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A friend of a missing Chechen woman faces up to 30 days in jail or a hefty fine for a picket in Grozny
Human rights
A friend of a missing Chechen woman faces up to 30 days in jail or a hefty fine for a picket in Grozny
24 August 2026

Lena Patyaeva, a friend of missing Chechen native Seda Suleimanova, was charged with an administrative offense after a solo picket in Grozny. She held the protest on August 23, the third anniversary of Suleimanova's disappearance. Under the charges against her, Patyaeva faces up to 30 days in jail or a fine of up to 300,000 rubles.

Friend of missing Chechen woman detained in Grozny after picket
Human rights
Friend of missing Chechen woman detained in Grozny after picket
23 August 2026

Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).

Russian security forces seize body of Ingushetia resident at Mineralnye Vody airport and detain those who came to meet it
Human rights
Russian security forces seize body of Ingushetia resident at Mineralnye Vody airport and detain those who came to meet it
22 August 2026

Russian security forces seized at Mineralnye Vody airport the body of Ingushetia native Ilyas Belkharoев, who died in Poland, and detained two men who had come to meet it. Belkharoев’s relatives intended to bury him in Ingushetia, but his body has not yet been handed over to the family.

Exhibition on Deportation of Meskhetian Turks Opens in Baku
History
Exhibition on Deportation of Meskhetian Turks Opens in Baku
22 August 2026

An exhibition titled Meskhetian Turks — In the Footsteps of a Lost Exile, dedicated to the 1944 deportation of Meskhetian Turks from their ancestral homeland and their subsequent dispersal across different countries, has opened in Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku.

Honored Artist of Ukraine reads out letter from Crimean Tatar held in Russian penal colony
Human rights
Honored Artist of Ukraine reads out letter from Crimean Tatar held in Russian penal colony
21 August 2026

Ukrainian singer Tina Karol has read a letter from Appaz Kurtamet, a Crimean Tatar activist and language teacher currently held in a Russian penal colony. The video was released as part of the "Letters to Free Crimea" initiative and published on the singer's Instagram account.

Seyran Asanov, a Crimean Tatar prisoner of war sentenced to 20 years, has been illegally transferred to the
Human rights
Seyran Asanov, a Crimean Tatar prisoner of war sentenced to 20 years, has been illegally transferred to the "Vladimir Central" prison
21 August 2026

Seyran Asanov, a Ukrainian serviceman and Crimean Tatar who was taken prisoner by Russia in the autumn of 2024, has been transferred to the "Vladimir Central" prison. A Russian court sentenced him to 20 years of imprisonment: Asanov is to serve the first five years in prison and the remaining 15 in a correctional colony. This was reported by the Crimean Tatar Resource Center (CTRC).

In Switzerland, protesters demanded that Chechen refugees not be deported to Russia
Human rights
In Switzerland, protesters demanded that Chechen refugees not be deported to Russia
19 August 2026

On August 18, a rally in support of Chechen nationals denied asylum by Germany took place in Bern, Switzerland. Participants feared that if returned to Russia, they could face persecution, torture, and forced re-enlistment to fight.

Chechen woman asks Aishat Kadyrova to help restore contact between mother and daughter after divorce
Human rights
Chechen woman asks Aishat Kadyrova to help restore contact between mother and daughter after divorce
18 August 2026

A woman from Chechnya, Madina Makhamashova, says her former husband has prevented her from seeing or speaking to their daughter for almost two years, despite a court ruling establishing a schedule for contact. She has publicly appealed to Aishat Kadyrova, the eldest daughter of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, for help.

Stavropol woman faces up to seven years in prison for allegedly approving drone attacks
Human rights
Stavropol woman faces up to seven years in prison for allegedly approving drone attacks
18 August 2026

A military court in southern Russia will hear the case of a 43-year-old woman from the village of Kiankiz in Stavropol Krai who is accused of publicly justifying terrorism after reacting to reports of a Ukrainian drone attack. She faces between five and seven years in prison.

A human rights activist from Kabardino-Balkaria was questioned for two hours at the airport about his work and connections to Turkey
Human rights
A human rights activist from Kabardino-Balkaria was questioned for two hours at the airport about his work and connections to Turkey
18 August 2026

Valery Khatazhukov, head of the Kabardino-Balkarian Human Rights Center, filed a complaint with the Prosecutor General's Office after a two-hour interrogation at the Mineralnye Vody airport. He claims border guards questioned him about his human rights work, his travels, and his contacts with Turkish citizens, without explaining the basis for their questioning.