From emigrants to terrorists: why the "Chechen Republic of Ichkeria" was banned in Russia

A court in Grozny declared the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria organization a terrorist organization and banned its activities. The structures associated with it have been headed by Akhmed Zakayev, a Chechen separatist living in the UK, since 2007. Over the years, the network has grown to 29 divisions in 14 European countries, and now criminal liability is threatened for cooperation with them. How this decision will affect the activities of the CRI and whether it will be able to maintain its influence abroad is in the Izvestia article.

What is known

The decision to recognize the "Chechen Republic of Ichkeria" as a terrorist organization was made by the Sheikh-Mansurovsky District Court of Grozny. According to the FSB, members of this structure are involved in military operations on the side of Ukraine.

"Since the start of the special military operation, members of the CRI have been involved in combat operations against the Russian Armed Forces as part of Ukrainian armed formations, including during sabotage and terrorist actions in the Belgorod and Kursk regions, as well as in the killings of Russian servicemen and civilians," the FSB said in a press release on its website.

The ministry warned that all persons involved in the activities of the CRI and assisting it will be prosecuted up to life imprisonment.

The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria emerged in 1991 after the collapse of the USSR in part of the territory of the former Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. This decision was contrary to Russian law. In the spring of 1992, the authorities of the Chechen Republic adopted a constitution declaring the republic an independent state, but none of the UN member states officially recognized it.

After the defeat of the separatists in the second Chechen War, the CHRI turned into a political movement in exile. Since 2007, the structures associated with this organization have been headed by former field commander Akhmed Zakayev, who lives in the UK. In Russia, he is charged under a number of articles, including hostage-taking, murder and robbery.

The activity of the terrorist organization has increased dramatically since 2022. An additional impetus was given to it by Ukraine's decision to recognize the Chechen Republic as "temporarily occupied by Russia." After that, Zakayev and his supporters announced the creation of a separate battalion within the foreign Legion of Ukraine.

In January 2025, a Russian court sentenced Zakayev in absentia to 20 years in a penal colony, and his associate Magomed Yusupov to 19 years. According to the investigation, Zakayev and Yusupov recruited new participants, set up training camps and trained fighters to participate in hostilities on the side of Kiev.

Greetings from the past

The CRI is a political project that originated in 1991 in Chechnya, and after military campaigns turned into the format of an emigrant movement, political scientist Ilya Graschenkov points out in a conversation with Izvestia. According to him, the development of her network was facilitated by diaspora ties, media activity and foreign platforms.

— In recent years, open sources have recorded an increase in the international activity of supporters of Ichkeria: the establishment of representative offices in Poland and Ukraine, participation in socio-political forums in Europe, attempts to integrate into the broader agenda of "decolonization" of Russia. This suggests that the growth resource was not only possible donations, but also the political situation itself in recent years, which expanded the publicity space for such networks abroad, the expert emphasizes.

After the recognition of the CRI as a terrorist organization, any contacts with it, public support, fundraising and organizational assistance will be treated much more harshly in Russia. In other words, in the Russian jurisdiction, we are talking about the complete criminalization of this "brand" and related structures. But it's too early to talk about a full-fledged liquidation.

— It is more correct to talk about a sharp narrowing of the space for activities in Russia and Moscow's attempt to increase the cost of any support for this structure on the international track. Abroad, it is likely to retain at least some supporters precisely as an emigrant political network, although its capabilities after such a decision objectively become more toxic and limited," says Grashchenkov.

According to religious scholar Roman Silantyev, the Russian authorities returned to the topic of the CRI amid discussions of the so—called "decolonization movement" - the idea that opponents of Russia are trying to unite various separatist groups and movements. Many such structures exist only formally and sometimes number only a few people, the expert points out.

At the same time, the interlocutor of Izvestia does not expect that the court's decision will lead to any serious consequences, including the radicalization of supporters of the CRI. Hundreds of such organizations have already been banned in Russia, so the new ban is unlikely to significantly change the situation.

— This decision is a greeting from the past. The Ichkeria project itself is long dead. Most of the former supporters have long joined other radical and extremist structures. Those who remain faithful to Ichkeria make up a small group," the religious scholar summarizes.