This is a list of people suspected or confirmed to have been assassinated by the government of the Russian Federation. Some of the assassinations or targeted killings took place overseas. 1990s DatePlaceCountryTargetDescriptionActionKillerApril 21, 1996Gekhi-CzuDzhokhar DudayevFirst president of the Chechen Republic of IchkeriaKilled by two laser-guided missile strikes on his carRussian Air ForceJuly 3, 1998Klokovo, Moscow OblastLev RokhlinRussian politician, formerly a military figure during the First Chechen War, founder of the anti-government Movement in Support of the ArmyShot dead in his sleepLev Rokhlin, a Foe of Yeltsin, Is Slain at 51; Wife Is Accused, The New York Times, 4 July 1998FSB (claimed by Alexander Litvinenko;"Don't you see? They killed Rokhlin; surely that was a Kontora job. Now the guy who came in [Putin] will have to cover that up. He cannot afford to solve the case. It is like an insurance policy", Alex Goldfarb and Marina Litvinenko. Death of a Dissident: The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the Return of the KGB, The Free Press (2007) , page 137. disputed) 2000s DatePlaceCountryTargetDescriptionActionKillerMay 17, 2000Shali, ChechnyaRuslan AlikhadzhiyevFourth chairman of the Ichkerian ParliamentAbducted and executedFSB (per European Court of Human Rights; denied by Russia)June 22, 2001Alkhan-Kala, ChechnyaArbi BarayevFounder of the Special Purpose Islamic RegimentKilled in a targeted mopping operation (per the official Russian report)
Captured in the operation, later tortured and executed (per Kavkaz Center)FSB; VV MVD (per the official Russian report)
GRU (per Kavkaz Center)March 20, 2002ChechnyaIbn al-KhattabProminent Saudi militant and founder of the Emir of the Mujahideen in ChechnyaKilled via letter poisoned by a nerve agentFSBJune 27, 2002Mesker-Yurt, ChechnyaRizvan AkhmadovCommander of the Central Front of the Ichkerian during the Second Chechen WarAmbushed while leaving his houseChechen militsiya; VV MVDAugust 26, 2002Shali, ChechnyaAslambek AbdulkhadzhievShamil Basayev's deputy and one of the coordinators of Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisisKilled by his own grenade in a raid that targeted an alleged meeting of high-profile Ichkerian commandersChechen militsiya; VV MVD September 14, 2002Chechen–Aul, ChechnyaZelimkhan AkhmadovCommander of the Grozny and Urus-Martan fronts of Ichkerian forces during the Second Chechen WarKilled by a car bombChechen OMONApril 17, 2003MoscowSergei YushenkovRussian politician and investigator. Head of the Liberal Russia partyShot dead near his houseFSB (per Litvinenko; denied by the Russian Supreme Court)July 3, 2003MoscowYuri ShchekochikhinSoviet and Russian politician, writer and investigative journalistIllness, allegedly poisoned by radioactive materialsFSB (per Novaya Gazeta and others; denied by the Russian Investigative Committee)February 14, 2004DohaZelimkhan YandarbiyevSecond President, prime minister and vice president of IchkeriaFatally wounded by a car bombGRU (per Qatar; denied by Russia)September 24, 2004Saint PetersburgRoman TsepovRussian oligarch and former bodyguard of Vladimir PutinIllness, allegedly poisoned by radioactive materialsUnknownFebruary 16, 2005Kantyshevo, IngushetiaAbu Omar al-KuwaitiKuwaiti al-Qaeda representative to Ingushetia. Took part in organization of the Mozdok truck bombing, 2004 Nazran raid and Beslan terror attackBlown by grenade or explosive belt in a targeted raid on his bunkerFSBMarch 8, 2005Tolstoy-Yurt, ChechnyaAslan MaskhadovThird president and prime minister of Ichkeria, first chief of staff of Ichkerian forcesShot dead in a raid on his hideoutMarch 23, 2005Shali, ChechnyaRizvan ChitigovCommander of the Shali front of Ichkerian forces during the Second Chechen War and former US marine. Took part in the Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis