Explosion of a landmine, search of a house and detention of a man in Urus-Martan, kidnapping of a resident of Argun

December 21, 2001

***
In the city of Urus-Martan, on Kalanchakskaya Street in front of house No. 121, a landmine was detonated. This happened at the moment when a Ural car with employees of the district commandant’s office was passing by. One of them was injured.

Employees of the regional security forces arrived at the scene of the explosion. They broke into house No. 121, where the Pachaev family lived, and carried out an unauthorized search. The owner of the house, Zhunit Akhmadovich Pachaev, immediately presented a hunting rifle and permission to store and carry it. During the search in the house, the military did not find anything prohibited by law for storage. Nevertheless, Zhunit Pachaev was detained. The reason for the detention was not explained. He was released only on December 27, without explaining the reasons for his detention.

***
In Derbent, Shakhrudi Mezhiev, born in 1978, who lived at the address: Argun, Lenin St., 121, was detained and disappeared. The circumstances of the incident are known to the employees of the Memorial Human Rights Center from the story of his wife Maryam Demisheva. According to her, her husband and three friends went to the neighboring republic for prosthetics. The fact is that as a result of a mine explosion injury, he was left without his right leg. This happened in a forest belt on the outskirts of Argun, when a man was looking for missing cattle. Judging by his wife’s statements, Shakhrudi Mezhiev did not take part in the hostilities.

Maryam Demisheva does not know all the circumstances of her husband’s detention. According to rumors, in Derbent the car he was in was stopped for inspection by traffic police officers. The people accompanying him ran out of the salon and managed to escape. The legless Shakhrudi Mezhiev remained and was detained. Since then, his relatives have known nothing about his fate. They contacted the Kurchaloevsky District Department of Internal Affairs. They even opened a search case No. 156008. After some time, it was suspended due to the alleged lack of evidence of the event. They were refused to initiate a criminal case on the basis of clause 1 of Article 24 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation.

As of the end of 2006, there was no new information about the further fate of Shakhrudi Mezhiev.


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

Последние новости
Azerbaijani activist: 88 participants in protests against the hijab ban detained in Nardaran
Human rights
Azerbaijani activist: 88 participants in protests against the hijab ban detained in Nardaran
22 October 2026

In the settlement of Nardaran, located in the Sabunchu district on the outskirts of Baku, 88 people have been detained for protesting against restrictions on wearing the hijab. According to Alamdar Bunyatov—an activist with the European branch of the "Muslim Unity Movement"—criminal cases have been initiated against the majority of those detained. This information was reported by the independent media outlet *Qəzetçi* (Gazetchi).

Pashinyan suggests possibility of early elections linked to constitutional reform and outlines timeline for peace with Azerbaijan
Politics
Pashinyan suggests possibility of early elections linked to constitutional reform and outlines timeline for peace with Azerbaijan
22 October 2026

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made a series of significant statements while speaking with journalists on Thursday, October 22. He addressed issues concerning constitutional reform, relations with Azerbaijan, a peaceful settlement, and the government’s future political agenda.

Chechnya to Host Festival of Neural Network Art
News
Chechnya to Host Festival of Neural Network Art
22 October 2026

The Chechen Republic is planning to host its first international festival, "Artifact — The Art of Generation," dedicated to creative work produced using artificial intelligence. Preparations for the event were discussed during a meeting of the organizing committee, as reported by the regional Artists' Union.

Commander of Kadyrov’s special police regiment reiterates threats against those who ‘help terrorists’
News
Commander of Kadyrov’s special police regiment reiterates threats against those who ‘help terrorists’
22 October 2026

The commander of the Akhmat Kadyrov Special Police Regiment of Chechnya’s Interior Ministry, Zamid Chalaev, attempted during an Instagram livestream the previous day to explain a video address he had posted two days earlier, in which he threatened suspected extremists with a bullet “without trial or investigation”.