The Russian Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring) has put the “Chechen Republic of Ichkeria” (CRI) and its structural subdivisions on the list of terrorists and extremists, the Russian service of Radio Liberty reported on 24 April.
In early April, a court in Grozny recognised the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria as a “terrorist” organisation and banned in Russia the activities of both the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria itself and its 29 branches in European countries.
Ichkeria is an unrecognised entity that emerged after the collapse of the USSR in the Chechen part of the former Chechen-Ingush ASSR. The “Chechen Republic of Ichkeria” declared independence in July 1991. Dzhokhar Dudayev became the Chairman of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
The declaration of independence led to a war between Russia and separatists supporting the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
The FSB earlier said that the “Chechen Republic of Ichkeria” created in 1991 is now headed by Chechen dissident Akhmed Zakayev, who lives in the UK. Members of the association, according to the intelligence service, are involved in fighting on the side of the AFU against the Russian army and have also been involved in sabotage operations in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
Zakayev was foreign minister of the unrecognised separatist Ichkeria and became a field commander after the outbreak of the Second Chechen War. In 2001, he was put on Russia’s international wanted list on terrorism charges.
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In 2003, a London court refused to extradite Zakayev because he was being prosecuted on the basis of certain political views. He was granted political asylum in the UK.
In 2024, a criminal case was brought against Zakayev in Russia because of his formation of a volunteer battalion within the AFU and placed him on the list of terrorists and extremists. He was accused of creating a terrorist community and publicly justifying terrorism.
Zakayev commented on the criminal case, saying that the Ichkerian government would continue to form the unit and “participate in repelling Russian aggression – this is a great honour for us”.