Report on Human Rights Violations in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic
February 2026
Prepared by human rights activist Khava Beshtoeva
The results of independent human rights monitoring in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic for February 2026, based on an analysis of open source information, demonstrate a persistent trend of human rights violations committed by government agencies and law enforcement agencies against citizens in this area.
These violations primarily involve the criminalization of activism, persecution of citizens for political and human rights activities, pressure on lawyers, repression and judicial falsifications, the imposition of denunciation practices, and violations of the right to a fair trial. The documented incidents underscore the urgency of further efforts to protect human rights in the republic.
The defense demanded the release of Anzor Khalilov and the dismissal of the terrorism financing case
Repression against developer Anzor Khalilov began after his refusal to pay a multi-million dollar contribution “to the SVO” to security forces, prompting the fabrication of terrorism financing charges. This is a common pressure tactic, which has forced many businessmen to flee the republic, not considering it acceptable to participate in military expansion into the territory of a neighboring state. Many fled to Turkey, America, and Syria, hoping to avoid extradition. However, Khalilov, having traveled to the UAE, failed to take into account that while there, he could find himself within the reach of the Russian punitive apparatus, which is precisely what happened.
In February 2026, during the hearing of the appeal against Khalilov’s arrest, the defense filed a motion to compel the appearance of an Interior Ministry investigator with the case materials. The
Nalchin City Court ruling, which sentenced Khalilov to two months’ pretrial detention and is being appealed by the defendant’s lawyer, was issued on November 14, 2024, and the circumstances of the case have changed. Firstly, the charges have changed, and secondly, Khalilov is now in the Russian Federation. The court ignored the fact that he is a father of many children (11, eight of whom are minors), is married, and is a law-abiding citizen. Most importantly, he was extradited at the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office and has been in custody in the United Arab Emirates since October 1, 2025. In accordance with Article 109 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the court is required to include time spent in custody in a foreign state in the period of detention. The defense petitioned the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office to obtain information about Khalilov’s detention in the UAE. The lawyer submitted responses from UAE government agencies, according to which Khalilov was arrested on October 1, 2025, and immediately placed in pretrial detention. Therefore, the two-month pretrial detention period imposed on him in absentia by the Nalchik City Court has long since expired, and Khalilov is being held in pretrial detention illegally. On the very first day of 2026, the defendant’s lawyer petitioned the duty prosecutor of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR) to issue a ruling for Khalilov’s immediate release, but both the prosecutor’s office and the court ignored the defense’s arguments.
Khalilov himself stated that he “did not hide or run away,” reiterating the reason for his departure: “They wanted to take money from me. I, naturally, said I didn’t have that kind of money. What I’m saying now, and what I previously stated in a video message, I can prove all of this. And I can take a polygraph test at any time and answer any question regarding my case.”
The defense believes the terrorism financing case should be dismissed.
The charges against Andzor Khalilov, a developer from Kabardino-Balkaria, arrested after being deported to Russia from the UAE, are based on the testimony of a witness named Kardanov, whom the defendant claims is fictitious. Another defendant in the case, accused of raising money for militants, also denies the charges. The defendant’s lawyer also stated the defense’s intention to prove the extent of Andzor Khalilov’s criminal liability and that, in accordance with the principle of specificity established by the extradition treaty between the United Arab Emirates and the Russian Federation, the terrorism financing case should be dismissed, in accordance with the guarantee the Russian Federation, represented by the Prosecutor General’s Office, gave regarding Khalilov not to prosecute him in any other cases.
https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/420717
Security forces are intensifying pressure on the republic’s business community
The case of Anzor Khalilov was the first warning sign. Those who failed to leave the Russian Federation in advance and are unwilling to provide voluntary or forced assistance to the SVO are becoming targets for blackmail and repression. The current situation demonstrates that these are not isolated incidents, but a trend. Systemic pressure on the construction and agricultural businesses is growing in the region.
