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).
The Nalchik garrison court sentenced contract soldier Magomed Albogachiev to five years in a general regime colony. He was found guilty under the article on abandoning a military unit.
According to the case materials, the defendant did not appear at the unit’s location for two months. He himself stated that he wanted to help his sick mother with the housework. The court concluded that her other children could have helped the elderly woman.
In total, the garrison courts of the Southern Military District and Crimea last year considered 2,306 criminal cases against military personnel. This is twice as much as in 2022. According to experts, mobilized and contract soldiers are forced to leave military units without permission because they cannot sever relations with the Ministry of Defense due to lack of rotation.