Budanov Yuri Dmitrievich is a Russian military serviceman. He took part in many military operations. During the Second Chechen Campaign he led a tank regiment and held the rank of colonel. His life was short-lived. At first he was convicted of committing a brutal crime, and after his release he was shot on one of the streets of Moscow.
Yuri Budanov: biography
Place and date of birth of Budanov Yuri: Ukrainian Republic, Donetsk region, city of Khartsyzsk, November 24, 1963. He grew up active child, was fond of martial arts, mastered the technique of sambo. Born into a military family, Yuri followed in his father's footsteps. He dreamed of a military career.
In 1981, he was called up for military service. After completing his service, Budanov decided to continue his studies in military affairs, not imagining himself in another profession. He decided for himself that he was not created for a peaceful life. The young man entered the Kharkov Guards Higher Tank command school, from which he graduated in 1987. After receiving his education, he served in Buryatia, Hungary and Belarus. Yuri returned to the Russian Federation after the breakup Soviet Union, not wanting to stay in a foreign country.
The biography of Yuri Budanov is quite interesting, because he devoted almost his entire life to military service. Returning to Russia, this man continued military career in Transbaikalia. He had an ideal reputation and had no complaints. Here he stayed for ten years. During this time, Yuri Dmitrievich graduated military academy and received the rank of lieutenant colonel. Later Yuri Budanov served in Chechnya.
Military service in the Chechen Republic
There have been numerous disputes about whether Yuri participated in the First Chechen Campaign. The fact is that the documents with which you can confirm this fact, disappeared. According to some reports, it became known that the serviceman destroyed them himself. And he really had a reason for this. Knowing about the shell shock, the medical commission simply would not have allowed him to take part in the Second Chechen War. Journalists carefully studied the biography of Yuri Budanov and found out that he took an active part in the First Chechen War and was even seriously injured. The second Chechen campaign also did not spare the military. He was shell-shocked three times due to wounds.
Budanov's feat
Many people who knew Yuri Budanov consider him a real hero. To some extent this is true. At the end of 1999, a reconnaissance group led by Shtykov fell into a trap. The militants were able to deceive the Russian military, sending them down the wrong path. As a result, help came to a completely different place. The tank battalion located in Yuri Dmitrievich’s regiment was able to help the reconnaissance group. In this case, about fifty people died, and the military equipment. Other troops were unable to quickly find their bearings and come to the rescue due to bad weather conditions.
The serviceman accepted independent decision to save the reconnaissance group, he did not receive orders from above. For this, the colonel was reprimanded, but a little later he was awarded the medal “For Courage.”
End of career
On March 26, 2000, the irreparable happened. This date became fatal in the life of the hero of our article. To find out why Yuri Budanov was convicted, you need to consider the events that preceded it. It was on this day that the colonel’s daughter was born. He decided to celebrate this significant event with your colleagues. Alcoholic drinks made their presence felt.
Drunk servicemen came up with the idea of shelling a village where civilians lived. But not all participants in the drinking party agreed with this decision. And then Colonel Budanov decided to get even with the girl who was suspected of being a sniper. This girl's name was Elsa Kungaeva. She was Chechen and barely 18 years old. It was on this day that the colonel put an end to his impeccable career with his own hands.
Details of the crime
Colonel Budanov, being intoxicated, gave an order to his subordinates to bring the girl to him. The soldiers, arriving in the village, forcibly pulled Elsa out of the house and brought her to headquarters. Budanov personally interrogated Kungaeva. The interrogation lasted several hours. The colonel used physical force on the girl. As a result of such interrogation using violent actions, the girl was strangled. Moreover, her neck was broken. After Elsa's death, her body was handed over to the soldiers, who in turn abused it. Later, a forensic medical examination, examining the girl’s body, confirmed the fact of rape.
Detention of Colonel Budanov
After the crime became known to the public, the colonel was taken into custody. The arrest took place on March 27, the day after the murder was committed. At one point, the hero Budanov turned into a brutal killer. Initially, he was charged not only with murder, but also with rape. The rape article was later dropped. It turned out that the violent actions against the deceased were carried out by soldier Egorov.
It started out noisy and long trial. The prosecution spoke about three crimes committed by the colonel: kidnapping, murder and abuse of power.
