The father of an injured conscript from Dagestan rejected the commanders' version of events.

A conscript soldier from Dagestan, Magomedbek Khizbulaev, stated in the hospital that he was beaten, and his commanders' version of a fall from a tower is inconsistent with the nature of his injuries. The soldier's family received information about the incident from a fellow soldier; the military unit did not notify the family.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," a 19-year-old conscript soldier from Dagestan with a severe head injury is being treated at the N.N. Burdenko National Medical Research Center of Neurosurgery in Moscow. The Dagestan Ministry of Nationalities is investigating the circumstances of his injury and is in contact with the soldier's parents, the ministry stated.

The father of the injured serviceman, Magomedbek Khizbulaev, is certain that his son's injuries were the result of a beating due to hazing. "When he came to, they asked him what had happened, and he said he'd been beaten. It happened in Voronezh on a business trip, where he was sent after six months of service from Naro-Fominsk, his main base of duty. Although his superiors say he fell, a fall is unlikely to cause such injuries," Magomednur Khizbulaev, the conscript's father, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Medical workers say his son has moderate injuries, but the father doubts this. "One side of his head is not working, the left side. But the doctors say the injuries are moderate. I don't understand how this can be," Khizbulaev lamented.

He said he plans to travel to the Moscow region and file a complaint with the military prosecutor's office there. "We certainly won't let this slide. We've been told that we can contact the military prosecutor's office at his primary place of service. We'll conduct a forensic examination. But I want to visit the military unit where my son served," Khizbulaev said.

We contacted my son's comrade-in-arms, and he informed us, but there was no information from the unit at all.

He noted that the family only learned of their son's injury a month later. "This accident happened to my son on December 6th, and we only learned about it from a third party on January 1st. We contacted my son's comrade-in-arms online, and he informed us, but there was no information from the unit at all. But we don't yet know the details of the incident," Khizbulaev said.

The Khizbulaev family, from Kizilyurt, lives in Makhachkala. "My son finished 9th grade, worked, and trained as a driver. He wanted to enlist in the military and was drafted in May 2025," the soldier's father explained.

The nature of the injured conscript's injuries suggests they weren't caused by a fall, but could have been a beating resulting from hazing, confirmed Shamil Khadulaev, a member of the Dagestan Public Chamber.

"The military command claimed he fell from a tower, but the tower isn't very high, with greenery all around. It's clearly visible, and any forensic examination will confirm it definitely wasn't from a fall to the ground. The military clearly wanted to cover up the incident. If they hadn't, they would have immediately informed the parents," he said.

According to the public figure, there has been no response to his appeal to the military prosecutor's office yet. "But now that the Minister of Nationalities has taken control of the case, and he himself is a member of the SVO, there is hope that an investigation will be conducted," Khadulaev believes.

The parents of the injured soldier need to file a complaint with the military prosecutor's office and the military investigative department reporting the crime, requesting an investigation and initiating a criminal case, said Sergey Krivenko, director of the human rights group "Citizen. Army. Law."

“The statement must demand that a criminal case be opened against those responsible for the violence. It can be very difficult to legally prove that a son was subjected to violence, so it is necessary to work in two directions simultaneously: gather all the materials that directly or indirectly confirm that a crime was committed against the son and that he was subjected to violence, and, on the other hand, seek an exemption from military service due to health reasons, if there are grounds for this. The medical documents obtained will show the actual state of the soldier's health. After all examinations are completed, the soldier, along with his representatives, applies in person to the military investigative department of the garrison where he is stationed,” Krivenko explained*.

* are listed as foreign agents.

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