Ruslan Labazanov
Encyclopedia
Ruslan Labazanov was a notorious criminal boss of the Chechen mafia
and head of a Chechen armed faction, held by some as an example of a modern abrek
(bandit hero).
in 1967 to the Turkxoj teip
(clan). He became an Eastern martial arts
expert and served in the Soviet Red Army
as a physical training instructor
. After leaving the army, he became known as a flamboyant, charismatic and extremely violent gangster. In 1990 he was convicted of murder
in Rostov-on-Don
and sentenced to death, before escaping from prison in 1991. According to himself, he actually escaped from Grozny
pretrial detention center: "During the 1991 coup, I freed the whole prison, nearly 600 men, ahead of time. They obeyed me."
Since 1992 Labazanov aligned closely with the Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev, eventually becoming the chief of Dudayev's personal Presidential Guard and holding a rank of captain in the Chechen National Guard (in 1992–1993 he had been also been engaged in illegal arms trade) before failing out with him after a year-and-half during the 1993 Chechen constitutional crisis. After a bloody two-day clash between his followers and allies, including Chechen mafia boss Nikolay Suleimanov
, and Dudayev's loyalists in the centre of the Chechen capital Grozny on June 13–14, Labazanov fled the city and promptly declared a blood feud
against Dudayev for the death of his relative (either a brother or a cousin), whose head was publicly displayed among the heads of three other Labazanov's henchmen.
Labazanov then joined Umar Avturkhanov and the other criminal leader and one-time Dudayev supporter Beslan Gantamirov (the ex-mayor of Grozny) in the anti-Dudayev opposition, called the Chechen Provisional Council, operating as commander of his own paramilitary
outfit - the "Justice" (Niiso) movement, partially controlling the Shalinsky
and Vedensky districts of southern Chechnya. Labazanov assumed a role of a "Chechen Robin Hood
", a self-styled defender of the people against the oppressive authorities. His private army of about two hundred men, mostly former convicts like himself, was based in and around the town of Argun
and supplied with T-72
tanks and other heavy weapons provided by the Russian special services. They also provided personal security and other armed men for Ruslan Khasbulatov
(freshly released from Russian prison following his defeat in the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis) and his abortive "peacemaking" initiative.
In the summer of 1994, Chechnya descended into a fierce civil war-style conflict between the Chechen government and the opposition forces. For the first two months the clashes were sporadic, but on September 4, Dudayev's forces attacked Labazanov's stronghold of Argun and after a fierce all-night battle during which dozens of fighters were killed on both sides succeeded in dislodging him out of the city. The fighting culminated in the November 26 attempted raid on Grozny
by the Chechen opposition supported by the covert Russian federal forces, which resulted in the final defeat for the Provisional Council and the open intervention by Moscow
. During the subsequent First Chechen War
of 1994-1996, Labazanov sided with the invading Russian federal forces and promptly was given the rank of colonel
in the Russian internal security service FSK (soon to be reorganized into the FSB).
On June 1, 1996, it was reported that Labazanov was slain together with a bodyguard at the village of Tolstoy-Yurt, 15 kilometres north of Grozny. He was reportedly gunned down at point-blank range in his fortified castle-like house, where he has been living with his three wives, apparently killed by one of his own men. The Russians quickly implicated the Chechen separatist field commander Shamil Basayev
in the killing. According to another version, Labazanov fell victim to blood vengeance
by the relatives of a killed Chechen police officer.
Chechen mafia
The Chechen mafia is one of the largest organized crime groups operating in the former Soviet Union next to established Russian mafia gangs, which originally consisted of criminals of Chechen ethnicity who later also tried to recruit former Russian special military forces, police and army officers...
and head of a Chechen armed faction, held by some as an example of a modern abrek
Abrek
Abrek is a North Caucasian term. It originates from abræg, the Ossetian for a robber. Once it was used for a person who vowed to avoid any pleasures and to be fearless in fight. A vow could last for five years...
(bandit hero).
Biography
Labazanov was born in internal exile in KazakhstanKazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
in 1967 to the Turkxoj teip
Teip
Teip is a Chechen and Ingush tribal organization or clan, self-identified through descent from a common ancestor and geographic location. There are about 130-233 teips...
(clan). He became an Eastern martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
expert and served in the Soviet Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
as a physical training instructor
Physical Training Instructor
Physical Training Instructor is a term used primarily in the British Armed Forces and British police, as well as some other Commonwealth countries, for an instructor in physical fitness.-United Kingdom:...
. After leaving the army, he became known as a flamboyant, charismatic and extremely violent gangster. In 1990 he was convicted of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
in Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
and sentenced to death, before escaping from prison in 1991. According to himself, he actually escaped from Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...
pretrial detention center: "During the 1991 coup, I freed the whole prison, nearly 600 men, ahead of time. They obeyed me."