Consequence
During the investigation, Budanov was interrogated several times. Each time he repeated the same version of what happened. The story of Yuri Budanov was known not only to the investigator, but also to his cellmates. According to the colonel, during interrogation Elsa Kungaeva confessed to the charges against her. She said that she hated Russian military personnel.
Knowing that the girl’s father kept firearms in his house, all family members were placed under military surveillance. As a result, it turned out that Elsa Kungaeva periodically goes to the mountains. As a result of the established surveillance, it was possible to find out that the young girl is a professional sniper and is fighting on the side of the militants.
Having received a confession from Elsa, Colonel Budanov decided to hand the girl over to the soldiers for custody. According to Yuri Dmitrievich, the temperature in the room was high and he, taking off the upper part of his military uniform, put his service weapon on the table. The girl, grabbing the colonel's pistol, tried to shoot it. A struggle began, and in a state of passion, Budanov strangled the suspect. Yuri claimed that the murder he committed was unintentional. He explained his deranged state by saying that Kungaeva threatened to find his newborn daughter and kill her. He repeated her cruel words that she would wrap the child's intestines around a machine gun.
The soldiers claimed that they buried the girl's body immediately after she was killed. But forensic medical examination said otherwise. During the exhumation process, it turned out that the girl was subjected to severe beatings and rape during her lifetime. Moreover, it turned out that at the time of her burial, she was still alive.
The case of Yuri Dmitrievich Budanov received a wide public response. There were defenders and opponents of the colonel. The investigation into the case of Yuri Budanov lasted three years. In 2002, he was declared insane. The court took into account the shell shock that preceded the crime. The examination indicated that such injuries easily explain the condition of the combat officer. They could provoke a loss of control over consciousness. Compulsory treatment in the clinic was expected. But a little later the court decision was annulled.
Supreme Court Russian Federation in July 2003 a verdict was rendered. The court's decision was disappointing. Budanov Yuri Dmitrievich was sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 10 years. He was sent to serve his sentence in a maximum security colony in the city of Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region. Moreover, Yuri was stripped of all military ranks and awards. A decision was also made to ban him from holding leadership positions for three years.
Why was Yuri Budanov convicted? The verdict was imposed on all three counts brought by the prosecutor.
Prison term
While serving his sentence, the former colonel repeatedly submitted petitions to mitigate his fate. The first petition was sent to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Due to the fact that the case of Yuri Budanov gained international resonance, he withdrew the petition.
The president Chechen Republic Kadyrov declared the officer an enemy of the Chechen people. He accused him of cruelty and inhumanity.
A little later, Budanov applied for pardon again. After which the commission agreed to return to Yuri his awards, deserved with blood. But the matter turned into public discontent, after which the petition was rejected.
The next petition was submitted in 2007. The result was negative. A year later, the court made a positive decision, and the former military man’s sentence was reduced. At the beginning of 2009, Yuri Dmitrievich Budanov was released from custody. He served almost the entire sentence.
New life for a former military man
Having received the long-awaited freedom, Yuri returned to his family. His father had a serious illness. He died shortly after his son returned from prison. Budanov was allocated housing, provided Good work. He started life again. But everything turned out to be not so simple. Yuri was charged with a new one. Civilians in the Chechen Republic began to claim that the former military man was involved in the kidnapping and murder of eighteen more people. A criminal case was opened and the investigation began again. However, Budanov’s involvement in the crimes was not confirmed. All charges were dropped.
Murder of Yuri Budanov
The family of Yuri Budanov consisted of four people: Yuri, his wife, son Valery and daughter Ekaterina. At the time of the death of the former military man, his son was already an adult and lived independent life. Daughter Catherine was 11 years old. Her parents wanted to send her abroad. To do this, it was necessary to prepare certain documents. Budanov and his wife went to the notary, near whose office the father of the family was killed.
On June 11, 2011, at 12 o’clock, shots were fired on Komsomolsky Prospekt, which were aimed at ex-Colonel Yuri Dmitrievich Budanov. Three bullets hit the head, two hit the torso. The man died instantly. He had no chance of survival.
The murder of Yuri Budanov was discussed on the country's central television channels. Video materials recorded by street cameras were presented to the public. Based on them, the identity of the killer Yuri Budanov was determined. The internal affairs bodies were able to quickly find the man. The killer of Yuri Budanov claimed that his motive was revenge.
