Smolenskaya Embankment in central Moscow near the Russian White House when returning from a meeting in

the Kremlin The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of the kremlins (R ...

. He was shot ten times while sitting in a car owned by his brother Sulim Yamadayev. Initially, it was reported the name of the victim as Sulim, which was corrected later. The other victim of the shooting, the former military commandant of Chechnya and retired

Colonel General Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

Sergei Kizyun, was hospitalized in grave condition. The Russian police launched a criminal case on charges of murder and

attempted murder Attempted murder is a crime of attempt in various jurisdictions. Canada Section 239 of the ''Criminal Code'' makes attempted murder punishable by a maximum of life imprisonment. If a gun is used, the minimum sentence is four, five or seven ...

. The pro-Moscow president of Chechnya

Ramzan Kadyrov Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov ce, КъадаргӀеран Ахьмат-кӏант Рамзан, translit= (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician who currently serves as the Head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated to the ...

who had, in the months prior to the assassination, engaged in a bitter rivalry with the Yamadayevs denied accusations of being behind the killing, and suggested Yamadayev fell victim of a

blood feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one pa ...

. Sulim Yamadayev also accused Kadyrov and promised to take revenge. He also denied the claims of Kadyrov, stating that his brother did not have any blood feud or business clashes that could have caused his assassination.

Aftermath

Sulim himself was reported killed on 29 March 2009 in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...

.Report: Kadyrov Foe Sulim Yamadayev Slain in Dubai
''

The Moscow Times ''The Moscow Times'' is an independent English-language and Russian-language online newspaper. It was in print in Russia from 1992 until 2017 and was distributed free of charge at places frequented by English-speaking tourists and expatriates s ...

'', 30 March 2009 In April 2009, a court in Moscow convicted two Chechens of the assassination of Yamadayev. Aslanbek Dadayev, Yamadayev's murderer, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, and Elimpasha Khatsuev, who drove the car, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yamadayev, Ruslan 1961 births 2008 deaths Assassinated Chechen politicians Assassinated military personnel Assassinated Russian politicians Chechen businesspeople Chechen warlords Deaths by firearm in Russia Heroes of the Russian Federation Fourth convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) People of the Chechen wars People murdered in Moscow 20th-century Russian businesspeople Russian military personnel 2008 murders in Russia

Biography

Death

Aftermath

See also

References