SUMMARY

The Forces of Rusland Labazanov were a group headed by Ruslan Labazanov involved in the fighting that erupted in Chechnya during the early 1990s in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, rising separatism and various groups competing for influence and power in the breakaway state.

Ruslan Labazanov, from Kazakh origin and a martial arts trainer, was serving a sentence for armed robbery and murder in Rostov and was later transferred to Grozny. It was during his time in prison that Labazanov took an interest in politics. In the turmoil related to the coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev in August 1991, Labazanov initiated a prison revolt and escaped from the prison in Grozny together with several hundred convicts. Subsequently, he built up a private paramilitary outfit under his command, comprising approximately 200 armed men. The majority of them were convicts like him, stemming from the same prison. With his group, Labazanov also engaged in organized crime such as arms smuggling. However, he gained a reputation of an “abrek”, meaning a “bandit of honour”, for handing out cash to people in the impoverished villages in the northern parts of Chechnya.

Between 1991 and 1996, Labazanov turned from being a leader of a criminal gang and supporter of Dzhokhar Dudajev, the president of the breakaway state called Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, into one of the leading figures of the Chechen opposition against Dudajev. In October 1991, Dudajev had unilaterally declared the independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and its secession from the Soviet Union and Russia. Labazanov first supported the unrecognized Chechen separatist government and closely sided with Dudajev in 1992 and 1993. Labazanov served with his group as Dudajev’s presidential guard, himself being Dudajev’s chief bodyguard. However, since the declaration of independence, Dudajev had to face a growing opposition within Chechnya. The opposition also supported an independent Chechen state, but questioned Dudajev’s claim to power. The resistance against Dudajev culminated in two coup attempts in March 1992 and December 1993. After being accused of racketeering and other criminal activities, also Labazanov increasingly distanced himself from Dudajev and eventually joined the ranks of the anti-Dudajev forces.

In May 1994, Labazanov founded the Niiso (justice, also spelled Niyso, Misso or Nesso) Movement that openly opposed Dudajev. The movement received support from the Russian special service, providing Labazanov’s men with heavy weaponry including T-72 tanks. Labazanov later on allied himself with Ruslan Khasbulatov and Umar Avturkhanov and joined the anti-Dudajev movement called Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic, which has also been registered in non-state conflict against the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. With his paramilitary troops, Labazanov controlled part of the Shalinsky and Vedensky districts in Southern Chechnya.

Labazanov was gunned down in 1996 under unclear circumstances. According to different theories, he was killed by one of his own men, supporters of Chechnya’s independence who considered him a traitor or was a victim of a private blood feud.

The Forces of Ruslan Labazanov have been involved in the non-state category of UCDP organised violence.