Where is the former soldier buried?
Many believe that the murder of Yuri Budanov was inevitable, while blaming the leader of the Chechen Republic. After all, the deceased himself repeatedly told his loved ones about a possible attack, which could be revenge for the murdered Elsa Kungaeva. There have been many articles in the press about where Yuri Budanov is buried. His final resting place was the Novoluzhinskoe cemetery in Khimki.
Attended the funeral a large number of his colleagues. They escorted their friend with honors last way. On that day, several thousand people visited the place where Yuri Budanov was buried. The former soldier was buried as befits a hero.
After the tragedy, Yuri Budanov's family was in danger. Colleagues and acquaintances helped his wife Svetlana in every possible way. Yuri Budanov's family was taken under protection. The state did not leave the former officer’s relatives in danger.
The biography of Yuri Budanov interests many residents of Russia. After all, he was a valiant officer, served his Motherland, unable to imagine life without military service. Having made a mistake, losing control of his behavior, he broke the law. He not only suffered the legal punishment for the crime he committed, but also paid for it with his life. Despite the irreparable act he committed, in the eyes of many people he remained a respected person.
Recently, the killer of Colonel Yuri Budanov, Magomed Suleymanov, died in one of the Russian zones. He died in a significant way and somehow at the wrong time - exactly on the eve of the date of his murder and his own wedding (while in prison, he was going to get married, and in Chechnya a bride had already been found for him, whose parents agreed to give their daughter in marriage to a prisoner). The killer even recovered sharply from the mere thought of his future marriage. But for some reason something went wrong. Some providence intervened. The groom suddenly felt unwell and died. The wedding did not take place. A lavish funeral had to be held instead. Suleymanov was buried as a national hero of Chechnya. The last death in a long series of deaths put an end to the tragic confrontation between officer Budanov, once betrayed by the authorities, and his many ill-wishers. Who was actually the greatest enemy for the colonel - the Chechen militants or the authorities of that era that betrayed him? This question remains open to this day...
The mysterious sniper from Tangi-Chu
Briefly about the background of the conflict. During the second Chechen campaign, the colonel commanded the 160th Guards Tank Regiment. The regiment did not get out of combat. And at the moment when he was finally taken out of the active action zone, in the area of the village of Tangi-Chu, he suddenly found himself in the sector of sniper fire. The sniper acted savagely - first he shot in the groin, and then in the heart or head. Budanov was heavy-handed and quick to kill. “One execution will save hundreds of Russians from death and thousands of Muslims from treason.” He repeated these words of Ermolov to his subordinates hundreds of times. And the task of any commander in war is quite simple and comes down to two short and clear points: to carry out combat mission and save personnel. By any means.
Budanov promptly took up the implementation of the second of them. He saved his personnel, the soldiers entrusted to him. As a result of operational search activities, we found Kungaeva. The village authorities unanimously pointed out to her, to whom Budanov made an offer that they could not refuse. True, they later unanimously renounced their testimony. Kungaeva was immediately captured and brought to the regiment “for clarification.” Budanov burned with a thirst for revenge and quick reprisals. The colonel's tragic mistake was his decision not to wait for representatives of the military prosecutor's office (they had already been notified of what had happened). He began the interrogation himself. And then events began to develop rapidly and increasingly. Eyewitnesses to the incident say that someone called Budanov. He got distracted. At that moment, Kungaeva rushed at him, trying to take possession of the service card. At that time it was not the best decision. Pushing her away, the enraged Budanov (the officer had a large build) slapped Kungaeva with a powerful slap in the face. It turned out to be incompatible with life - the blow broke the attacker's cervical vertebra. Then a version of rape arose, which, however, was not subsequently confirmed by any of the examinations carried out.
The Chechen media and human rights activists who joined them during both Chechen campaigns (Sergei Kovalev and others) boiled with indignation. According to the paratrooper general, Hero of Russia Vladimir Shamanov, who knew the tanker well, “they excitedly competed to see who would pour the most lies and dirt on the colonel.”
