Ingushetia resident sentenced to lengthy term in militant aiding case

The appellate court agreed to reduce by one year the prison term of Ingushetia resident Khasan Dzhandigov, who was sentenced to ten years in a maximum-security penal colony on charges of aiding militant Ilyas Vedzizhev, who was killed in 2015.

As reported by "Kavkazsky Uzel", on November 24, 2016, a counter-terrorism operation (CTO) regime was introduced in part of Nazran. Security forces blocked a private house on Abadiyev Street, two militants who were there refused to surrender and were killed in a shootout, security forces reported. NAC also reported the death of two special forces officers. Two days later, it became known that on the same day in the village of Nasyr-Kort near Nazran, security forces detained 40-year-old Khasan Dzhandigov and searched his house.

The Criminal Division of the Supreme Court of Ingushetia considered the appeal against the sentence of 49-year-old resident of the republic Khasan Dzhandigov. The Magas District Court had previously sentenced him to ten years in prison on charges of aiding a member of an illegal armed group and illegal trafficking of explosive devices.

The first court sentenced Dzhandigov in February 2025. According to the prosecution, in the summer of 2015, he provided assistance to Ilyas Vedzizhev, knowing about his involvement with the militants. The court concluded that Dzhandigov himself was not a member of the illegal armed group, but voluntarily agreed to help Vedzizhev - in particular, he secretly transported him in a Lada Kalina car around Ingushetia. The trips were made, in particular, around Nazran and to Ekazhevo.

The charge of illegal trafficking of explosives dates back to July 2022, when security forces, according to the prosecution, found a homemade “khattabka” grenade in his home. Dzhandigov pleaded not guilty. The court sentenced him to a total of 10 years in a strict regime prison with one year of restricted freedom and a fine of 50 thousand rubles on two charges.

Khasan Dzhandigov’s defense appealed the verdict. The appellate court took into account the man’s dependent elderly parents as a mitigating circumstance, and also considered the motive of “justifying and supporting terrorism,” which served as an aggravating circumstance in the first instance, unproven.

As a result, Dzhandigova's sentence was reduced by a year, to nine years in a maximum security penal colony, the press service of the Supreme Court of Ingushetia reported on September 3 in its official Telegram channel.

"Kavkazsky Uzel" also wrote that Nazran resident Leyla Chemurzieva, who was wounded during a special operation at the market, was also accused by security forces of helping Vedzizhev and Makhauri, who were killed at the time. In August 2016, the Nazran District Court sentenced Chemurzieva to eight years in prison. Chemurzieva confessed under torture, the family of the convicted woman said. In March 2025, the ECHR recognized a violation of Chemurzieva's rights in this case, while in 2022 the woman was again prosecuted - on charges of illegal trafficking of explosive devices. According to Chemurzieva’s sister, the explosive device was planted in her house by security forces.

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