and Russian apartment bombingsKilled in a targeted raidVV MVDJuly 10, 2006Ekazhevo, IngushetiaShamil BasayevGeneralissimo and sixth prime minister of Ichkeria. Mastermind of numerous terror attacks inside Russia during both Chechen warsKilled during an arms deal by a truck bomb that was remotely detonated by Russian agentsFSBOvtober 7, 2006MoscowAnna PolitkovskayaRussian investigative journalist, writer and human rights activist known for her reports regarding the Second Chechen WarShot dead in the elevator of her apartment blockFSB (alleged; denied by Russia)November 18, 2006MoscowMovladi BaisarovChechen FSB colonel and "Gorets" detachment chiefGunned down while exiting his carChechen VV MVDNovember 23, 2006LondonAlexander LitvinenkoFSB defector and writerDied of illness after being poisoned with polonium-210FSB (alleged; denied by Russia)November 26, 2006Serzhen'-Yurt, ChechnyaAbu Hafs al-UrduniThird emir of the Chechen MujahideenKilled in a targeted raid on a private residenceFSBSeptember 17, 2007Buynaksk, DagestanRappani Khalilov; Nabi NabiyevKhalilov was the second emir of Shariat Jamaat; Nabiyev was his deputyVV MVD; FSBAugust 31, 2008Nazran, IngushetiaMagomed YevloyevIngush journalist, human rights activist and businessmanAccidentally shot dead (per MVD)
Political killing (per Russian opposition)MilitsiyaSeptember 6, 2008IstanbulGaji EdilsultanovFormer Ichkerian field commander with a rank of colonelShot deadFSB (per Turkey)September 24, 2008MoscowRuslan YamadayevFormer Ichkerian warlord and later a colonel within Russian Armed Forces. Hero of the Russian FederationShot ten times while sitting in a car owned by his brother SulimKadyrovites (per Sulim Yamadayev; denied by Ramzan Kadyrov)December 9, 2008IstanbulIslam JanibekovFormer Ichkerian field commanderShot three times in front of his wife and childrenFSB (per Turkey)January 13, 2009ViennaUmar IsrailovFormer bodyguard of Ramzan Kadyrov and later a vocal critic of his governmentShot dead near a supermarketKadyrovites (alleged by Austria)February 26, 2009IstanbulMusa Atayev (Ali Osayev)Istanbul representative of the Caucasus EmirateShot in the head three times near his houseFSB (per Turkey)March 28, 2009DubaiSulim YamadayevFormer Ichkerian warlord, later Vostok Battalion founder and commander. Hero of the Russian FederationShot in the back of the neck in an underground garageKadyrovites (per UAE; denied by Adam Delimkhanov)
2010s DatePlaceCountryTargetDescriptionActionKillerMarch 2, 2010Ekazhevo, IngushetiaSaid BuryatskyLeader of the Riyad-us Saliheen under the Caucasus Emirate. Organized several terrorist attacks in RussiaKilled in a targeted raid on his residenceVV MVD; FSBJune 8, 2010Vedeno, ChecnyaYassir al-SudaniSenior African militant allegedly involved in numerous attacks on Russian and local forcesKilled in a targeted raid in Vedeno forestAugust 21, 2010Gunib, DagestanMagomed Vagabov; Rustam MunkievVagabov was the eighth emir of the Vilayat Dagestan, mastermind of the 2010 Moscow Metro bombings; Munkiev was the emir of Khasavyurtovsky District of DagestanKilled in a targeted raid on his apartmentFSBMarch 28, 2011IngushetiaSupyan AbdullayevSeventh and last vice president of Ichkeria, close ally of Dokka UmarovKilled in an airstrike on his campRussian Air ForceApril 11, 2011Serzhen'-Yurt, ChechnyaMuhannadJordanian militant and the fourth emir of the Arab mujahideenKilled in a targeted raid in Serzhen'-Yurt forestVV MVDSeptember 16, 2011IstanbulBerg-Hadj Musayev; Zaurbek Amriyev; Rustam AltemirovChechen separatist militants accused of commiting the Domodedovo International Airport bombing.Shot deadFSB (per Turkey)November 11, 2012LondonAlexander PerepilichnyRussian businessman and whistleblowerDied while jogging after allegedly being poisonedGRU (allegedly; denied by Russia)September 7, 2013Sunzhensky