Self-Exiled Chechen Activist Says His Relatives Forced To Go To War In Ukraine

Self-exiled Chechen opposition activist Abubakar Yangulbayev said on Telegram on August 7 that four of his relatives were forcefully sent by Chechen authorities to serve in the Russian armed forces in the war in Ukraine. According to Yangulbayev, an uncle and three cousins were detained by police in recent weeks, then went through expedited military training, and sent to Ukraine's Donetsk region, where heavy fighting is under way. Yangulbayev said the move was in retaliation for his criticism of Chechnya's leadership. Abubakar Yangulbayev and his two brothers, Ibragim and Baisangur, are well-known critics of the authoritarian leader of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, Ramazan Kadyrov. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Caucasus.Realities, click here.