Murat Zyazikov

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Murat Zyazikov

Murat Magometovich Zyazikov (Russian: Мура́т Магоме́тович Зя́зиков) (born September 10, 1957) is the president of the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia. He was born in what is now Kyrgyzstan.

In the 1980s, Zyazikov was a member of the KGB and later the FSB. In the 1990s he became part of Ingushetia's security council and on May 23, 2002 he was elected president of the republic. Zyazikov is considered a close ally with Russian president Vladimir Putin, especially because of his province's proximity to Chechnya.

On April 6, 2004, Zyazikov was lightly wounded when a car bomb was rammed into his motorcade on the main road near the city of Nazran. Chechen rebels were blamed for that attack and a June 2004 raid in Ingushetia that killed more than 90 people.

On February 27, 2006, Zyazikov's father-in-law (and a member of provincial legislature) Magomed Chakhkiyev has been kidnapped in Nazran after his car has been shot at and crashed. On March 30, 2006 the kidnappers have made their demands: they wanted Zyazikov and Ingushetia prosecutor general Makhmud Ali Kalimatov to resign in exchange for Chakhkiyev's release. [1] He was released by the police on May 1, 2006, apparently without any payments to the kidnappers. The kidnappers have not been arrested. [2]

On March 23, 2007 his 72-old uncle, Uruskhan Zyazikov, has been kidnapped in Barsuki, Ingushetia by four armed men. [3] A reward of 2,000,000 rubles (approximately USD77,200 or €57,500) for information leading to his return has been annnounced on March 29, 2007. No demands have yet been made by the kidnappers at that point. [4]

Zyazikov is also the president of FC Angusht Nazran.