Militant gets 16 years for killing Russian soldiers in Chechnya in 2001
GROZNY. Sept 9 (Interfax) - The Chechen Supreme Court has sentenced Salambek Bachayev, a member of a North Caucasus militant group, to 16 years' imprisonment for killing members of the Russian federal military service in 2001.
"Having conspired to steal weapons and ammunition, Bachayev and a certain Maazov, Nagaliyev and Imaliyev killed military servicemen Zhidkov, Yeruslanov and Vorontsov on March 1, 2001 near the village of Novoye Solkushino in the Naur District," a court spokesperson told Interfax.
After the killing, they stole from the scene a portable machinegun and an AKS-74 Kalashnikov automatic rifle, as well as an under-barrel grenade launcher and munitions. The criminals buried the bodies and hid the weapons and munitions at a local park.
The jury found Bachayev guilty on all counts. The Chechen Supreme Court sentenced him to 16 years at a high-security prison, the court spokesperson said.
In late 2012 the 33-year-old member of the North Caucasus militant group was arrested by Bashkir security officers and handed over to the Chechen police.
On August 22, 2002, the Rostov regional court sentenced Imaliyev and Mazov to 22 and 15 years' imprisonment respectively. Nagaliyev is on the federal wanted list.