The Ministry of Internal Affairs has removed Ingushetia native Aina Mankieva from its wanted list.

The file of Aina Mankieva, a native of Ingushetia who fled domestic violence, has been removed from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' wanted list. However, there has been no report of the theft case against her being dropped.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," security forces released Aina Mankieva, a native of Ingushetia who reported domestic violence. She was being held at a Moscow police station, but remained a suspect in the criminal case and was wanted. Aina Mankieva was detained on the night of January 15 and spent more than half a day in the station. In addition to police officers, she was questioned by representatives of the Center for Combating Extremism. Mankieva wrote a statement alleging domestic violence, including sexual violence. She requested that she not be handed over to her relatives and that she be provided with state protection. She called her family's theft report false.

Mediazona* reported today that 21-year-old Aina Mankieva, who fled from her relatives in Ingushetia, has disappeared from the Ministry of Internal Affairs' wanted list. The publication notes that no official announcement has been made regarding the case against her being dropped.

As a reminder, on January 16, investigators in Ingushetia opened a criminal case following a resident's complaint of violence by her relatives, without specifying the specific article under which the investigation was being conducted.

"Caucasian Knot" also wrote that Aina Mankieva's statement about sexualized violence in the family is a priority, since human rights activists noted that Aina would be in danger if she returns to the republic as part of the theft investigation, as was the case with Seda Suleimanova.

12:02 31.12.2025

Batal-haji and his followers

Batal-haji Belkhoroev is an Ingush sheikh, the founder of one of the Kadirite branches (virds), and a follower of Sheikh Kunta-haji. Members of Batal-haji's brotherhood—the Belkhoroevites or Batalkhadzhintsy—have great influence in modern-day Ingushetia. In December 2022, the Batalkhadzhintsy formed a rapid response unit (BOBR) in Chechnya from among natives of Ingushetia to participate in the military operation in Ukraine. On February 27, 2023, it was announced that the militant wing of the Ingush Batalkhadzhin vird had been added to the list of terrorist organizations.

Mankieva said that her family belonged to the Batalkhadzhin vird and expressed fears that the entire vird would search for her. "The vird practices strict control over children, early marriage for girls (as young as 13), and rarely allows girls to complete education even to the ninth grade," the human rights group Marem quoted her as saying on January 15.

The problem of domestic violence in Dagestan, Ingushetia, and Chechnya affects women of all ages, but it is primarily young women under 30 who try to escape it, 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 a 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.

* are included in the register of foreign agents.

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