Human rights activists have identified a propaganda element in the new arrests in connection with the attack on Pskov paratroopers in Chechnya.

New charges of involvement in the 2000 attack on Pskov paratroopers in Chechnya have been routinely fabricated by security forces in recent years, but the inclusion of a Ukrainian citizen and a Ukrainian serviceman among those arrested will be used for propaganda purposes.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Karachay-Cherkessia resident Rustam Murzagishiev, Tatarstan resident Ilkhom Shukurov, and Ukrainian citizen Chingiz Savchenko have been arrested on charges of armed rebellion, participation in a gang, and attempted murder of military personnel. Investigators believe they participated in the 2000 attack on Pskov paratroopers in Chechnya.

The regular emergence of new defendants in the case of the attack on the Pskov paratroopers, which took place more than 25 years ago, is the result of the work of the bureaucratic machine and a well-oiled mechanism for falsifying charges, says human rights activist Oleg Orlov*. "There are tasks set from above, and investigators have the ability to easily initiate a new case according to absolutely established standards of falsification, according to an established template," he told the "Caucasian Knot."

Security officials could easily coerce previously convicted individuals into testifying against new defendants, the human rights activist noted. According to Orlov*, such "development" is not dependent on the specific political climate and is carried out routinely.

"There are likely secret witnesses in the case, who are easy to find among those already serving time in prison, and to force them to testify against a new person who can be pinned. In my opinion, there's no great political interest in this, but there is routine, an opportunity to earn stars for solving the case. This is being presented as the result of the actions of a simple gang: real, major political events, essentially a civil war, a military conflict with the unrecognized state of Ichkeria, are being described as simply an episode of gang activity, which is completely unlawful. Therefore, they don't listen to any evidence and reject any attempts to explain that, following an internal military conflict, the participants should be amnestied in accordance with the norms of international humanitarian law," Orlov* explained.

At the same time, the human rights activist did not rule out that this new episode involving a Ukrainian citizen – “a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine detained for opposing a special military operation,” as the FSB claims – could be used for propaganda purposes.

"The mention of a Ukrainian as a participant, the mention of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, could, of course, be part of the situation, and the investigator could have taken this into account. We know that, in principle, this is not the first case of Ukrainians being accused of participating in the military conflict on the side of Ichkeria; this happened even before 2022: let's recall the cases of Klykh and Karpyuk, a high-profile case, also completely unsubstantiated, falsified with the use of torture," Orlov noted.

He did not rule out the possibility that the Ukrainian Armed Forces could also use participants in the conflict on the side of Ichkeria for their own interests, but the human rights activist has no specific information to support this assumption. "Theoretically, anything is possible, but in reality, I can't know," concluded Oleg Orlov*.

Svetlana Gannushkina, Chair of the Civic Assistance Committee*, considers the legal basis for prosecuting people for this incident in 2025 questionable. "It seems to me that the statute of limitations has already passed, even for such a serious crime. I think they could have been eligible for amnesty, and if I'm not mistaken, there was an amnesty for this matter. Overall, it's very strange that all this is being revived now: it suggests that, while taking repressive measures, they can't find any other reasons than the old ones," she told the "Caucasian Knot."

The fact that one of the detainees is being described as a Ukrainian serviceman has propaganda value, the human rights activist is certain. "It turns out this is also being used for propaganda against Ukraine. Now, emphasizing his ethnicity as Ukrainian, or perhaps his Ukrainian citizenship, is certainly very advantageous for propaganda," Gannushkina* noted.

She also has no information that Ukrainian intelligence services are currently using people who fought on the side of Ichkeria for recruitment or other work in the North Caucasus. "I don't know how Ukrainian intelligence works. We know that the Russian authorities are actively using Chechens to fight against Ukraine, while some Chechens, in contrast, are fighting on Ukraine's side. This would be a natural reaction, but I don't know anything about it," Gannushkina* said.

* are listed as foreign agents.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.