In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Halidovich and the family name is Zakayev.
Akhmed Zakayev
Заки Ахьмад
Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria's government-in-exile[1]
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 November 2007
Preceded by
Dokka Umarov
Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
In office 1997 – 6 February 2006
Foreign Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
In office 1997 – 29 July 1999
President
Aslan Maskhadov
Culture Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
In office 1994 – 20 November 2007
President
Dzhokhar Dudayev
Personal details
Born
Akhmed Khalidovich Zakayev
(1959-04-26) 26 April 1959 (age 65) Kirovskiy, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union (now Almaty Region, Kazakhstan)
Citizenship
Ichkerian (1991–2000)
Spouse
Rosa Zakayeva
Alma mater
Voronezh State Academy of Arts
Military service
Allegiance
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Rank
Brigadier General
Battles/wars
First Chechen War Second Chechen War Russian invasion of Ukraine
Akhmed Halidovich Zakayev (Chechen: Заки Хьалид кӏант Ахьмад, romanized: Zaki Ẋalid Khant Aẋmad; Russian: Ахмед Халидович Закаев, Akhmed Khalidovich Zakayev; born 26 April 1959) is a Chechen statesman, political and military figure of the unrecognised Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI). Having previously been a Deputy Prime Minister, he now serves as Prime Minister of the ChRI government-in-exile. He was also the Foreign Minister of the Ichkerian government, appointed by Aslan Maskhadov shortly after his 1997 election, and again in 2006 by Abdul Halim Sadulayev. An active participant in the Russian-Chechen wars, Zakayev took part in the battles for Grozny and the defense of Goyskoye, along with other military operations, as well as in high-level negotiations with the Russian side.[2]
In 2002, Russia accused him, by then in exile, of having been involved in a series of crimes including involvement in acts of terrorism.[3][4] In 2003, judge Timothy Workman of Bow Street Magistrates' Court in central London rejected the extradition request due to lack of evidence and declared the accusations to be politically motivated, also saying that there was substantial risk of Zakayev being tortured if he was returned to Moscow.[5][6]
Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Zakayev has announced formation of the Separate Special Purpose Battalion of the Chechen Armed Forces, functioning as a Chechen volunteer battalion fighting with the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
^Cite error: The named reference caucasuswatch was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Chechyna’s Theatre of War: Akhmed Zakayev – actor, politician and former resistance fighter – talks to Vanora Bennett [sic] Archived 23 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Liberal, 2007
^UK actress defends Chechen rebel Archived 12 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 6 December 2002
^Chechen accused of terror acts Archived 8 June 2004 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 9 June 2003
^The Zakayev Case: Cui Bono? Archived 1 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine, Prague Watchdog, 5 August 2003
^Court rejects Chechen extradition Archived 12 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 13 November 2003
armed volunteer formations on the side of Ukraine. It was created by AkhmedZakayev on July 29, 2022, on the basis of a Chechen formation that has been...
Three months later, the exiled leader of the separatist government, AkhmedZakayev, called for a halt to armed resistance against the Chechen police force...
Taboye, Chadian writer Akhmed Avtorkhanov, Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov, First President of the Chechen Republic AkhmedZakayev, Prime Minister of the...
machine, where radioactive contamination was found later. At 6 pm, AkhmedZakayev picked Litvinenko up and brought him home to Muswell Hill. The amount...
issuing denunciations of such incidents through spokesmen abroad, such as AkhmedZakayev in London. However, on 24 October 2002, radio communications were intercepted...
Committee for the De-occupation of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria led by AkhmedZakayev, who also heads the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria's government in exile...
Caucasus Emirate was quickly condemned by AkhmedZakayev, Umarov's own minister of foreign affairs; Zakayev, who lives in exile in London, called upon...
Chechen nationalist separatism was formally taken over by the self-exiled AkhmedZakayev, Umarov's former wartime comrade and friend turned political rival....
November 2007, AkhmedZakayev was proclaimed to be the Prime Minister of Ichkeria's government-in-exile. However, the influence of Zakayev's government was...
found dead from gunshot wounds.[citation needed] During the night, AkhmedZakayev, a Chechen envoy and associate of the separatist President Aslan Maskhadov...
Emirate) Dokka Umarov initially served under his command, together with AkhmedZakayev, before they left it to form their own units. On April 16, 1996, Gelayev...
about 45,000 people. In November 2006, self-exiled separatist leader AkhmedZakayev said that "Putin has already killed more than 250,000 innocent Chechens"...
emissary AkhmedZakayev declared that they were ready to fly to Beslan to negotiate with the militants, which was later confirmed by Zakayev. Totoonti...
£50,000 bail for Chechen separatist Deputy Premier and special envoy AkhmedZakayev, who had sought political asylum in the United Kingdom and was accused...
minister of the government-in-exile of the Chechen Republic Ichkeria, AkhmedZakayev, appointed him as deputy commander-in-chief of the armed Ichkerian forces...
recover [sic] to all the victims and share Americans' feeling of sorrow. AkhmedZakayev, head of the secular wing of the Chechen separatist movement, now in...
of Chechnya. As of 2008, SNA Chechenpress, linked with London-based AkhmedZakayev, is the Chechen nationalist website rival to the Islamist Kavkaz Center...
commented about it: "It doesn't matter. At least you're not a communist." AkhmedZakayev, who was present during the conversation, later arranged for an Imam...
later Zakayev, Gakayev, Umarov, Vadalov and other criminals will get what they deserve ... I have no doubt that it was the drunk and alcoholic Akhmed Zakayev...
Polagaev, and Alexey Paranin. Two Dagestani militsiya officers, Lieutenant Akhmed Davdiev and Sergeant Abdulkasim Magomedov, were killed protecting the soldiers...
Global Information
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria