An attempt was made to kidnap a fugitive from Chechnya in Novosibirsk.

Aishat Khizrieva, who had fled Chechnya, was kidnapped by unknown individuals claiming to be police officers in Novosibirsk. They said she was accused of theft, and her friends, with whom she was with, were accused of kidnapping. Aishat went to the police to file a report, but contact with her was lost. She claimed she was in danger within her family.

An attempt was made to kidnap a Chechen woman who had fled in Novosibirsk; she is currently in police custody, according to the Crisis Group SK SOS (listed as a foreign agent).

Chechen woman Aishat Khizrieva and her friends were stopped on the road in Novosibirsk by several cars, from which Chechen men identified themselves as police officers.

They informed Aishat that she was suspected of theft, and her friends of kidnapping her for the purpose of "selling her into slavery." The unknown individuals also called her father, from whom Aishat had fled.

Aishat immediately contacted the police and described the situation, and told the unknown individuals that she would not go anywhere with them until the police arrived. The people who stopped the car eventually left, after giving their contact information to the taxi driver and asking him to tell them where they were taking the girl.

After this, Aishat contacted journalists and stated that she was going to the police station with the officers to file a report. She last contacted them from the station, and then contact was lost.

Aishat asked that her story be made public and not be returned to her father, where she could face mortal danger, the report states.

The Telegram channel "Marem" published a video of Aishat. The girl stated that she is 21 years old and voluntarily left her family. According to her, they are "trying to frame" her for the theft of 4 million rubles.

According to "Ostorozhno Novosti," unknown individuals stopped the taxi from the airport where the girl was traveling. In the video attached to the message, Aishat stated that she was in danger within her family and that her father had contacted her after her escape. "He threatens me that wherever I go, he will find me. This man was in jail for murder," the girl says in the recording.

Women whose behavior their relatives consider a disgrace to the family can become victims of "honor killings" in the Caucasus. Such murders are committed by relatives themselves, most often a father or brother, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Honor Killings" in the North Caucasus.

09:33 18.04.2026

Human rights activists have recorded a surge in requests for assistance in the North Caucasus

Human rights organizations, including those assisting women in the North Caucasus republics, have recorded an increase in requests for assistance. This, they believe, is due both to the worsening situation in the country and to women's greater willingness to fight for their rights.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, domestic violence in Dagestan, Ingushetia, and Chechnya affects women of all ages, but it is primarily young women under 30 who try to escape, human rights activists from the Ad Rem team noted in their report. The problem of evacuating victims of domestic violence is most acute in these regions, as authorities and security forces there side with domestic abusers.

In June 2023, the BBC released the documentary "When I Escaped" about young women from the North Caucasus who managed to escape the control of their families. For victims of domestic violence, escape often becomes the only option to save their lives, human rights activists emphasized.