Caucasian experts argue about importance of death of Yamadaev’s son

The death of Said-Khusein Yamadaev became a tragedy for his family, but it did not increase the chances of the Yamadaev family to regain their influence in Chechnya, Ruslan Kutaev, Oyub Titiev, and a Chechen historian point out. Since Yamadaev Jr. perished in the special military operation in Ukraine, his death may contribute to the reconciliation of the Yamadaev family and Ramzan Kadyrov, Svetlana Gannushkina argues.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on June 5, it became known that Said-Khusein Yamadaev, a son of Ruslan Yamadaev, was killed in the special military operation in Ukraine. The young man was enlisted in the “Wagner” private military company (PMC) in a penal colony, where he was serving his sentence in a case on robbery, sources reported.

The death of Said-Khusein Yamadaev became a tragedy only for the family of Ruslan Yamadaev, but not for the whole clan, believes Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations. “He was quite young, was imprisoned, and then he went [to the special military operation zone]. From the point of view of the authority, the young man was unlikely to have serious weight for the Yamadaev clan. As for the fact of his death itself, this, of course, is a loss for the Ruslan Yamadaev’s family,” Ruslan Kutaev stated.

After the deaths of Sulim and Ruslan, the Yamadaevs clan lost the influence in Chechnya, the Caucasian expert believes.

Chechen human rights defender Oyub Titiev agrees with Ruslan Kutaev. “The Yamadaevs clan is large, and if the death of Said-Khusein had been of great importance to them, I think they would not have allowed him to go there. The young man was more of a volunteer,” Oyub Titiev noted.

According to him, the Yamadaevs clan has not had such influence in Chechnya for a long time as it had before the death of the Yamadaev brothers.

In turn, a Chechen historian believes that the death of any man from the Yamadaevs clan is of great importance for them.

The death of Said-Khusein will not affect the future of the Yamadaevs clan, the Chechen historian suggests. “Their clan had been in a difficult situation ... They are trying to avoid unnecessary problems with the authorities so as not to further aggravate their situation,” the Chechen historian emphasized.

The fact that Said-Khusein Yamadaev took part in the special military operation can reconcile the clans of Yamadaevs and Kadyrovs, believes Svetlana Gannushkina, the chair of the “Civic Assistance Committee”*. “Perhaps, the Ramzan Kadyrov’s attitude towards the Yamadaevs clan will change for the better after that. The leader of Chechnya really appreciates all those who [participate in the special military operation] for Russia,” Svetlana Gannushkina noted.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.