Marauding Kadyrovites Among Masked Raiders in Tbilisi - Editor's Column

This unit, known as the Kadyrovites, is officially part of the Rosgvardiya. The Rosgvardiya is a paramilitary agency distinct from the Russian Armed Forces and directly subordinate to the Russian President. It and its units, including separate groups, are primarily used to disperse rallies, carry out brutal reprisals against protesters, and terrorize populations in territories occupied by Russia. Notably, the Kadyrovites have been implicated in marauding, even within Russian territory itself (Kursk Region).

One of the sources who provided me with this alarming information has been known to me since 2012. This source was instrumental in helping us reveal the truth to our readers about the special operation in the Lopota Gorge. Despite intense state propaganda, we were able, based on evidence, to demonstrate that the individuals killed in Lapankuri were not saboteurs from Dagestan, as claimed, but members of an illegal armed group that had been created, trained, and equipped locally, including Georgian citizens. The information from this source has consistently been highly reliable.

In the short time remaining before the parliamentary elections on October 26, we attempted to verify the information provided by this source. We met and spoke with several individuals who might have additional relevant knowledge. Through personal contacts, we partially confirmed that such a group had indeed been brought to Georgia. As per sources, some of the Kadyrovites were based in Kobuleti, while others were in Tbilisi. However, due to insufficient evidence, we refrained from publishing the information at the time and continued our investigation.

On November 28, the illegitimate government's decision to reject European integration sparked protests by thousands of Georgian citizens. For five consecutive nights, these protests have been violently disrupted.

Masked individuals have been abducting frontline demonstrators, severely beating detainees, inflicting serious bodily injuries, and, most disturbingly, robbing them - stealing expensive phones or money in their possession.

Such a claim, especially on this scale, has never been made before in any raid or mass arrest in Georgia, either by those brought to administrative responsibility or by their lawyers. The heads of human rights organizations have confirmed to us that looting is now occurring on a mass scale.

After the disclosure of the brutal raids, physical violence, and looting, our source once again contacted us about the presence of up to 30 Kadyrovites among the masked raiders. He said that our Chechen friends are very concerned about what happened and asked us to address the Kadyrovites publicly at a protest rally, using the Chechen language over a microphone, to let them know that we are aware of their presence here.

According to another source, also Chechen and not residing in Georgia, the Kadyrovites sent directly by Putin to disperse rallies or beat protesters in Tbilisi are forbidden from speaking at all.

After resuming communication, we met with several people, including ethnic Kists and Chechens living in Georgia, who may have additional information on the matter. We learned that local Chechens, closely connected to the Georgian State Security Service (we know their identities), had warned others not to participate in rallies against the Georgian Dream and, even more so, not to be on the front lines due to the sensitivity of the situation (to avoid trouble with the Kadyrovites).

Two members of the entourage of Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, the Chechen field commander killed on Putin’s orders in Germany, confirmed to us that among the rioters at the protest rallies in Tbilisi between November 28 and December 3, Kadyrovites were identifiable by their behavior, movements, running, and other indicators of preparation.

Today, it is virtually impossible to identify the special forces and masked men who participated in the dispersal of protests and the brutal beating of protesters due to the lack of identifying marks. However, in May of this year, the European Court of Human Rights issued a ruling in the case of Tsaava and Others v. Georgia, which obliges the government to:

“When the competent national authorities deploy masked police officers to maintain law and order or to detain individuals, these officers must be required to display certain distinguishing marks, such as a numbered identification badge.”

This case concerns the crackdown on a rally in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi on June 20-21, 2019, during Gavrilov’s Night.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs continues to ignore this decision by the Strasbourg Court.

We continue to investigate the participation of Kadyrovites among the rioters and will provide updates on the information.

Kadyrovites were also present in Georgia in 2023. They were accompanied by a Chechen “businessman” and member of Kadyrov’s entourage, Aslanbek Akhmedkhanov, nicknamed “Chort” (Devil). They were in Tbilisi and Batumi. In Tbilisi, the Kadyrovites were hosted by a businessman closely connected to the Georgian State Security Service in his restaurant. “Chort” and his Kadyrovites were also spotted at the home of former Chief Prosecutor Otar Partskhaladze. On September 14, 2023, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Otar Partskhaladze for his cooperation with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). According to sources, Aslanbek Akhmedkhanov is friends with Giorgi Shinjikashvili, the First Deputy Governor of Kvemo Kartli, who, according to media reports, also has a group of abusers.