Masked assailants attack a journalist and a lawyer in Russia's Chechnya province

MOSCOW -- Masked assailants in the Russian province of Chechnya attacked and beat a journalist and a lawyer on Tuesday, an assault that highlighted a violent pattern of rampant human rights abuses in the region.

Novaya Gazeta journalist Elena Milashina and lawyer Alexander Nemov had just arrived in Chechnya to attend the trial of Zarema Musayeva, the mother of two local activists who have challenged Chechen authorities.

Just outside the airport, their vehicle was blocked by several cars and they were beaten by several unidentified masked assailants, who put guns to their heads and broke their equipment.

Novaya Gazeta said that Milashina sustained a brain injury and had several fingers broken, and Nemov had a deep cut on his leg. They were taken to a hospital in Chechnya's main city, Grozny, and later to Beslan in the nearby region of North Ossetia. The newspaper said that Milashina repeatedly lost consciousness.

Officials were considering their medical evacuation to Moscow.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed about the incident. Peskov added that “it was a very serious assault that warrants energetic measures” from law enforcement agencies.

Russian human rights ombudsperson Tatyana Moskalkova asked investigators to look into the attack on Milashina and Nemov.

The Russian Ministry for Digital Development and Mass Communications denounced the “monstrous assault” on Milashina and Nemov and said it will offer them the necessary assistance. The ministry added that it urged law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate the attack and punish the perPetrators.

The strong statements from Russian authorities contrasted with a muted official response to previous attacks on Milashina and other journalists and human rights activists who have exposed human rights abuses in Chechnya.

Milashina has long exposed human rights violations in Chechnya and has faced threats, intimidation and attacks. In 2020, Milashina and a lawyer accompanying her were beaten by a dozen people in the lobby of their hotel.

Hours after Tuesday's attack on Milashina and Nemov, a court in Grozny sentenced Zarema Musayeva to 5½ years in prison on charges of insulting and violently resisting police, an accusation that rights groups have rejected as trumped-up.

Musayeva has been in custody in Chechnya since her arrest in January 2022. Her husband, a former judge, and her two activist sons have left Chechnya. Chechnya's strongman regional leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has accused the Musayev family of having terrorist links and said that they should be imprisoned or killed.

The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to keep the North Caucasus region stable after two devastating separatist wars. International rights groups have accused Kadyrov’s feared security forces of extrajudicial killings, torture and abductions of dissenters. His clout has risen since the start of Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine, where his security forces have taken active part.

Repeated demands by international human rights groups to end abuses in Chechnya have been stonewalled by Russian authorities.

Despite the Kremlin's support, Kadyrov reportedly has had tense relations with some of Russia's law enforcement agencies. The angry reaction from officials and Kremlin-connected lawmakers could signal authorities' intentions to cut the Chechen strongman down to size.

Andrei Klishas, head of the constitutional affairs committee in the upper house, said that the attack on Milashina and Nemov warrants a “tough response” from the law enforcement agencies, and another senior lawmaker, Alexander Khinshtein, denounced it as “criminal” and urged prosecutors to prioritize the case.