Ruslan Khuchbarov
Encyclopedia
Ruslan Tagirovich Khuchbarov (1972 – 2004), sometimes spelled Khochubarov, was an Ingush
man presumed to be the Islam
ic militant nicknamed "Polkovnik
" (the Russian
for Colonel
) notorious for his leading role in the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis
. Polkovnik's identity is disputed and it is possible he escaped the bloody end to the crisis.
Khuchbarov was an ethnic Ingush and native of the village of Galashki
in the republic of Ingushetia
near the border with Chechnya
. His body was reportedly identified after he was killed during the storming of the school.
According to the FSB information obtained the Russian newspaper Vremya Novostey, Khuchbarov was living with his Russian
girlfriend and their son in Oryol Oblast
, until he was accused of murder and attempted murder of two members of the Armenian diaspora
and declared wanted in 1998. Khuchbarov then went into hiding and moved to Chechnya, where he underwent extensive combat training in a camp of the field commander Ibragimov and took the nickname Colonel, collaborating with Arbi Barayev
. Eventually he joined the brigade of Shamil Basayev
and became one of his closest associates in Ingushetia. Khuchbarov and one other rebel, Amriev, were responsible for Galashki ambush
in Ingushetia on May 11, 2000, killing 18 soldiers and officers and wounding three. The bombing of the Ingushetian Department of the FSB on September 15, 2003, when three people died and 32 were seriously injured, has also been ascribed to Khuchbarov. He was involved in the training of suicide attack
ers.
Russian sources initially reported "Polkovnik" to be Ali Taziyev, a former Ingush policeman-turned-rebel who was declared legally dead in 2000. However, this was later refuted by the Russian prosecutor
s. Investigators then alleged this was the same person as Akhmed Yevloyev, an Ingush terrorist leader also said to be Ali Taziyev, but those reports were declared incorrect later: although he had similar features as Yevloyev, his facial profile was a lot different. In addition, Yevloyev turned out to be still alive.
Shamil Basayev, who claimed organizing the Beslan attack, identified "Polkovnik" as "Col. Orstkhoyev" and not Khuchbarov.
Ingush people
The Ingush are a native ethnic group of the North Caucasus, mostly inhabiting the Russian republic of Ingushetia. They refer to themselves as Ghalghai . The Ingush are predominantly Sunni Muslims and speak the Ingush language...
man presumed to be the Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
ic militant nicknamed "Polkovnik
Polkovnik
Polkovnik is often a military rank in Slavic countries which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states. However, in the Ukraine, polkovnyk was an administrative rank similar to a governor...
" (the Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
for Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
) notorious for his leading role in the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis
Beslan school hostage crisis
The Beslan school hostage crisis of early September 2004 was a three-day hostage-taking of over 1,100 people which ended in the deaths of over 380...
. Polkovnik's identity is disputed and it is possible he escaped the bloody end to the crisis.
Khuchbarov was an ethnic Ingush and native of the village of Galashki
Galashki
Galashki is a village in Sunzhensky District of the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia, located on the left bank of the Sunzha River near the border with the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania...
in the republic of Ingushetia
Ingushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
near the border with Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
. His body was reportedly identified after he was killed during the storming of the school.
According to the FSB information obtained the Russian newspaper Vremya Novostey, Khuchbarov was living with his Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
girlfriend and their son in Oryol Oblast
Oryol Oblast
Oryol Oblast is a federal subject of Russia . Its administrative center is the city of Oryol. Population: -Geography:It is located in the southwestern part of the Central Federal District, in the Mid-Russian Highlands. Kaluga and Tula Oblasts border it in the north, Bryansk Oblast is located to...
, until he was accused of murder and attempted murder of two members of the Armenian diaspora
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the Armenian communities outside the Republic of Armenia and self proclaimed de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic...
and declared wanted in 1998. Khuchbarov then went into hiding and moved to Chechnya, where he underwent extensive combat training in a camp of the field commander Ibragimov and took the nickname Colonel, collaborating with Arbi Barayev
Arbi Barayev
Arbi Alautdinovich Barayev , nicknamed "The Terminator", was a renegade Chechen warlord often accused of clandestine links with the Russian special services...
. Eventually he joined the brigade of Shamil Basayev
Shamil Basayev
Shamil Salmanovich Basayev was a Chechen militant Islamist and a leader of the Chechen rebel movement.Starting as a field commander in the Transcaucasus, Basayev led guerrilla campaigns against the Russian troops for years, as well as launching mass-hostage takings of civilians, with his goal...
and became one of his closest associates in Ingushetia. Khuchbarov and one other rebel, Amriev, were responsible for Galashki ambush
Galashki ambush
Galashki ambush took place of May 11, 2000, when the separatist militants from the group of Shamil Basayev, led by a Galashki native Ruslan Khuchbarov, attacked and destroyed a convoy of the Russian Interior Ministry paramilitary forces in the Republic of Ingushetia...
in Ingushetia on May 11, 2000, killing 18 soldiers and officers and wounding three. The bombing of the Ingushetian Department of the FSB on September 15, 2003, when three people died and 32 were seriously injured, has also been ascribed to Khuchbarov. He was involved in the training of suicide attack
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
ers.
Russian sources initially reported "Polkovnik" to be Ali Taziyev, a former Ingush policeman-turned-rebel who was declared legally dead in 2000. However, this was later refuted by the Russian prosecutor
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
s. Investigators then alleged this was the same person as Akhmed Yevloyev, an Ingush terrorist leader also said to be Ali Taziyev, but those reports were declared incorrect later: although he had similar features as Yevloyev, his facial profile was a lot different. In addition, Yevloyev turned out to be still alive.
Shamil Basayev, who claimed organizing the Beslan attack, identified "Polkovnik" as "Col. Orstkhoyev" and not Khuchbarov.