All news

Chechen leader says he knows Nemtsov murder suspect as "true patriot of Russia"

Ramzan Kadyrov said Zaur Dadayev would have never taken a single step against Russia
Chechnya’s head Ramzan Kadyrov TASS/Elena Afonina
Chechnya’s head Ramzan Kadyrov
© TASS/Elena Afonina

MOSCOW, 9 March. /TASS/. Chechnya’s head Ramzan Kadyrov has ordered a probe into the past of a former Interior Troops officer, who alongside several other suspects has been charged with the murder of Russian politician Boris Nemtsov. Also, Kadyrov shared his personal impressions of the arrested ex-officer on his page in the social network Instagram.

The man in question, Zaur Dadayev, on Sunday pleaded guilty to complicity in Nemtsov’s murder. Moscow’s Basmanny Court ordered he, among five suspects in the case, be remanded in custody till April 28.

"I have known Zaur as a true patriot of Russia," Kadyrov wrote down. According to his post, before leaving the military service Dadayev had the rank of a lieutenant and held the position of a battalion’s deputy commander in a regiment of the 46th separate operative brigade of Russia’s Interior Ministry troops.

"Zaur was one of the bravest men in the regiment," Kadyrov said. "He displayed particular courage in an operation against a large group of terrorists near Benoi. He was awarded the Order of Courage, and medals For Bravery and For Services to the Chechen Republic. I am certain that he was sincerely dedicated to Russia and prepared to give his life for the Motherland. The real reasons and motives behind Dadayev’s dismissal from the Russian Interior Ministry troops are unclear to me."

"I have instructed Chechnya’s Security Council Secretary Vakhit Usmayev to conduct a thorough investigation of Zaur Dadayev’s resignation and to scrutinize his behavior and morale on the eve of leaving the service," Kadyrov said. "In any case, if Dadayev’s guilt is established in court, it will have to be admitted that by taking a human life he committed a grave crime. But I must say once again that he would have never taken a single step against Russia, for the sake of which he had risked his own life for many years. Beslan Shavanov, the man killed during an attempt to detain him, was a brave soldier, too. We hope that a thorough investigation will follow to show if Dadayev is really guilty, and if yes, what was the real reason behind his actions.".