In February 2026, bailiffs of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic sealed the Infinity View residential complex and the offices of the Grandstroy company. The activities of entrepreneurs Bashir Tatrokov and Albert Unachev were terminated, and criminal proceedings were initiated against them.
The Office of the Federal Bailiff Service for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic has posted corresponding notices on the doors and grounds of construction sites and company registrations in Nalchik. The decision was made by the Arbitration Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Earlier, Grandstroy LLC manager Islam Mudrenov was placed in pretrial detention, and Albert Unachev and Bashir Tatrokov were proclaimed on the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ wanted list.
https://kbrria.ru/proisshestviya/17Vnimanierozysk
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVOTga7CGRo
Marina Atsaeva, who is serving a prison sentence, became pregnant and gave birth while in a Nalchik pretrial detention center
According to one version, this was the result of sexual assault by a Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) officer; according to another, it was consensual. This information was presented during the appeal hearing against Atsaeva’s sentence, which was three years and two months in a penal colony for fraud. The prosecutor’s office called Atsaeva’s arguments “unfounded” and cited her testimony that she entered into a relationship with the FSIN officer voluntarily. Meanwhile, the Nalchik City Court asked child protection authorities to decide the fate of the child Atsaeva gave birth to while in pretrial detention: transfer him to the care of Father B. or place him in a children’s institution. The lawyer’s appeal stated: “Atsayeva claims that while in Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia for the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, she became pregnant as a result of violent acts by a prison employee, and subsequently gave birth to a son.” The prosecutor’s office called these arguments “unfounded” and cited the defendant’s testimony in court, according to which, “while in the pretrial detention center, an employee gained her trust, she entered into a relationship with him, and as a result of this relationship, she gave birth to a son”: “The convict did not report any violent acts on the part of B.” The prosecutor also noted that the law “does not provide for or regulate the detention of a minor child in a pretrial detention facility”: “The conditions of detention in a pretrial detention facility cause moral suffering to a minor who is neither convicted, nor accused, nor suspected, and who has the right to grow up in a complete family with proper care and satisfaction of his physiological and emotional needs, to receive cognitive development and interaction with peers…” Since B.’s paternity had not been officially established, the appeal court removed from the verdict the requirement to transfer the child into his custody.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DU6SsltgD_t
Violations in the case of Kazbek Shkhagoshev
The Telegram channel “kavkaz_leakbez,” which conducts independent investigations in the region, has drawn attention to serious violations in the high-profile case of Greco-Roman wrestling coach Kazbek Shkhagoshev. In 2024, he was convicted for his blogging activities on charges of disseminating knowingly false information defaming the honor and dignity of others (six episodes) via his Telegram channel, as well as one episode of attempted sale of narcotic substances.
According to the investigation and the court of first instance, Shkhagoshev created and administered the Telegram channel “Pravda KBR,” where he posted defamatory information about senior law enforcement officials of the KBR, accusing them of corruption and other violations of the law.
In the cassation appeal, Shkhagoshev’s lawyer described the verdict as politically motivated and pointed out that after Shkhagoshev’s arrest, the channel “Pravda KBR” continued to operate under the same username and settings, but under the new name “Za pravdu v KBR.”
Shkhagoshev did not plead guilty. His lawyer insisted on acquittal, noting that none of the alleged victims testified that Shkhagoshev was responsible for the defamatory content. The Urvansky District Court sentenced Kazbek Shkhagoshev to four years in a strict-regime penal colony. The defendant claimed that he had been forced to incriminate himself under torture.
The defense asserts that Shkhagoshev’s confession regarding his administration of the channel was extracted through physical violence. The defense also believes that the entire operation to implicate him in drug trafficking was orchestrated by law enforcement agencies to discredit him in the eyes of the public. According to the cassation appeal, during his detention, security forces placed a bag over his head and, at that moment, planted drugs in his socks.
