Ministry of Internal Affairs: the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Chechnya, Alikhan Tsakaev, was driving in the oncoming lane and, during the arrest, “dealt several blows” to the police

The head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Chechnya, Alakhan Tsakaev, who was detained on April 14 by Dagestani police, was driving in the oncoming lane, tried to escape and hit the security forces several times. The Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the North Caucasus Federal District reported on the results of the inspection.

Tsakaev was detained at the Gerzelsky Bridge federal checkpoint. According to the NIYSO movement and opposition Chechen blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov, he did not stop at the request of a traffic police officer, turned around at the intersection and tried to run into the police. After that, writes “Caution, News,” security forces surrounded the car and pulled the official out of the cabin. He had no documents with him.

Chechen oppositionists note that Tsakaev was drunk. State Duma deputy from Dagestan Sultan Khamzaev spoke about the same thing. “This behavior is not horseman or mountaineer,” the parliamentarian added.

“The car was forcibly stopped using a special engineering barrier. <…> Physical force and special means (handcuffs) were used against him [Tsakaev],” the Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a release.

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, called Tsakaev’s detention a “shameful provocation” and said that the people who did it had been “identified.” According to Kadyrov, the official “did not commit a gross violation,” and he did not have official documents or uniforms with him, because the official left Chechnya on his day off.