Ingush natives sentenced to lengthy prison terms in Moscow terror attack case

The Second Western District Military Court sentenced Ingush natives Batukhan Tochiyev and Ramazan Padiyev to 22 and 18 years, respectively, and Baku native Robert Safaryan to 25 years in prison. Akhmadzhon Kurbonov, the perpetrator of the terrorist attack that killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant, was sentenced to life in prison.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in late December 2025, the state prosecution asked the Second Western District Military Court to sentence Ingush natives Batukhan Tochiyev and Ramazan Padiyev to 26 and 24 years, respectively, and Baku native Robert Safaryan to 28 years in prison. The prosecutor has demanded a life sentence for the perpetrator of the terrorist attack that killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant.

The Second Western District Military Court found four defendants guilty in the criminal case regarding the terrorist attack that resulted in the death of General Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops of the Russian Armed Forces, Interfax reported today.

The defendants were found guilty of participating in a terrorist organization, committing a terrorist attack by an organized group, illegal trafficking of explosives and explosive devices, and undergoing training for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities.

The court sentenced Batukhan Tochiyev to 22 years, Ramazan Padiev to 18 years, and Robert Safaryan 25 years in prison. The perpetrator of the terrorist attack, Akhmadzhon Kurbonov, was sentenced to life imprisonment. Kurbonov was also fined 1 million rubles, Safaryan 700,000 rubles, and the natives of Ingushetia 200,000 rubles each.

According to Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee, the crime was meticulously and extensively prepared in Ukraine. In the fall of 2024, the organizers planned the transport of components of an improvised explosive device, disguised as household items, from Poland to Russia and ensured their delivery to Safaryan. He stored these items at his residence and, after receiving instructions from the organizers, handed them over to Kurbonov, the perpetrator of the terrorist attack.

According to investigators, Kurbonov assembled the explosive device and attached it to an electric scooter, which he placed near the entrance to Kirillov's building. "After waiting for Kirillov to emerge onto the street, Kurbonov, under the control of the crime organizers, remotely detonated the IED, after which he attempted to escape to a safe house found and paid for for him by Tochiyev and Padiev, stated Svetlana Petrenko.

"The investigation into the accomplices of the crime, who have been placed on the international wanted list and arrested in absentia, including a Ukrainian citizen residing in the territory of the European Union, as well as other persons involved, is ongoing," the agency quotes her as saying.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that at the end of December 2025, the FSB reported the arrest of members of the Ingush Batalkhadzhin vird in Moscow, Ingushetia, and Chechnya. A large quantity of weapons and ammunition was seized from them. According to the investigation, they had been engaged in apartment fraud for a long time, kidnapping and killing their owners.

On December 12, 2022, it became known that the Batalkhadzhins, in exchange for support for Ramzan Kadyrov, formed units to participate in the military operation in Ukraine. The Batalkhadzhin Rapid Response Unit (BOBR) joined the Akhmat special forces and is taking part in the military operation, the head of Chechnya confirmed. The formation of such units is beneficial for the Batalkhadzhins, who have attracted the close attention of security forces, analysts noted at the time.

Batal-haji Belkhoroev is an Ingush sheikh, the founder of one of the Kadirite branches (virds), a follower of Sheikh Kunta-haji, as stated in the "Caucasian Knot" report "Batal-haji and his followers".