The Telegram channel “kavkaz_leakbez” summarized the interim findings on the Shkhagoshev case as of early February, highlighting the following serious violations:
- The abduction of Kazbek Shkhagoshev, torture, beatings, and blackmail carried out by officers of the FSB Directorate for the KBR and the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the KBR, along with the forced recording of a video apology addressed to all heads of law enforcement agencies of the KBR in 2022.
- Illegal detention at the Lesken District Police Department and unlawful transportation across the KBR without formal arrest on 21–22 November 2022 by officers of the Lesken ROVD, whereas the official detention and the first detention report were only drawn up on 23 November 2022.
- A falsified “premises inspection” report: one procedure began at 20:05 and ended at 20:40 with Shkhagoshev’s signature (confirmed in court), while a second began at 20:50 and ended at 21:10 without his signature. This took place in the village of Khatuey. The case file also contains a “crime scene inspection” report that began at 19:25 and ended at 20:30 in the village of Vtoroy Lesken — 22 km away — with the same witnesses and Shkhagoshev’s participation. This is physically impossible.
- The clearly unlawful initiation of a criminal case under Article 228.1 Part 4 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, illegal criminal prosecution, and conviction based on non-existent coordinates in a planted phone. Even the investigator from the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the KBR, Amir Pekov, admitted in court that “he did not find any drugs at the coordinates in the phone; he searched alone.”
- The witnesses Abaev and Blokhin appear in the case both as participants in a classified operational-search measure (“Surveillance”) together with operativist Islam Bechelov of the Drug Control Department, and as ordinary witnesses — which is prohibited by law.
- Judge Bekir Makoev issued the verdict, while Arsen Sarakhov issued three illegitimate orders authorizing operational-search measures. Sarakhov issued two orders for the search of Shkhagoshev’s property and one for wiretapping his phone conversations dated 14 November 2022. All three orders were later declared unlawful by higher courts. The fundamental reason was that the Fifth Cassation Court established that Arsen Sarakhov and Rustam Kalibatov (whose statement on 8 October 2022 triggered the case) are relatives. Moreover, none of the three orders were signed by a judge; they were certified by FSB operativist Kazbek Kertbiev. The originals of these orders do not exist — neither in court nor in the case file.
- Officers of the “Grom” special forces unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the KBR appear in the criminal case as classified witnesses (Kardanov and Abazov). At the same time, they were questioned in court as non-classified witnesses under the names Layfanov K.M. and Zambatov Z.D.
- All six victims in the case are high-ranking officials and officers of the KBR, yet no proper verification was conducted for even one of the complaints.
- Photographs and videos of the torture inflicted on Kazbek Shkhagoshev, which are in the possession of FSB officer Khazhmukhamed Emkuzhev.
- The change of territorial jurisdiction of the criminal case after the Fifth Cassation Court overturned the verdict, with the support of the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation.
- The “on-site testimony” given by Islam Bechelov of the Drug Control Department — an action prohibited by the laws of the Russian Federation.
- Maxim Maximov, Deputy Head of the FSB Directorate for Kabardino-Balkaria (before whom the alleged administrator of the republican Telegram channel allegedly apologized), in his motion to the court dated 8 November 2022 requesting permission for wiretapping, described Kazbek Shkhagoshev as “an interregional supplier of narcotic substances” and “administrator of the Telegram channel ‘Pravda KBR’” — two weeks before the abduction on 21 November 2022. Maximov and his team effectively predetermined Shkhagoshev’s fate on 8 November 2022; the court hearing on 25 July 2024 was purely formal in nature.
