Today in Khimki, they are burying Colonel Budanov, who was shot dead. The funeral service will begin at 11:30 at the Church of Cosmas and Damian, 6 Pravoberezhnaya St., Khimki. Here is what I personally would like to say about his murder: Budanov committed a murder and admitted it. He was punished in the way criminals are generally punished in our society — he got 10 years. Of course, one can argue about whether that was too much or too little, but it cannot be said that the court showed the defendant any particular favor. It roughly corresponds to the average sentence for murder in our country. Budanov served 8.5 years and was released on parole in accordance with the law. He was released later than he could have been, and later than is usually the case. Three days ago, he was subjected to an extrajudicial execution. There is every reason to believe that this execution was directly or indirectly organized by the gangster group now commonly referred to as the "leadership of the Chechen Republic." At the very least, R. Kadyrov had previously stated directly and publicly that he intended to carry out such an execution: "w*e will find a way to give him what he deserves"* "*Budanov is a schizophrenic and a murderer, a recognized enemy of the Chechen people," Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said in an interview with Regnum. "He insulted our people. Every man, woman, and child believes that as long as Budanov exists, this shame remains upon us. ... I think the federal center will make the right decision — his place is in prison for life. Even that would be too little for him. But a life sentence would at least somewhat ease our suffering. We do not tolerate insult. If no decision is made, the consequences will be bad." * Delimkhanov, a State Duma deputy from Chechnya (and, incidentally, a former driver for the terrorist Salman Raduyev), commenting on Budanov's murder, stated outright: "This is retribution". there has been testimony that Chechnya's "law enforcement agencies" are using their powers to establish the identities and whereabouts of those they consider "enemies of the Chechen people": "***SP": - If the people who needed to knew so much about Budanov, why didn't they kill him earlier? It's not just about him alone. I do not rule out that a major political game is underway. Just imagine what will now happen around the upcoming funeral. Anything could happen. It is entirely possible that a pretext will emerge to accuse Russia's patriotic movements of extremism. Why should that goal be ruled out? And as for certain people from Chechnya gathering information on those who fought against them... I get calls from the Russian Ministry of Defense. Official requests are being sent there from the Prosecutor's Office of the Chechen Republic asking them to report which servicemen were stationed at a given checkpoint on a given day and hour. From which military unit. And, if possible, their home addresses. "**SP": - And do they provide it? ** I think so, yes. The request is official. The current authorities are accomplices to Budanov's killers, having for the past several years openly cultivated all this criminal nonsense about blood revenge, which the half-wild leaders of the Caucasian republics regularly spout. Any official who so much as hints at such things should be dismissed from office. Direct calls for blood revenge and statements about "enemies of the people" should be punishable under criminal law. What happened forces us once again to realize what we have in Chechnya after two wars, the deaths of thousands of people, refugees, and billions spent: The first war in Chechnya began because a gangster state had been created there. criminals from Chechnya committed crimes in the rest of Russia and hid in their homeland. There was no extradition. the Chechen quasi-state stole colossal sums through "Chechen avizo" (fraudulent interbank payment orders widely associated with 1990s financial schemes in Russia) and other means. the non-Chechen population was oppressed. What do we have now? a gangster state has been organized in Chechnya. All its leaders — the chief gangsters — have become members of "United Russia" (the ruling political party). criminals from Chechnya have received police and security service IDs, making it easier for them to commit crimes in the rest of Russia. There is no extradition, and they do not even need to hide. the Chechen quasi-state is stealing colossal sums sent through direct transfers. "Chechen avizo" are no longer needed. there is practically no non-Chechen population left in Chechnya. The roots of the "Chechen" and "Caucasian" problems lie in Moscow. Putin's thieving regime needs a gang of killers to solve its own problems. So that is what it maintains and protects.