Rustam Magomedovich Azhiev (Chechen: Мохмад ВоӀ Рустам, romanized: Moxmad Vo' Rustam), also known by his nom-de-guerre (kunya) Abdul Hakim Shishani, is deputy commander-in-chief of the Chechen battalion OBON (part of the Ichkerian armed forces-in-exile)[1] fighting on the Ukrainian side in the Russo-Ukrainian war. Azhiev is a veteran of the Second Russo-Chechen war and fought on the side of the opposition in the Syrian civil war. In the latter he was the leader of the rebel group Ajnad al-Kavkaz.[2]

Rustam Azhiev
Deputy commander-in-chief of the Ichkerian armed forces-in-exile
Personal details
Born (1981-04-12) 12 April 1981
Grozny, Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
NicknameAbdul-Hakim Shishani
Military service
Allegiance Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (2000–2007; 2022–present)
Caucasus Emirate (2007–2009)
Years of service2000 – present
RankColonel
UnitVilayat Nokhchicho (2007–2009)
Ajnad al-Kavkaz (2015–2022)
  • Jamaat al-Khilafa al-Qawqazia (2013–2015)
Separate Special Purpose Battalion (2022–present)
Battles/warsSecond Chechen War
Syrian civil war
Russo-Ukrainian War

Early life and family

Rustam Azhiev was born in Prigorodnoye, a village in the outskirts of Grozny, capital of the Checheno-Ingush ASSR and the capital of Chechnya today, in April 1981 and belongs to the Mulkoy teip.[3] After finishing school he enrolled in the pedagogical university of Grozny, but had to stop his studies due to the outbreak of the Second Russo-Chechen war. During his youth he was master of sports in freestyle wrestling and won multiple competitions in the south of Russia. His brothers Anzor and Mansur are professional MMA fighters.[4]

Second Russo-Chechen war

Shortly after Vladimir Putin had ordered the second invasion of Chechnya in 1999, Azhiev joined the Ichkerian forces and fought under the command of Rustam Basaev, who would later become the commander of the Central Sector of the Armed Forces of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. In the course of the war Azhiev rose up in ranks and was appointed commander of the central sector of the Caucasus Emirate's Vilayat Nokhchicho in 2007. Two years later he was seriously wounded, losing 3 fingers and injuring his eyes. To get medical treatment he decide to move to Turkey. Following his treatment he was unable to return to Chechnya to continue.[5]

Syrian civil war

After several unsuccessful attempts to return to Chechnya, Azhiev decided in 2013 "to continue (...) resistance against Russia in the Syrian Republic".[6] He joined the Syrian Civil war on the side of the rebel group Ansar al-Sham. The following year he and other Chechen comrades left the group and founded an independent group, Ajnad al-Kavkaz.[7] The group was mainly active in Northwestern Syria and participated in many battles, such as the Idlib offensive in 2015 and Hama offensive in 2016.[8] Throughout the war the group remained completely independent under Azhievs leadership and did not swear allegiance to any other groups.[9] Due to internal conflicts among the Syrian opposition, Azhiev decided to withdraw from the conflict in October 2017.[10] In the following years Tahrir al-Sham started to crack down on foreign fighters and groups, especially of Chechen origin, and arrested leaders close to the group.[11] After settling once again in Turkey, he found himself targeted by a small hit squad who were ordered to assassinate their primary target, "a Chechen dissident living in Turkey named ‘Abdulhakim, who had fought for the opposition in Syria" according to the Turkish intelligence agency MİT, who were able to arrest the assassins before they could carry out their mission, which they believe was ordered by FSB and the pro-Moscow Chechen president, Ramzan Kadyrov.[12][13]

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Reports of Azhievs decision to join the fight against Russia in Ukraine first appeared in March 2022[14] and were confirmed in October, when the prime minister of the government-in-exile of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria, Akhmed Zakayev, appointed him as deputy commander-in-chief of the armed Ichkerian forces.[15][16] Footage of Azhiev fighting on the front lines in the Battle of Bakhmut appeared in January 2023.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Hauer, Neil (15 December 2022). "Ichkeria dreamin: A new Chechen separatist army is being formed in Ukraine, but beating Russia in the Donbas is easier than deposing Ramzan Kadyrov".
  2. ↑ Paraszuk, Joanna (23 November 2014). "From Chechnya to Syria: Interview & Letter from Ajnad al-Kavkaz Amir Abdul Hakim Shishani".
  3. ↑ Akhmadov, Aslan (2019). "History of teip Mulkoy".
  4. ↑ "Брат популярного чеченского бойца ММА является главарем отряда боевиков в Сирии". 24 August 2020.
  5. ↑ АПХАИДЗЕ, Шота (30 April 2015). "КТО ВОЗГЛАВИТ «ИМАРАТ КАВКАЗ»".
  6. ↑ "Отвоевать Ичкерию в Украине: интервью с командиром чеченского отряда Рустамом Ажиевым". RFE/RL (in Russian). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  7. ↑ Paraszuk, Joanna (24 February 2017). "Interview & Letter from Ajnad al-Kavkaz Amir Abdul Hakim Shishani".
  8. ↑ Paraszczuk, Joanna (22 October 2015). "Russian-Speaking Militants Prepare To Fight Assad In Hama".
  9. ↑ "Кавказцы в Сирии: не вступать в бой и не подчиняться?". RFE/RL (in Russian). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "Отвоевать Ичкерию в Украине: интервью с командиром чеченского отряда Рустамом Ажиевым". RFE/RL (in Russian). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  11. ↑ "Chechen fighters leave Syria to battle Russians in Ukraine - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  12. ↑ "Chechen Strongman Drives New Wedge Between Russia and Turkey". Jamestown. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Ukraine's and Chechnya's Veteran Anti-Russian Movements Signal Mutual Support". Jamestown. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  14. ↑ Gheja, Victor (17 March 2022). "Comandantul cecen Rustam Azhiev vine sa lupte cu Rusia in Ucraina. El a mai luptat cu rusii si in Siria, conduce gruparea "Soldatii Caucazului"". Aktual24 (in Romanian). Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "Ukraine's and Chechnya's Veteran Anti-Russian Movements Signal Mutual Support". Jamestown. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  16. ↑ Garofalo, Daniele. ""A possible new jihadist front in the conflict on Ukrainian soil. What is it?"". danielegarofalo.substack.com. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  17. ↑ "Chechen Leader Spotted in Bakhmut, Fighting Against Russia". Atlas News. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
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