https://t.me/kavkaz_leakbez/22182
https://iskra.today/polit/bortnikov-i-emkuzhev-polkovniki-ufsb-kbr-reshayut-sudby-bez-dokazatelstv
Prosecution for a social media comment
In Kabardino-Balkaria, a 24-year-old man will stand trial for a comment justifying Nazism on social media. The regional prosecutor’s office reported that the incident occurred in October 2023. According to the investigation, the man from the Zolsky District posted a comment from his account that was visible to an unlimited audience. According to the prosecutor’s office the text of the comment contained justification of Nazism and approval of crimes established by the International Military Tribunal. However, such charges against representatives of national republics are brought for actions that are completely inconsistent with the charges. For example, on April 8, 2026, charges of justifying Nazism were brought against a representative of the Buryat people for burning St. George’s ribbons:
https://zona.media/news/2026/04/08/vahta
He has been charged under the article “Rehabilitation of Nazism using information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet,” which carries a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment. The regional prosecutor’s office has approved the indictment under paragraph “v” of Part 2 of Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. The criminal case has been forwarded to the Supreme Court of Kabardino-Balkaria for consideration on the merits.
The Ministry of Nationalities of the KBR monitors the internet and forwards “materials” to law enforcement agencies
According to Minister for Nationalities and Public Projects Anzor Kurashinov, “a permanent monitoring of the internet space has been organized, including websites of public and religious organizations, in order to identify negative trends and counteract them in the sphere of interethnic and interfaith relations. As part of inter-agency cooperation, we forwarded 33 materials identified during internet monitoring to law enforcement agencies in 2025…”
The systematic monitoring of the internet space carried out by the Ministry for Nationalities and Public Projects of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, followed by the transfer of “materials” to law enforcement agencies, creates an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship among citizens, civil society organizations, and religious communities.
By permanently tracking websites of public and religious organizations in order to identify “negative trends” in interethnic and interfaith relations and forwarding 33 such materials to law enforcement bodies in 2025 alone, the authorities are exerting disproportionate control over freedom of expression. This practice directly violates the fundamental right to freedom of thought and expression (Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), the right to privacy (Article 17 of the ICCPR), as well as the freedoms of religion or belief (Article 18) and association (Article 22).
Instead of genuinely protecting interethnic peace and harmony, such measures significantly narrow the space for open and peaceful dialogue, replacing it with an environment of suspicion and intimidation.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DVBusaMDOq8
A Native of Ukraine Sentenced to 20 Years for an Alleged Sabotage Attempt in Nalchik
The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don has sentenced Vitaliy Gaivoronsky, a native of Ukraine, to 20 years of imprisonment on charges of preparing an explosion at the railway station in Nalchik on assignment from the Security Service of Ukraine.
According to the prosecution, in December 2023 Gaivoronsky retrieved an industrially manufactured explosive device from a cache, acquired the necessary components, and independently manufactured an explosive substance from them, after which he reportedly informed his alleged “curator.” He did not carry out the attempted explosion, as he was detained on 13 December 2023.
The verdict was delivered under articles concerning high treason, preparation of a terrorist act, and the illegal acquisition and manufacture of explosives and explosive devices, according to the court’s press service. Gaivoronsky will serve his sentence in a strict-regime penal colony, with the first five years to be spent in prison. He was also ordered to pay a fine of 250,000 rubles.
The 44-year-old Gaivoronsky was born in the town of Teplohirsk in Luhansk region, Ukraine. The application of the high treason article indicates that he had acquired Russian citizenship. His case reached the court in September 2024, meaning the legal proceedings lasted nearly a year and a half.
In June 2024, the Nalchik City Court found local resident Alexander Mozhaev guilty of failing to report a crime. Having learned from an acquaintance about support for Ukraine and plans to commit a terrorist act, Mozhaev did not inform law enforcement authorities. It is likely that this acquaintance was Gaivoronsky: in Mozhaev’s verdict, he was referred to by the initials “G. V. V.,” which match those of Gaivoronsky.
