In Chechnya, the court refused to consider kidnapped Salman Tepsurkaev killed

The Supreme Court of Chechnya recognized as legal the refusal to initiate a criminal case for the murder of the kidnapped chat moderator of the opposition telegram channel 1ADAT Salman Tepsurkaev. His whereabouts and fate have been unknown since 2020. Human rights activists are convinced that the young man was killed by security forces.

Lawyers for the “Team Against Torture” said that the Investigative Committee for Chechnya still does not consider Tepsurkaev dead, and the criminal case is being investigated under the article of kidnapping. In addition, the court in Grozny at least three times refused to satisfy the complaint to recognize Tepsurkaev’s wife as the victim (they have a religious marriage).

Let us recall that on September 7, 2020, a video of Salman Tepsurkaev’s self-torture appeared on social networks. He was a moderator of the chat of the telegram channel 1ADAT, in which the current regime in Chechnya is criticized.

According to human rights activists, the young man was kidnapped from a hotel in Gelendzhik and taken to Grozny, after which he was forced to sit on a bottle naked in front of the camera. Novaya Gazeta wrote that he was kept on the territory of the police patrol regiment named after A. Kadyrov in Grozny. Team Against Torture lawyer Olga Sadovskaya reported that the young man was killed.

Последние новости
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).

Azerbaijani Ambassador Says Russian Media Hinders Closer Ties Between Baku and Moscow
Politics
Azerbaijani Ambassador Says Russian Media Hinders Closer Ties Between Baku and Moscow
23 August 2026

Azerbaijan intends to continue developing relations with Russia, despite the deteriorating media narrative surrounding Baku in Russian outlets. Rahman Mustafayev, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Russia, stated this in an interview with RTVI.

Falling debris from Ukrainian UAVs sparks fires in southern Russia
Politics
Falling debris from Ukrainian UAVs sparks fires in southern Russia
23 August 2026

Wildfires broke out in the Rostov and Krasnodar regions due to falling drone debris. In the Rostov region, the railway overhead power line was also damaged, while in the Kuban region, three people—including two children—were killed in an attack the previous day.

Case over children’s poisoning in Dagestan reaches court
Society
Case over children’s poisoning in Dagestan reaches court
22 August 2026

In Dagestan’s Karabudakhkent District, a criminal case against the head of the private Chudo kindergarten in the village of Paraul, where 10 children suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in February, has been sent to court, the republic’s prosecutor’s office said.
The woman is accused of providing services that failed to meet safety requirements for consumers’ lives and health. The case will be heard by the Karabudakhkent District Court.