Chechen opposition figure Aset Sabdullayeva—also known as Aset Sabb—has been placed on Russia's federal wanted list, *Mediazona* reported. Her details appeared in the Interior Ministry’s database on September 16. According to the outlet, the search was initiated by the FSB directorate for Chechnya.
On August 25, Sabdullayeva was already added to the Rosfinmonitoring list as an accused party in a terrorism-related case. However, the specific criminal charge and the circumstances of the case have not been publicly disclosed.
Aset Sabdullayeva is a first cousin once removed of Akhmed Zakayev—the head of the government-in-exile of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria—and the daughter of prominent Chechen cultural and artistic figures. In 2023, Zakayev appointed her Deputy Foreign Minister of the Ichkeria government-in-exile. In this capacity, Sabdullayeva has spoken before the US Congress and participated in events focused on the decolonization of Russia. She also actively comments on current events in Chechnya, the Caucasus, and Russia via her Instagram account, including Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory. Sabdullayeva refers to the current Chechen authorities as an occupation regime.
Aset’s father, Makkal Sabdullayev, was a poet and playwright. From 1996 to 1999, he served as First Deputy Minister of Culture for the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria; Akhmed Zakayev held the position of Minister of Culture during that same period. In July 2000, Sabdullaev was abducted by Russian military personnel in Grozny and remains missing to this day. His wife, Aset—known as Birlant Ramzaeva, a popular Chechen bard and pop singer—spent a long time searching for her husband, but her efforts were unsuccessful.
Following her husband's disappearance, Birlant Ramzaeva, like many Chechens at the time, was forced to leave her homeland with her two daughters. The family subsequently relocated to Canada.
The persecution of Sabdullaeva is taking place against the backdrop of a criminal case against Zakayev himself and his associates. In June 2024, the Southern District Military Court began hearing the case against Zakayev and Murad Yusupov, whom Russian investigators accused of organizing and leading a terrorist group. Both men had been placed on the international wanted list. In January 2025, the court sentenced Zakayev to 20 years in prison and Yusupov to 19 years in absentia.
In April 2026, a court in Grozny designated the "Chechen Republic of Ichkeria" and its branches in 14 countries as a terrorist organization. The organization's activities are banned in Russia.
In early September, news emerged that a plot to assassinate Akhmed Zakayev had been thwarted. On September 3, the SBU announced that Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the "Russian Volunteer Corps," was suspected of plotting the murder of a prominent Russian opposition leader who was scheduled to visit Ukraine for Independence Day. Although the name was not officially released, Ukrainian media, citing law enforcement sources, reported that the individual in question was Zakayev.
