December 23, 2001

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On the western outskirts of Urus-Martan, under the bridge over the Roshnya River, the corpse of a man was discovered with signs of violent death and a bag on his head. The corpse was identified. It was Shamil Abdullaevich Bazaev, born in 1977, who lived at the address: Urus-Martan, Chekhov Street, 112. Traces of beatings were clearly visible on the young man’s body. There were especially many of them in the chest area. Shamil Bazaev was apparently shot in the head. According to his mother's story, the entire back of his head was covered in dried blood.

On December 13, at approximately 6 p.m., he left the house, telling his mother that he would come soon, and did not return. The relatives were concerned, but they could not do anything - the so-called "curfew". The search was only able to begin the next morning. They orally contacted all law enforcement agencies of the Urus-Martan district (the commandant's office, the FSB, the VOVD and the ROVD). Everywhere they refused to admit that their employees were behind the disappearance of Shamil Bazaev. However, the relatives had no doubt that Russian “security officials” were behind his disappearance, so they did not write statements and appeals, considering it a waste of time. According to their testimonies, the missing man never participated in the VF of the ChRI, did not fight in either the first or second war.

According to unconfirmed reports, at night, some time after his disappearance, Shamil Bazaev was seen on the eastern outskirts of the regional center. He ran into one of the courtyards asking for shoes and clothes. The young man was barefoot and had handcuffs on his hands. Seeing him, the owner was confused and went into the house. When I left, the yard was empty. The galoshes that had been lying on the porch a few minutes before also disappeared. After some time, the military ran into the same yard, looking for a man with handcuffs on his hands. Seeing footprints moving away from the house, they followed them. Apparently, they managed to catch up with the fugitive.

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In the village of Raduzhnoe, FSB officers detained a resident of the village of Dolinsky, Said-Ali Bibulagov, a former police officer, and two other local residents. Their first and last names are unknown to the Memorial Human Rights Center. There is also no information about the further fate of these people.

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At 3 o'clock in the morning in the village of Gekhi, employees of the Russian security forces detained a local resident, Shamsudin Visigaev, born in 1972, who lived at the address: Kh. Nuradilov St., 18. The detainee's relatives unsuccessfully tried to find out from the "security officials" who they were and why that Shamsudin is being taken away. The military only threatened to use weapons and shoot the detainee if they did not shut up. The security services of the Urus-Martan district refused to admit their involvement in the arrest. Shamsudin Visitaev disappeared. As of January 9, 2002, his whereabouts had not been established.

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In the town of Ivanova, on the territory of the State Medical Migration Service, the corpse of an unknown man, 40-45 years old, of strong build, without documents, with traces of gunshot wounds, was discovered. The identity of the deceased has not been established. Officers from the police department and the prosecutor's office visited the scene of the incident.

From the book “People Live Here”, Usam Baysaev, Dmitry Grushkin, 2006.