Neither the General Staff nor the Ministry of Defense stood up for one of their best officers. Moreover. Many of the officials and officers involved in the conflict publicly disowned their former colleague and made statements that predetermined his conviction. The commander of the joint group of federal troops in Chechnya, Anatoly Kvashnin, generally stated that the colonel is a bandit, and there is no place for such people in Russian army. This was the same Kvashnin, whose potential killer Budanov had previously personally shot in battle.
“I’ll wrap your guts around a machine…”
The investigation was gruelingly long and tedious. According to one version, Budanov suffered a serious mental disorder after two brain concussions received during the war. Several forensic psychiatric examinations were carried out to establish his mental state. The examinations gave different conclusions: “insane”, “limitedly sane”, “sane”. According to forensic psychiatrist Kondratyev, who conducted many hours of conversations with Budanov, “there is no doubt that at the time of the crime the officer was in a state of temporary mental disorder. This state was provoked by Kungaeva, who told him that she would wrap his intestines around a machine gun, after which she grabbed the weapon. But the court ordered a second examination, and when she repeated my conclusion, a third. The third examination confirmed the findings of the previous two. Then an examination was ordered in Chechnya. Chechen psychiatrists decided that he could be responsible for his actions, after which he was convicted. I'm still confident that we made the right decision."
Order of Courage for “service inconsistency”
In Chechnya, Budanov was well known on both sides of the barricades. He was not afraid of the devil, or the bullet, or the militants, or the wrath of his superiors. In the first Chechen war, putting his career on the line, a tanker saved special forces who were ambushed. Once again someone betrayed the scouts, and they flew into a trap. The battle went on for several hours. The specialists were already running out of ammunition, but the militants were still arriving. The weather was unflyable, and the helicopters could not help. Fortunately, Budanov’s unit was not very far from the site of the clash. He requested permission to rush into battle. Smart staff officers categorically forbade the colonel to get into the “bag of fire”: it’s none of your business. They will get out on their own. But the tanker decided differently. Having verbally sent staff officers to an address widely known among the people, he personally led a column that rushed to the rescue of the specialists. In that battle, the fuel oil was saved by the special forces.
Revenge for Kvashnin
The second Chechen campaign began with Shamil Basayev’s attack on peaceful villages in Botlikh. In August 1999, Chief of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin decided to make an inspection voyage to the Botlikh region. He took with him several generals and colonels. This air voyage took place in compliance with all secrecy measures. But, as often happened in that war, something leaked somewhere, and the generals were already waiting on the ground for the “bad guys.” An ATGM firing point was pre-equipped four kilometers from the landing site of the group of helicopters. As soon as the helicopters began to land, the militants opened fire. As experts later found out, the shooter was a professional. From the maximum flight range, only a professional sniper could hit a helicopter with a guided missile. You can count them on one hand all over the world. Captured Chechen fighters later said that he was a Kabardian mercenary from Jordan.
Helicopters carrying generals crashed to the ground. Kvashnin and his entourage jumped from the side to the ground from a height of several meters while the pilots tried to keep the car from stalling. But the crew died. Saving the generals, Hero of Russia pilot Yuri Naumov, navigator Alik Gayazov and special forces reconnaissance officer Sergei Yagodin passed away into another world.
A few months later, Budanov's regiment was subjected to the same attack. Four kilometers (standard distance) from the group of tanks on duty, a Niva appeared, from which a group of people in camouflage emerged. They busily and calmly began installing the ATGM launcher. The militants were not worried. They knew very well that the Budanov regiment was armed only with old T-62 tanks, the ammunition of which did not contain guided missiles. And four kilometers is the maximum shot for a tank gun. It is unrealistic to hit a point target - a Niva - from such a distance. The very first shot from a guided missile set fire to one of the T-62s. Fortunately, there were no crew there. And then the unthinkable happened. Budanov rushed to the duty vehicle, “carried” the commander out of it, and clung to the gun sight. The very first shot of a high-explosive fragmentation shell smashed the SUV, the rocket launcher, and everyone who was fussing next to it to pieces. It was the same Circassian and his retinue. Colonel Budanov personally destroyed the one who killed the Hero of Russia pilot Yuri Naumov and his friends. With his shot, he signed the death warrant for the boss's potential killer General Staff. That did not stop Kvashnin from calling his savior a bandit in a difficult hour for Budanov.
Well, the technology is old: push the falling one. Career comes first. You can do it on the bones of your colleagues...
"People's Avenger" or tool of intimidation?
