Renewed crackdowns in Chechnya after Rosgvardiya convoy attack
In the aftermath of a reported attack on a Rosgvardiya (the National Guard) convoy on October 24 in the village of Petropavlovskaya, Grozny region, Chechnya, law enforcement agencies have allegedly resumed systematic crackdowns, states Memorial Center.
Following the incident, Rosgvardiya, accompanied by Ministry of Internal Affairs officials, began door-to-door operations, checking residents' documents and searching for unregistered individuals in homes across nearby settlements. Men deemed fit for deployment to the Ukraine war were reportedly taken to police stations at the slightest infraction of regional regulations. Phones were confiscated, and authorities detained individuals if they discovered subscriptions to Telegram channels critical of Chechen authorities.
Memorial Center highlights that detainees, according to their sources, face a grim choice: enlist to fight or face criminal charges. At one particular detention facility, the Staropromyslovsky department, reportedly holds a group of 20 individuals. Hundreds of arrests have allegedly occurred during these operations in the Grozny district.
Reports also detail repeated raids. In the city of Argun, 42-year-old Rizvan Batyrov—father and person with a disability—experienced multiple visits from security forces. During their third visit, officers allegedly surrounded his home, assaulted Batyrov in front of his elderly mother, then transported him to the Argun police department. The day prior, authorities reportedly offered him a job with the police force, though his disability barred official employment. Batyrov remains in custody, his current situation uncertain.
The attack on the Rosgvardiya convoy reportedly resulted in the death of one officer, with another injured. Memorial, referencing local residents, suggests the attack may have been orchestrated by security forces themselves as a pretext for the subsequent clearing operations and to recruit more individuals for deployment to Ukraine.