Ramzan Kadyrov confirmed the death of one person suspected of sabotage following a meeting with law enforcement officials on Thursday evening. He said one suspect was "eliminated" and another was detained. This confirmation follows NIYSO claims that security forces killed 36-year-old Turpal-Ali Mezhidov, a native of Gudermes, in a Monday shootout. Kadyrov told law enforcement heads that the whole family must be held to account if a relative takes up arms to kill an officer. He stated that if anyone attempts to kill an officer or a civilian, authorities will hold relatives to account to the fullest extent, right up to "blood vengeance." Kadyrov also said that parents are obliged to check what their children watch on their phones and where they go when they leave home. This stance targets the families of those involved in militant activity. Kadyrov argued that if a father or brothers say, "We didn’t know what he was doing", that is impossible. Interior Minister Aslan Iraskhanov said that a detainee confessed to an explosion near the administration building in Gudermes last year and to placing a "Mukha" grenade launcher in Chernorechye to target a traffic police checkpoint.
NIYSO details shootout and suspect identity
NIYSO reports that the shootout began Monday evening at a checkpoint in Chernorechye, a suburb of Grozny, escalated into a pursuit, and ended in the Kurchaloi district. The movement alleged that at least some security personnel died during the incident and that around 30 members of the armed group may have escaped. Authorities did not confirm the scale of the operation or the claim of security personnel casualties. Kadyrov did not name the person killed or the detainee, and he did not specify where the shootout occurred. Sources inside the republic told OC Media that the situation remains relatively calm despite an increased number of personnel in military uniforms.
NIYSO published a wanted notice on Monday alleging Mezhidov was suspected of illegal arms trafficking. Leaked databases show he was listed as a suspected extremist since 2018 and as a terrorism suspect since 2023. While TASS reported that the detainee had confessed to involvement in an explosion near the district administration building last year, Iraskhanov only spoke of a planned explosion and an intended attack on a traffic police checkpoint in his video. Chechen authorities did not report any incidents in the Gudermes district during 2025 that matched the description of the explosion or the grenade launcher attack.