Budanov's case was dealt with by the North Caucasus District Military Court. The colonel was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The investigation and trial of the colonel had a huge public resonance in Russia and Chechnya at that time. The colonel's case became peculiar social test to determine “friend or foe”. “Are you for us or for them?”
Budanov was released on parole in January 2009. And on June 10, 2011, he was shot in Moscow by a native of Chechnya, Yusup-Khadzhi Temerkhanov (previously involved in the case as Magomed Suleymanov). The colonel was shot by the unwavering hand of a cold-blooded killer - all six bullets hit the target. Yusup-Magomed subsequently never admitted his guilt. Yusup-Magomed never had a direct relationship with Elsa Kungaeva. Neither brother nor uncle. According to one version, the killer, by shooting Budanov, was taking revenge on the feds for the fact that at one time, 11 years ago, Russian soldiers killed his father in Chechnya. Allegedly, he associated Budanov (who had nothing to do with the murder of his father) with all the evil that the federals inflicted on his fellow countrymen during the Chechen wars.
The story with the killer’s father is also murky. The investigation had information that he was an active member of gangs. But the court did not dig that deep.
It is quite obvious that Yusup in this story was an ordinary performer. The version of revenge for the father is a legend for those uninitiated in Chechen realities. Chechens never take revenge on representatives of any “social group.” In their opinion, this is idiocy. Highlanders always take targeted revenge. And in this case, Budanov was chosen as the addressee. But he's not the only one. This was a message to everyone who fought with militants in both Chechen periods. We supposedly remember everything. And we'll get everyone. And Budanov will not be the last on our personal officer hit list. It is not for nothing that the Union of Officers of Russia reacted so sharply to the murder of the tanker. Its representatives made it clear that they would not tolerate this state of affairs and would take retaliatory measures. They did not specify which ones.
In addition, Chechens pathologically do not know how to lose. And their loss in the second Chechen war was more than obvious. Tens of thousands of bearded fighters for pure Islam were sent to the next world as a result of the second campaign. The federals beat them in every gorges, in every village, around every turn and bend of the river. The Russian military machine, like a concrete mixer or a moloch of war, methodically ground them in its millstones.
Seeing the prospects this holds for the entire population of mountain Chechens, Ramzan Kadyrov performed a miracle. He found words in the Russian language and arguments in his head to convince the commander-in-chief to stop this merciless massacre.
He succeeded. “We survived! – Ramzan shouted into the microphone, not hiding his emotions. “You see, we survived!”
After “survival” came the second action of Chechen self-identification - it was necessary to take victory away from the federals. Or gloss over their triumph as much as possible (which in fact did not happen - that victory cost Russia too much). And for this it was necessary to get yesterday’s heroes from Russia Chechen war, kill the brightest winners. Well, or send them to jail - as an edification to others. Russian authorities At that time, the Chechens considered Russian justice as their faithful allies in this matter.
Nothing worked out with special forces captain Eduard Ulman. He and his comrades disappeared on the day of sentencing. But Budanov, through joint efforts, was able to be put behind bars. Following him, they managed to send two officers of the Dzerzhinsky division to jail - Sergei Arakcheev and Evgeniy Khudyakov. After this, the activity of the “people's avengers” from Chechnya came to naught. It looks like they were made an offer they couldn't refuse. And the power in Russia was already different. Throwing officers into the crucible of war and then handing them over to be torn apart by their former enemy has become completely unpromising. Therefore, the search for the “culprits” and their surrender to yesterday’s enemy stopped.
Freedom and death
“It’s bad that he was released, he shouldn’t have been released,” said Moskovsky Komsomolets columnist and experienced journalist Vadim Rechkalov, who has visited Chechnya many times, in his interview on Ekho Moskvy. “We should have given him 25 years, released him in 10 years - with different documents, a different person, saved him, taken him away, hidden him. The authorities knew perfectly well that the Chechens would get him, but nevertheless released him. And thus condemned to death. He may have committed a crime, but he did not start this war. First, our soldiers and officers are left to the mercy of fate in Chechnya and are forbidden to shoot first, and then, when the most ingenuous ones are blown away and they become socially dangerous, they say: why did you do this? What is this if not betrayal? The Chechens found the moment, found the time, found the weapon, found the Mitsubishi to take revenge, to regain their dignity. But ours - no, we are not interested in Budanov - you are waste material, no one needs you. Chechens put their own people above any laws. And we sit and argue whether he is such a criminal or an even worse criminal. This is the law of war: friend - foe. And when this is mixed with politics and criminal law, the result is complete nonsense..."
