Muratov* demanded to check Kadyrov's statements.

Co-founder of "Novaya Gazeta", Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dmitry Muratov* appealed to the head of the Investigative Committee urging to check the statements of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov for signs of public calls for unleashing an aggressive war using weapons of mass destruction.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the idea to introduce martial law was voiced by Ramzan Kadyrov on October 1, 2022, after the Ministry of Defense's decision to withdraw troops from Red Liman due to the threat of their encirclement. Criticizing the Ministry of Defense, the head of Chechnya proposed to declare martial law in border territories and also to use nuclear weapons.

In a letter from Dmitry Muratov*, sent to the head of the Investigative Committee Bastrykin, it is stated that in the last four years, Ramzan Kadyrov and other official and media figures, in particular Deputy Secretary of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, businessman Konstantin Malofeev, and others, have repeatedly made public statements containing calls for the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine or indications of the permissibility of its use against foreign states, writes "Novaya Gazeta".

Public calls for the use of nuclear weapons by individuals holding government positions have been recorded since 2022 and have not led to any publicly recorded legal response, noted Muratov*.

Article 354 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation establishes criminal liability for public calls to unleash an aggressive war. Part 2 of the same article provides for increased responsibility if such actions are committed by a person holding a government position or using mass media, states Muratov*'s statement.

In particular, in his opinion, Kadyrov's statement may contain signs of a crime provided for in part 2 of article 354 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (a person holding a government position).

"Well, Muratov*'s statement will not be acted upon, but I consider it important to do this publicly," commented journalist Ksenia Sobchak in her Telegram channel.

Recall that "Novaya Gazeta" has been investigating facts of mass arrests without trial, torture, executions, and "copy-paste" convictions of more than 100 people in Chechnya since early 2017. The publication's journalist Elena Milashina has repeatedly published investigations into human rights violations in Chechnya and has received threats from supporters of the republic's leadership in this regard, according to a report by "Caucasian Knot" "Abductions, torture, and executions in Chechnya – a long-term investigation by Elena Milashina".

Editor-in-chief of "Novaya Gazeta" Dmitry Muratov* was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2021 for the publication's efforts "to defend freedom of expression," explained the Nobel Committee.

* included in the register of foreign agents.

** the activities of the company Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) are banned in Russia.