Following the explosion on the Crimean Bridge, security services in southern Russia and the Caucasus intensified their efforts to identify and apprehend alleged saboteurs. Lawyers and human rights defenders in Russia note that individuals presented as militants frequently claim in court that they gave testimony during the preliminary investigation under torture.
https://ria.ru/20260212/sud-2073992744.html
The acquittal of lawyer Diana Tsipinova has been upheld on appeal
In February 2026, after six years of legal proceedings, the Supreme Court of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic announced the operative part of its decision, upholding the first-instance acquittal of lawyer Diana Tsipinova, who had previously been accused of causing bodily harm to a police officer. Tsipinova was represented by five colleagues.
In her closing statement at the hearing, Tsipinova stated: “It is a lawyer’s duty to protect human rights. This story is not so much about a young lawyer who was unlawfully prosecuted, but about the arbitrary exercise of power officially permitted against all citizens of the country. You must agree that a lawyer—a special legal entity—who is thrown out of a police station is clearly unable to help restore or protect your rights, simply because the root of the word “help” (“помощь”) is “power” (“мощь”). So what power are we talking about when I go to help, and my arm is broken? “Will I help you when I have double handcuffs on my wrists? Will I be able to? Will I reach you when the brave police officers throw me to the floor? Why is it safe to seek legal help from bar associations, bureaus, and bar associations, but it’s practically impossible to get it at the police station?” she asked.
After the acquittal was upheld, Diana Tsipinova noted that this was an absolute victory for everyone, not just hers but for every lawyer, over absolute “lawlessness.”
At the same time, Tsipinova’s case also became a striking example of the prosecutor’s abuse of the right of appeal: the prosecution, unlike the defense, can initiate repeated rounds of case review until a guilty verdict is reached or until procedural options are exhausted.
The right of higher courts to overturn a verdict and remand a case for a new trial is expressly enshrined in the Russian Criminal Procedure Code. However, in practice, such remands are often made without sufficient grounds, which contradicts the position of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation and leads to lengthy and unfounded prosecutions. This violates the adversarial principle and equality of the parties, creating a clear indictment bias. Repeatedly remanding a case after acquittals can be abusive if the remands are used not to correct serious procedural violations, but as a means to secure a guilty verdict at any cost: systematic “pressure” after an acquittal turns into procedural pressure from the executive branch on the judiciary.
Remand remands of acquittals, especially those handed down by juries, have long been a systemic practice in Russia, transforming from a means of correcting judicial errors into a tool for achieving departmental results.
https://rapsinews.ru/judicial_news/20260220/311625135.html
Residents of dilapidated dormitories in Nalchik are unable to secure resettlement
On January 30, the head of Kabardino-Balkaria reported on the issuance of certificates for new apartments in Nalchik to 124 families relocated from dilapidated housing. Social media users responded to his report with questions about the resettlement timeline for other dilapidated buildings, including several buildings on Ingushskaya Street.
Before the new apartments were handed over, 125 families (375 people, including more than 60 children) lived in a dilapidated dormitory on Kadyrov Street, where the ceiling and walls were collapsing. Authorities promised to resettle them by 2024, but instead began resettling another building that wasn’t included in the program. Residents of a number of dilapidated dormitories in Nalchik are still awaiting resettlement. One of them, at 10 Musukayeva Street, was built in 1964 as temporary housing for workers at the Iskozh plant. Today, the building is completely deteriorated and has been declared unsafe. Fifty-two families (173 people) have lived in this dormitory since the collapse of the USSR and the closure of the plant.
Another dormitory, also in disrepair, is located at 12 Ingushskaya Street. Some residents of this dormitory have been relocated to new apartments in the “Valley of the Caucasus” microdistrict, but 44 families continue to live in unacceptable conditions. Although the dormitory was built later than the previous one, in 1976, its common areas are in the same unsightly condition: the plaster has peeled off due to damp and mold, and exposed wiring regularly causes short circuits and power outages. Both dormitories are included in the municipal target program “Improving the Living Conditions of Citizens Living in Communal Apartment Buildings,” approved by a decree of the head of the Nalchik local administration on April 29, 2022.
