Khamzat Dadaev's relatives managed to avoid being sent to the front.

Security forces in Chechnya kidnapped four relatives of Khamzat Dadaev, who lives abroad, and forced them, including a minor, to sign military contracts. However, after widespread publicity, they were allowed to return home. Human rights activists were not informed of any cases of minors being sent to the front.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on January 13, the head of the republic's government, Magomed Daudov, reported that 67,440 fighters had been sent from Chechnya to the military operation zone. Chechen residents are being forcibly sent to Ukraine as punishment for alcohol and drug use, and minor offenses. This information was once again confirmed by human rights activists in October 2025. Entrepreneur Aslanbek Akhmetkhanov also voiced this earlier, noting that sending offenders to the front is "a punishment."

The Dadaev family members, relatives of Khamzat Dadaev, who lives abroad and was kidnapped by security forces in November, were able to return home safe and sound, despite being threatened with being sent to the war zone in Ukraine. Four of the abductees, including a teenager under 18, appeared on video in military uniform, claiming they were forced to sign contracts because of something Khamzat said; the exact nature of the Chechen authorities' complaints was not specified.

"The Dadaevs have been released; they are home. According to our information, they are all fine now. The authorities wanted their son, Khamzat Dadaev, to return to Chechnya. "His relatives were taken hostage to force him to come, but he didn't. When the authorities realized he wasn't coming, they decided to let them go," Adam, a representative of the Chechen opposition movement, told the Caucasian Knot.

According to him, in December 2024, Khamzat Dadaev's relatives were used as hostages to lure him out. "He didn't come then either. According to Khamzat himself, the Chechen security forces' accusations stem from his allegedly meeting with unwanted people in exile. His relatives were threatened with murder or being sent to war if Khamzat didn't come home," Adam reported.

He also added that publicity about the issue influenced the actions of the Chechen security forces and the decision of the Chechen authorities. "There was a lot of publicity surrounding the kidnapping, and in this case, it was very helpful and influenced the authorities. Ultimately, they were brought home," he noted. Chechen political scientist Ruslan Kutayev* has no information about the Dadaev family's problems with the authorities, but called their release good news. While the Chechen authorities, as the political scientist noted, can force citizens to do anything, Kutayev* personally knows of no examples of minors being forcibly sent to the SVO. There are so many applicants that it's unlikely they'll get their turn. But there have been cases of drunk drivers being sent to the SVO as punishment," he noted.

A human rights activist familiar with Chechen realities confirmed that sending people addicted to alcohol and drugs to military operations is a common practice in Chechnya. "Yes, such attempts have been made. The authorities don't hide this; on the contrary, they present it as a supposed healing process: they go to the SVO and return as completely healthy people. But the big question is whether they return, and if they do, what the consequences of what they saw in the SVO are. Most likely, an increase in all kinds of addictions," he told the "Caucasian Knot."

A human rights activist, who wished to remain anonymous, also has no confirmed data on minors being sent to the front. "I don't have such information; such cases have not yet been recorded," he said.

Svetlana Gannushkina, head of the Civic Assistance Committee*, confirmed that the forced dispatch of "guilty" citizens to the SVO is possible, but she also has not received any information on minors being sent to the combat zone.

"There were a lot of news stories about a drunk driver being caught somewhere, and he suddenly decided to go to the SVO. It's clear he didn't come to this decision without thinking. And I don't recall any cases of minors being sent," she told the "Caucasian Knot."

* are listed as foreign agents.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.