Two truths
In war, each participant has their own truth. The interexistence of two truths, which do not intersect with each other in any way, and do not want to hear and understand each other, is the reason for the war. The truth of the Kungaev family: Budanov kidnapped and killed an innocent girl. The truth of commander Budanov: the girl was an enemy, an enemy sniper and killed his soldiers.
Yuri Budanov has been dead for a long time. May he rest in peace. The symbol and curse of the second Chechen war, a Russian officer of the Russian army, a tough and honest man, brave and short-sighted, a brilliant commander, who in an instant deliberately and irrevocably ruined his own and others’ lives, fell at the hands of a hired killer. The drama of an abandoned warrior, who was first sent into the heat of war, was actually made a criminal, and after that he was also convicted, officially called a criminal, ended in a bloody tragedy - six targeted shots from a bloodline.
Although no, it was not a bloodline. Krovniks don’t shoot from around the corner. Enemy snipers and female snipers are shooting from around the corner. This murder was committed on the eve of Russia Day. Significant. And death overtook the killer on the eve of his own wedding. Also iconic. And symbolic.
According to lawyer Roza Magomedova, Temerkhanov died of cardiac arrest.
Colonel Yuri Dmitrievich Budanov, commander of the 160th Guards Tank Regiment and holder of the Order of Courage, was sentenced in 2003 to 10 years of strict regime for the alleged abduction and murder of Chechen Elza Kungaeva (who, according to local informants, was a sniper of a gang) . Let's not go into details; caring people already perfectly remember the details of that case, the indignation of Russian patriots at the condemnation of the hero-colonel. Budanov served his sentence in a colony located in the city of Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region. He should have been released back in the fall of 2004 (the petition for pardon was signed by Ulyanovsk Governor Vladimir Shamanov, Hero of Russia). But some of the political scientists, human rights activists and the leadership of Chechnya were categorically against it. Ramzan Kadyrov said: " If this pardon of Budanov occurs, we will find an opportunity to give him what he deserves". As a result, Yuri Dmitrievich was released on parole only on January 15, 2009. And on June 10, 2011, the colonel was shot dead on Komsomolsky Prospekt in Moscow. As noted by the portal newsru.com (I understand that the resource is very harmful, but at that time it only united information circulating in the information space), " It turned out that the criminals killed Budanov only the third time. The first time they tried to eliminate it was in the spring of 2009 on the territory Rostov region, shortly after his release from the colony. A new attempt was made in early May 2011. This time, the criminals received identifying information about Budanov’s location from law enforcement agencies. This data was provided by a police officer from the Moscow region at the request of friends from Chechnya. By the same time, that is, by the beginning of May, the alleged organizers also arrived from the republic to the capital".
On August 30, 2011, Chechen Magomed Suleymanov (this is based on forged documents; real name is Yusup Temerkhanov) was arrested on suspicion of murdering Budanov. On May 7, 2013, by a verdict of the Moscow City Court, Temerkhanov was convicted of... Part 1 Art. Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation and Part 1 of Art. 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation to 15 years in prison. " Temerkhanov felt a feeling of hatred and enmity towards all military personnel who fulfilled their duty and took part in the counter-terrorist operation, and decided to commit murder. His choice fell on Budanov, whose name received wide public resonance and who was the most a prominent representative the social group he hated", said prosecutor Maria Semenenko. Temerkhanov was transferred to the Omsk maximum security colony.