According to the program text, funding for it in 2024 was only 905,800 rubles, and in 2025, no funding was provided at all. No one at the mayor’s office can say for sure when these dormitories, like other dilapidated communal housing, will be resettled. At the end of 2025, the Kabardino-Balkarian parliament discussed the progress of the resettlement program for residents from dilapidated housing. First Deputy Head of the local administration, Anatoly Tonkonog, spoke about the situation in Nalchik. According to the official, “the main challenge is the 31 communal dormitories.” “The problem is exacerbated by the constant aging of the city’s housing stock—since 2022, nine more buildings in the municipality have been declared dilapidated and require inclusion in the resettlement program,” he stated.
The republic’s Minister of Construction and Housing and Utilities, Andrei Zhuravlev, reported that from 2017 to 2022, approximately 13,500 square meters of housing was deemed unfit for habitation, of which only 7,800 square meters are planned for resettlement in the coming years. The total area of uninhabitable housing in the republic exceeds 35,000 square meters. A complete solution to this problem will require two billion rubles, but, as the minister noted, “funding is declining.”
https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/8397739
https://gogov.ru/dh-relocation/nalchik
https://m.kavkaz-uzel.media/articles/420403
Eviction of 47 families from a university dormitory in Nalchik
In Nalchik, a criminal case has been opened in connection with the planned eviction of 47 families from a university dormitory. Residents of the dormitory located at 17 Tarchokova Street have appealed to the authorities. According to them, 47 families — former employees of the Kabardino-Balkarian State Agrarian University who were made redundant in 2017 without being offered alternative employment — currently live there. The housing queue in which these people were registered was liquidated. Following the appointment of a new rector at the university, life in the building, as stated in the appeal, “has become unbearable.” In June of last year, the administration of the Kabardino-Balkarian State Agrarian University notified the former employees, who had been living in the dormitory since 1987, of their impending eviction without the provision of any alternative housing.
The residents report that meetings with the rector “end in humiliation.” Rector Zaurbi Shkhagapsoev responds sarcastically: “Why should you live here and multiply? Evict yourselves wherever you want.” The residents recorded a video appeal in which they emphasized that they themselves maintain the building and, through their own efforts, carried out major repairs. Over the course of a year, they repeatedly appealed to various state bodies, but their complaints were simply forwarded back to the university rector. They were also denied an audience with the Head of the Republic. The rector, according to the residents, claims that “the authorities support him and are fully on his side.”
Following the appeal, a criminal case was initiated under Part 1 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (abuse of official powers), and an investigation is underway.
“According to the investigation’s version, in February 2026, 47 families residing in the educational institution’s dormitory — former employees of the Kabardino-Balkarian State Agrarian University — received notices requiring them to vacate the occupied residential premises. The citizens had been dismissed in 2017 due to staff reduction and continued to live in the university dormitory. The liquidation of the housing queue, the blocking of the residents’ access to the courtyard, and the actions of the educational institution’s administration, which ignored their appeals, created unbearable living conditions,” the Investigative Committee’s Directorate for Kabardino-Balkaria reported.
The Union of Artists of the KBR appeals to the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, A. Bastrykin
The Union of Artists of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic has appealed to Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, for assistance. According to Elizaveta Shak, the lawyer representing the Union’s interests, it has not been possible to achieve justice at the regional level.
The Union has requested Bastrykin’s help in resolving the situation concerning the sculptural workshop located at 9 Movsisyana Street (formerly Severnaya) in Nalchik. Since 1972, these premises have served as a sculptural workshop built and used by the Union of Artists, where many renowned masters worked.
Since 2014, LLC “Afamar-Avto” has been leasing the land plot and premises at this address. Despite the long-term lease, the tenant systematically failed to pay rent, citing various reasons. The previous leadership of the Union was unable to recover the debt. In early 2022, the new board demanded that the tenant settle the debt and vacate the premises. After LLC “Afamar-Avto” refused to respond to these demands, the Union turned to the courts. After four years of litigation, all judicial instances ruled in favor of the Union, and enforcement proceedings are now at the stage of execution by bailiffs.
