| The former head of state security of Ichkeria surrendered to the authorities The Chechen prosecutor's office announced yesterday that the former head of the state security department of the self-proclaimed republic of Ichkeria, Sultan Gelikhanov, turned himself in to law enforcement agencies. After a standard interrogation by the FSB and the prosecutor's office, he was released home. According to the republic’s prosecutor, “Geliskhanov was not previously put on the wanted list,” and so far the investigative authorities have nothing against the “volunteer.” It is noteworthy that the ex-minister surrendered immediately after the head of the government of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced in one of his last interviews that “the authorities of Chechnya guarantee the life and integrity of militants who have no blood on them.”
As the republic's prosecutor Valery Kuznetsov said yesterday, "the issue of Gelikhanov's responsibility will be resolved after the completion of investigative actions." According to the prosecutor, most likely a criminal case will be initiated under Art. 208 of the Criminal Code - “participation in illegal armed groups.” At the same time, Kuznetsov added that Gelikhanov was not involved in any cases at the prosecutor’s office.
Meanwhile, according to operational data from the special services, 51-year-old native of Kazakhstan Sultan Gelikhanov has a rather noticeable biography. In 1989, he graduated from the Rostov Higher Police School. In 1992, police major Gelikhanov ran for the position of mayor of Gudermes, but lost. He was appointed head of the city police department, and in 1993 three criminal cases were opened against him on suspicion of involvement in railroad robberies and he was released from office. Gelikhanov was also suspected of kidnapping for ransom, but was not charged.
In the same year, he was appointed head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ichkeria, then head of the department of public order, and from September 1993 Gelikhanov headed the State Security Service of Ichkeria.
After this, according to Russian intelligence services, Gelikhanov acted rather contradictorily. In 1995, he, along with Salman Raduev, participated in an attack on a Russian military convoy, an attack on the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs, and in December 1995, Raduev and Gelikhanov led a detachment of militants who captured most of Gudermes.
At the same time, at the same time, the field commander actively participated in negotiations with representatives of the federal forces, was going to surrender, but demanded security guarantees. During Basayev's seizure of a hospital in Budennovsk in July 1995, Gelikhanov was a mediator in negotiations between terrorist number one and Russian security forces.
After the withdrawal of Russian troops, Gelikhanov retired and ceased active resistance to Russian troops. But the Chechen special services have information that in 2000 Gelikhanov planned to head a network for financing Chechen militants with proceeds from the supply of raw opium from Afghanistan and Azerbaijan. Tatiana GRITSENKO |
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