Press reports about Temerkhanov’s personality still vary. It is known that he was born in 1972 in the village of Geldagan, Kurchaloevsky district, Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, the son of a canteen manager. According to one version, at birth his name was Yusup Shamilevich Gagalov. He unsuccessfully tried to enter the law faculty of Moscow State University, where he later found himself - it is not really known. Sympathetic liberal journalists called him " Islamic religious figure"or simple" entrepreneur engaged in construction business", "representing one of the most influential Chechen teips "Other media outlets wrote that he moved in criminal circles in Moscow and "resolved issues" that arose between criminal groups." Before his arrest, Temerkhanov led a very bohemian lifestyle. He traveled exclusively by taxi, dined in the best restaurants in the city, visited a fitness club, the annual subscription to which costs about 10 thousand “cu”, purchased food only in the most expensive premium stores, rented an apartment in an elite area of the capital. With all these expenses, Yusup was unemployed and did not have any official business. Where did he get the funds for all this luxury? As experts suggest, Temerkhanov was a so-called “fixer”, conducted negotiations and was involved in collecting debts. Documentary evidence this activity, however, does not exist. ...Temerkhanov behaved very defiantly in court. According to eyewitnesses, the most popular answer to witnesses was: “Yes, and you went to…”", - reported Reedus.
Listening to the verdict, Temerkhanov laughed:
In June 2015, the killer gave an exclusive interview to the SuperOmsk portal. He did not feel the slightest remorse and radiated optimism with his whole appearance: " I haven't met people here who treat me badly", "I'm fine", "Uncles come to visit me on dates, and I call them", "I have good relationships with everyone. ...There have never been conflicts with anyone here. I became friends with many, and we exchanged addresses and agreed that after our release we would visit each other. I will invite them to visit Grozny", "After my release, first of all I want to get married, it is possible that this will happen within these walls. She is 24 years old, I won’t give her name. She agrees to marry me, and he proposed while he was still free. Her parents also agree, and we met very simply - one of my relatives gave her phone number, and I called her. She is Chechen and lives in Moscow". To the question of journalist Svetlana Maltseva, “What do you regret most in your life?”, Temerkhanov answered “ My biggest regret is that I didn’t get married before my arrest.".
Yusup Temerkhanov, a native of Chechnya and convicted of the murder of Russian Army Colonel Yuri Budanov, died on August 3, 2018 in an Omsk hospital as a result of cardiac arrest.
According to data announced by the regional department of the Federal Penitentiary Service, on August 1, due to deteriorating health, Temerkhanov was transferred from the medical institution of the colony to city hospital Omsk. According to lawyer Roza Magomedova, the defense sought Temerkhanov’s early release due to a chronic illness. At the same time, the lawyer claims that his death occurred unexpectedly. He was really seriously ill, but last days was on the mend.
The lawyer also added that Temerkhanov will be buried in his homeland, Chechnya. Given the resonance of the crime he committed, it is possible that the funeral could turn into a political demonstration. It is no secret that many in Chechnya justify Temerkhanov’s actions, or even consider him a hero.
The tragedy that started it all
Let us recall that the case of Colonel Yuri Budanov, convicted in 2003 for the murder of 18-year-old Chechen girl Elza Kungaeva, had a wide resonance. Moreover, it was largely not of a criminal, but of a political nature.
Yuri Budanov at a court hearing in Rostov-on-Don on May 15, 2002. Photo: Valery Matytsin/TASS
At the beginning of the second Chechen war, Colonel Yuri Budanov, holder of the Order of Courage, commanded the 160th Guards Tank Regiment, which, using obsolete T-62 tanks, inflicted huge losses militants and saved the lives of many Russian soldiers. At the same time, Budanov’s regiment suffered virtually no combat losses. This continued until in the vicinity settlements Chiri-Yurt and Duba-Yurt did not kill several of Budanov’s subordinates at the hands of enemy snipers. The particularly savage “handwriting” of the snipers indicated that it was women who acted.
On February 17, 2000, information that in the ranks Chechen militants there are female terrorist snipers, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, assistant to the Russian President, confirmed at that time. The death of comrades in arms became the moral factor that led to the tragedy on March 27, 2000 in the village of Tangi-Chu, Urus-Martan region, when 18-year-old Chechen Elza Kungaeva was killed.
From reports of informants it was known that Kungaeva and her parents repeatedly went to the mountains to join the militants. The girl herself was suspected by the military that she could be one of those notorious snipers at whose hands their comrades died. Budanov’s cellmate Oleg Margolin subsequently told journalists from the words of the colonel himself that during interrogation Kungaeva promised to find Budanov’s family and brutally deal with his young daughter, and also tried to take possession of the weapon, after which she was killed.
