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).
Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting in Grozny with the heads of the regions of the North Caucasian Federal District and the plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation on the topic “North Military District”. He noted that the North Caucasus Federal District is one of the most active in recruiting contract soldiers.
“In the North Caucasus Federal District, the recruitment plan for the contract last year was fulfilled by 105%. There are territories that coped with this task better, and there are territories that are worse,” Medvedev clarified.
The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council also stated that as of February 2024, the Russian Special Forces University (Gudermes) had trained over 16 thousand people.
“They were trained and sent to participate in a special military operation. In the Northern Military District zone, graduates demonstrate good fighting qualities, will, firmness, and a winning mindset. I would like to thank the leadership of the Chechen Republic for the great work done in this direction,” Dmitry Medvedev emphasized. He also noted that, according to the Ministry of Defense, in the country as a whole, since January 1, “more than 53 thousand people have been recruited for military service in the interests of the joint group of forces.”