Political analysts doubt reliability of IS*' statement about execution of militaries in Chechnya

The report of an attack on military servicemen in Chechnya on April 22, widespread by the "Islamic State" (IS), a terrorist organization banned in Russia by the court, is aimed at maintaining its image and strengthening its influence on militants, experts assert. At the same time, they noted that Chechen authorities failed to provide any evidence refuting this information.

The information about the involvement of the IS* in a new attack on law enforcers in Chechnya appeared in the latest issue of the weekly "Naba", the "Directorate 4" Telegram channel, which tracks militants' activities, reported on May 3.

According to the Telegram channel, "on April 22, a convoy of two SUVs and one military truck got into a militants' ambush near Urus-Martan; the soldiers who were in them perished or were wounded."

In his turn, Alvi Karimov, the press secretary of the head of Chechnya, has refuted the information about the militants' attack on the convoy of servicemen.

The IS* failed to provide any evidence of the attack, while Chechen authorities also failed to present a weighty refutation, said Akhmet Yarlykapov, a senior researcher at the Centre for Problems of the Caucuses and Regional Security of the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations (known as MGIMO). "There are two options here: either the IS* has invented the attack, or Chechnya is hiding it. The IS* used to make numerous statements that were easily refuted. This is done in order to influence people's moods. And this has its effect – such messages, unfortunately, give fruit. If the attack really took place, then, there is nothing surprising Karimov has refuted the information: authorities would not admit the presence of militants in their territory, because this is a blow to the authorities' image," Mr Yarlykapov has concluded.

* "Islamic State" (IS, former ISIL) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia by the court

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 6, 2019 at 07:07 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.