The tragedy in Tangi-Chu was immediately used by numerous liberal journalists and “human rights activists” as a reason to attack Russian military personnel who were fulfilling their duty to restore constitutional order in Chechnya. Propagandists from the “independent media”, who were on the payroll of oligarchs and various foreign foundations, literally competed to see who could throw the most dirt on the Russian army.
In 2003, Yuri Budanov was sentenced to 10 years in prison with imprisonment military rank Colonel and everyone state awards. In January 2009, he was released on parole after serving almost nine years in prison.
Revenge or political provocation?
After his release, Budanov lived with his family in Moscow and worked as a department head at one of the enterprises. On June 10, 2011, he was shot dead almost in the very center of the capital in the courtyard of house 38/16 on Komsomolsky Avenue. The former military officer and his wife were in the building of a notary's office. The killer's bullets caught Budanov at the moment when he went outside to smoke. The killer and his accomplices managed to escape in a Mitsubishi Lancer, which was then found abandoned and half-burnt in one of the courtyards on Dovatora Street.
One of the main versions that was worked out by the investigation was precisely the “Chechen trace”. In addition, there was information that shortly before the murder, Yuri Budanov was threatened. Some media reported that he himself, in a conversation with his loved ones, said that he could be killed - not out of revenge, but for the purpose of political provocation. The demonstrative nature of the execution of Colonel Budanov only confirms this sad fact.
Yusup Temerkhanov, accused of murder former colonel Yuri Budanov, in the Moscow City Court building, August 23, 2012. Photo: Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS
Only two and a half months after Budanov’s murder, law enforcement officers arrested a suspect in the crime. Initially, he was involved in the case as Magomed Suleymanov - documents in this name were found on the detainee. Subsequently, during the identification, it turned out that the real name of the criminal was Yusup Temerkhanov. According to investigators, Temerkhanov’s motive could have been revenge for his father, who was allegedly killed by certain Russian military personnel in 2001. The criminal himself did not admit his guilt.
In May 2013, the Moscow City Court found Temerkhanov guilty of the murder of Colonel Yuri Budanov and illegal possession of weapons and sentenced him to 15 years in prison to be served in a maximum security colony. Temerkhanov's defenders tried to appeal the guilty verdict. A criminal charge was even brought against one of the lawyers for attempting to bribe a witness.
It may seem that the death of Budanov’s killer puts an end to this entire high-profile case that has dragged on for almost two decades. However, is this really so? Unfortunately, none of Temerkhanov's alleged accomplices were ever brought to justice. The names of the customers were not mentioned either. The version that Temerkhanov acted alone, and his motive was hatred of the Russian servicemen who fought in Chechnya, personified by Colonel Yuri Budanov, does not stand up to criticism. And the death of the main accused leaves virtually no chance that all the killers of the Russian officer will be found and receive the deserved punishment.
MOSCOW, August 3 – RIA Novosti. Yusup Temirkhanov, convicted of the murder of former Colonel Yuri Budanov, died in the Omsk colony, lawyer Roza Magomedova told RIA Novosti.
“He died in the medical unit of the colony from cardiac arrest. He always had health problems, the defense tried to get him released due to illness, but was unsuccessful,” she said.
Temirkhanov received 15 years in prison for the murder of Budanov in June 2011.
Budanov case
Budanov was arrested in March 2000 and accused of kidnapping, rape and murder of 18-year-old Chechen Elza Kungaeva. The rape charges were later dropped, with another person involved in the case taking responsibility.
Three years later, Budanov received ten years penal colony strict regime with deprivation of the right to occupy leadership positions in government agencies for three years. He was also deprived of the Order of Courage and military rank.
In 2004, the ex-colonel applied for a pardon and received consent. This caused a wave of protests in Chechnya, after which the request had to be withdrawn.
In 2009, Budanov was released on parole.
Murder of ex-colonel
In June 2011, Budanov was shot dead on Komsomolsky Prospekt in Moscow. The criminal fired several shots, four bullets hit the victim's head.
A month later, Islamic religious figure Yusup Temirkhanov was detained on suspicion of murder. In addition to the murder of the ex-colonel, he was charged with illegal weapons trafficking.
In 2013, Temirkhanov was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
A memorial plaque has been installed in the courtyard of the house where the former military man was killed. Last year, unknown persons threw a Molotov cocktail at her. It was not reported whether the hooligans were detained.