District, IngushetiaDokka UmarovLast president of Ichkeria and Caucasus Emirate founderDied after being poisonedFSBDecember 10, 2014IstanbulAbdullah BukhariUzbek religious figure and dissidentDied of wounds after being shot in the backFSB (per Turkey)May 24, 2014Sagopshi, IngushetiaArthur GetagazhevEight emir of Vilayat GalgaycheKilled in a raid on a private residenceFSBJanuary 1, 2015LutuhyneAlexander BednovFounder and commander of the Rapid Response Group "Batman". Second LPR Defence MinisterShot dead in an attack on his military convoyWagner Group under Russian government orders (allegedly )January 23, 2015PervomaiskLPR installed commandant of PervomaiskShot dead in an attack on his carWagner Group under Russian government orders (allegedly)April 19, 2015Gerei-Avlak, DagestanAliaskhab Kebekov; Shamil GadzhievKebekov was the second emir of the Caucasus Emirate; Gadzhiev was the emir of the Untsukulsky District of DagestanKilled in a raid on a private residenceVV MVD; FSBMay 23, 2015near Mykhailivka, Alchevsk RaionAleksey Mozgovoy; Anna SamelyukMozgovoy was the founder and commander of the Prizrak Brigade; Samelyuk was his press secretaryShot dead in the attack on Mozgovoy's carWagner Group under Russian government orders (allegedly) or GRU (per Igor Girkin)
SBU (per Ukrainska Pravda)August 11, 2015Gimry, DagestanMagomed Suleimanov; Kamil SayidovSuleimanov was the third emir of the Caucasus Emirate; Sayidov was his deputy and fourteenth emir of Vilayat DagestanKilled in a raid near GimryFSBNovember 1, 2015IstanbulIstanbul representative of Vilayat Nokhchicho. Former fighter of the Caucasus Emirate, Liwa al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar and Chechen volunteers in UkraineShot, then stabbed to deathFSB (per Turkey)December 12, 2015PervomaiskFounder and commander of the 6th Separate Cossack Motor Rifle Brigade. Commandant of Kadiivka and SievierodonetskKilled by a car bombWagner Group under Russian government orders (allegedly)May 11, 2016Kocaeli ProvinceRuslan IsrapilovFormer Ichkerian militant, ally of Shamil Basayev and brother of Khunkar-Pasha IsrapilovShot in the head, neck and heartFSB (per Turkey)December 3, 2016near Makhachkala, DagestanRustam AsildarovFirst and only wali of the Islamic State's Caucasus Province and thirteenth emir of Vilayat DagestanKilled in a raid on a private residenceVV MVD; FSBMarch 31, 2017Mariupol, Donetsk OblastUkrainian colonel. Deputy chief of the Main Counterintelligence Derictorate of the Security Service of Ukraine branch in Donetsk OblastKilled by a car bombMinistry of State Security of DPR under Russian ordersJune 27, 2017Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast; Dmitro Piddyachny; Andriy MykhaylenkoCol. Vozny was a department chief in the SBU Main Counterintelligence Derictorate; Sr. Lt. Piddyachny and Lt. Mykhaylenko were SBU operativesKilled by a car bombFSB (per Ukraine)KyivMaksym ShapovalCommander of the 10th Special Purpose Detachment of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of UkraineSeptember 8, 2017KyivVeteran of both Chechen, Russo-Georgian and Donbass wars. Aleeged assassin of Shamil BasayevKilled by a car bombFSB or Kadyrovites (allegedly)October 25, 2017KyivMykhailo Mormil; Ruslan KushnirMormil was a retired police lieutenant colonel. Kushnir was a police senior sergeant and a bodyguard of Ihor MosiychukKilled by a motorcycle bomb that was supposedly made to assassinate Mosiychuk.Kadyrovites (allegedly)October 30, 2017Hlevakha, Kyiv OblastAmina OkuevaUkrainian police officer and wife of Adam OsmayevShot dead in the attack on her and her husband's carKadyrovites (per Ukraine)August 23, 2019BerlinZelimkhan KhangoshviliFormer Ichkerian field commander and Georgian military officer. Veteran of the Second Chechen war and Russo-Georgian warShot twice in the head by an undercover FSB officerFSB
2020s