Since 1992 Labazanov aligned closely with the Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev, eventually becoming the chief of Dudayev's personal Presidential Guard and holding a rank of captain in the Chechen National Guard (in 1992–1993 he had been also been engaged in illegal arms trade) before failing out with him after a year-and-half during the 1993 Chechen constitutional crisis. After a bloody two-day clash between his followers and allies, including Chechen mafia boss Nikolay Suleimanov
Nikolay Suleimanov
Nikolay Suleimanov, known more commonly as "Khoza", was a leading "authority" of the Chechen mafia organization Obshina.Suleimanov came to Moscow in the early 1980s and helped Khozh-Ahmed Noukhaev and Ruslan A. to set up the Chechen gangs there...
, and Dudayev's loyalists in the centre of the Chechen capital Grozny on June 13–14, Labazanov fled the city and promptly declared a blood feud
Blood Feud
"Blood Feud" is the twenty-second and final episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on July 11, 1991. In the episode, Mr. Burns falls ill and desperately needs a blood transfusion. Homer discovers Bart has Burns' rare blood type and urges...
against Dudayev for the death of his relative (either a brother or a cousin), whose head was publicly displayed among the heads of three other Labazanov's henchmen.
Labazanov then joined Umar Avturkhanov and the other criminal leader and one-time Dudayev supporter Beslan Gantamirov (the ex-mayor of Grozny) in the anti-Dudayev opposition, called the Chechen Provisional Council, operating as commander of his own paramilitary
Paramilitary
A paramilitary is a force whose function and organization are similar to those of a professional military, but which is not considered part of a state's formal armed forces....
outfit - the "Justice" (Niiso) movement, partially controlling the Shalinsky
Shalinsky District, Chechen Republic
Shalinsky District is an administrative and municipal district , one of the fifteen in the Chechen Republic, Russia. Its administrative center is the town of Shali...
and Vedensky districts of southern Chechnya. Labazanov assumed a role of a "Chechen Robin Hood
Robin Hood
Robin Hood was a heroic outlaw in English folklore. A highly skilled archer and swordsman, he is known for "robbing from the rich and giving to the poor", assisted by a group of fellow outlaws known as his "Merry Men". Traditionally, Robin Hood and his men are depicted wearing Lincoln green clothes....
", a self-styled defender of the people against the oppressive authorities. His private army of about two hundred men, mostly former convicts like himself, was based in and around the town of Argun
Argun, Chechen Republic
Argun is a town in the Chechen Republic, Russia, located on the Argun River. Population: 22,000 ....
and supplied with T-72
T-72
The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A...
tanks and other heavy weapons provided by the Russian special services. They also provided personal security and other armed men for Ruslan Khasbulatov
Ruslan Khasbulatov
Ruslan Imranovich Khasbulatov is a Russian economist and politician of Chechen descent who played a central role in the events leading to the 1993 constitutional crisis in the Russian Federation.-Early life:...
(freshly released from Russian prison following his defeat in the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis) and his abortive "peacemaking" initiative.
In the summer of 1994, Chechnya descended into a fierce civil war-style conflict between the Chechen government and the opposition forces. For the first two months the clashes were sporadic, but on September 4, Dudayev's forces attacked Labazanov's stronghold of Argun and after a fierce all-night battle during which dozens of fighters were killed on both sides succeeded in dislodging him out of the city. The fighting culminated in the November 26 attempted raid on Grozny
Battle of Grozny (November 1994)
November 1994 Battle of Grozny was a November 26, 1994, failed attempt by the Chechen opposition forces to seize the city of Grozny, the Chechen capital, and overthrow the separatist government of Dzhokhar Dudayev....
by the Chechen opposition supported by the covert Russian federal forces, which resulted in the final defeat for the Provisional Council and the open intervention by Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. During the subsequent First Chechen War
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
of 1994-1996, Labazanov sided with the invading Russian federal forces and promptly was given the rank of 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...
in the Russian internal security service FSK (soon to be reorganized into the FSB).
On June 1, 1996, it was reported that Labazanov was slain together with a bodyguard at the village of Tolstoy-Yurt, 15 kilometres north of Grozny. He was reportedly gunned down at point-blank range in his fortified castle-like house, where he has been living with his three wives, apparently killed by one of his own men. The Russians quickly implicated the Chechen separatist field commander 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...
in the killing. According to another version, Labazanov fell victim to blood vengeance
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
by the relatives of a killed Chechen police officer.
External links
- Ruslan Labazanov, RIA Novosti image library