However, following a statement by LLC “Afamar-Avto,” a criminal case was opened regarding the alleged forgery of a document — namely, the certificate confirming ownership of the premises. The Union of Artists views this as an attempt to exert pressure and delay the process of reclaiming its lawful property. “We believe this was done in order to somehow seize the buildings from the Union of Artists,” lawyer Elizaveta Shak stated.
The current situation threatens the statutory activities of the Union of Artists, which include the renovation of workshops and the organization of exhibitions. The Union’s leadership hopes for an objective examination of the case and the protection of its rights.
https://www.instagram.com/reels/DU_Jxl8iomv
Six fighters from Kabardino-Balkaria killed in military operations in Ukraine in February 2026
In February 2026, six servicemen from Kabardino-Balkaria were reported killed during military operations in Ukraine. Among them were Astemir Tokhov, Ramazan Kardanov, Ruslan Paritov, Zalim Shinakhov, and Albert Kumakhov from the Lesken District, as well as Zaur Tlepshev from the Baksan District.
By the end of February, authorities and security agencies had officially recognized at least 8,751 fighters from southern Russia as killed in the military operation: 4,297 from the North Caucasian Federal District and 4,454 from the Southern Federal District. Since February 2022, at least 379 combatants from Kabardino-Balkaria have been officially recognized as killed in the conflict.
Volunteer unit appeals to the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the KBR for assistance
The volunteer unit “Elbrus” has requested assistance from the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (DUM KBR) in sending “additional forces from among the residents of the republic” to the Special Military Operation. According to a publication by the Spiritual Administration: “On behalf of the personnel, a request was made for assistance in the preparation and dispatch of additional forces from among the republic’s residents to support the ‘Elbrus’ units carrying out tasks in the zone of the special military operation…”
The publication also mentions a meeting between Mufti Hazrataliy Dzashev and Aidamir Valiyev, Assistant to the Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the North Caucasian Federal District, under whose patronage the “Elbrus” unit was established. Following the meeting, the parties agreed to further cooperation and the development of joint measures aimed at supporting servicemen and strengthening the unity of the peoples of Russia.
The involvement of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic in the process of recruiting and sending additional forces to the war in Ukraine raises serious concerns regarding compliance with freedom of conscience and religion. When a religious institution that holds significant moral authority within the Muslim community collaborates with state authorities to organize the preparation and dispatch of individuals to combat operations, it creates a powerful coercive pressure on believers. Many Muslims may feel that refusing to participate in hostilities contradicts their religious affiliation or loyalty to the community.
This practice violates Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects freedom from any coercion in matters of religion and conscience, including the right to conscientious objection to military service.
Human Rights Center of the KBR warns students about the consequences of agreeing to propaganda recruitment
In its Telegram channel, the Human Rights Center of the KBR highlighted precedents in which students who signed contracts expecting to serve in drone units were instead sent to assault infantry. According to the Center, this information comes from an annex to the contract of the Ulyanovsk College of Culture and Arts. The document states that after a three-month probationary period, a recruit may be transferred from so-called “unmanned troops” to regular infantry. Importantly, the originally signed contract cannot be terminated even after such a transfer, and it does not specify any fixed term of service. Furthermore, the promised payment of up to 500,000 rubles for the destruction of enemy equipment, according to human rights defenders, lacks any real guarantees or supporting mechanisms.
Conclusion
The events documented in the February 2026 report on Kabardino-Balkaria represent a clear manifestation of a persistent and deliberate policy of systematic and ongoing violations of fundamental human rights. The systemic and escalating tendency to disregard universally accepted standards for the protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms in the republic requires close attention and monitoring from the international community.