The murder of a mentally ill resident of Samashki and videotaping of a staged fight

November 26, 2001

***
On the western outskirts of the village of Samashki, soldiers from checkpoint No. 13 killed local resident Isa Musaevich Daduev. He was disabled, mentally retarded from birth. Together with his father, a state farm worker, he went to the fields and drove cattle away from the winter wheat crops. At the same time, I repeatedly encountered military personnel and POM employees who were patrolling the outskirts of the settlement. There were no complaints against him.

But on this day, according to eyewitnesses - residents of houses on the outskirts of the village of Samashki - for some reason Russian soldiers drove up to Isa Daduev in an armored personnel carrier. After a short conversation, they began to beat him with rifle butts and kicks. When he fell to the ground and lay motionless, one of the soldiers shot him. Village residents saw how the military placed a machine gun next to the dead man and filmed the “battle scene” on a video camera. People began to approach the scene, and the killers hastened to escape.

When examining the corpse of Isa Daduev, it was found that he had several broken ribs and a jaw, there were multiple bruises on his head and body, and a bullet hole in the neck area. Having taken the body, local residents went to the POM in the premises of the Zagotzerno association: they began to throw stones at the department’s guards. When a Russian officer came out to them, the indignant residents of Samashki turned to him with a demand to find and punish the killers of the weak-minded man.

According to available information, the corpse of Isa Musaevich Daduev, surrounded by weapons, was soon shown on one of the Russian television channels. The commentary on the story said that this was the corpse of an Arab mercenary.


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

Последние новости
In Dagestan, the body of a drowned youth was found at a depth of 60 meters
Society
In Dagestan, the body of a drowned youth was found at a depth of 60 meters
6 September 2026

On September 6, rescuers discovered the body of a 20-year-old man who drowned on August 25 near the village of Shamilkala on the Irganay Reservoir in Dagestan. It is reported to be at a depth of approximately 60 meters. The body has not yet been recovered, as rescuers are awaiting additional equipment.

Rostov Region hit by drone attack: two high-rise buildings damaged, child injured
Politics
Rostov Region hit by drone attack: two high-rise buildings damaged, child injured
6 September 2026

On the night of September 6, Rostov Region, along with other Russian regions, was again attacked by Ukrainian drones. Specifically, a massive airstrike was reported on Rostov-on-Don. According to the Telegram channel Astra, drones circled over the city for over four hours, and gunfire and the sound of a helicopter were heard. Bataysk was also hit. The Telegram monitoring channels Supernova+ and Exilenova+ published photos and videos from eyewitnesses.

Expert Explains Why Moscow and Yerevan Take Incompatible Positions on a Referendum on Armenia’s EU Membership
Politics
Expert Explains Why Moscow and Yerevan Take Incompatible Positions on a Referendum on Armenia’s EU Membership
5 September 2026

The meeting between Vladimir Putin and Nikol Pashinyan in Bishkek, as expected, failed to resolve the central contradiction in relations between Moscow and Yerevan: whether Armenia is prepared to make a final choice between Eurasian and European integration. According to Sergey Markedonov, a leading researcher at MGIMO’s Institute for International Studies, Moscow and Yerevan hold fundamentally different positions on whether Armenia should hold a referendum that could determine the country’s future foreign policy course.

Justice in the Bin’: ECHR Drops Nearly 1,000 Cases Against Russia, Most Filed by North Caucasus Residents
Human rights
Justice in the Bin’: ECHR Drops Nearly 1,000 Cases Against Russia, Most Filed by North Caucasus Residents
5 September 2026

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg has struck out 879 remaining applications against Russia involving more than 1,500 individuals and organisations. The Memorial Human Rights Centre described the decision as “unprecedented in the practice of the [ECHR], and indeed in the history of international justice as a whole”.