The Russian opposition is widely discussing the statements of Ruslan Kutaev, Chairman of the Caucasus Peoples’ Assembly and a member of the PACE platform, representing Russia’s indigenous peoples. First, in an interview with a Ukrainian YouTube channel, he said that when the time comes, the Chechens “will return to Moscow” and will take control of the Russian capital so as to “not get into trouble with the surrounding peoples.” Later, Kotaev was invited on air by journalist Alexander Plyushchev to explain his words, which could have been misunderstood. But in this conversation, Kutayev made some loud statements – in particular, he justified “honor killings” and compared gay people to “apostates” and “deviants,” saying they should not “expose themselves.” Now human rights activists and journalists are calling for Kutayev to be removed from PACE and finding out how he got there.
Ruslan Kutaev is a political scientist, public figure, former deputy prime minister of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and president of the Assembly of Peoples of the Caucasus. Kutaev was included in the PACE platform as one of five representatives of indigenous peoples of Russia under a special “quota” (at the same time, the remaining ten members of the delegation were not chosen by anyone – the platform was formed according to the closed procedures of the PACE office).
In Chechnya, Kutayev was tried on drug charges. He was arrested in 2014, immediately after an uncoordinated conference dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the deportation of the Chechen people. The political scientist was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of heroin possession. He himself claimed that he was tortured and had drugs planted on him. Kutayev cited the conference, which displeased the Chechen authorities, as a reason for his arrest and fabricated case. The memorial recognized Kutaev as a political prisoner. He was released in 2017. In Russia, since June 2025, Kutayev has been declared a “foreign agent.”
At the end of March, Ruslan Kutaev gave interview Ukrainian “Pogroms” channel on YouTube. In it, among other things, he expressed his opinion on the future redistribution of power in Russia and the role of Chechnya in this process.
“We will not only return, but we will work in Moscow first. We will install the government that suits us in Moscow,” Kutayev said, noting that up to four million people who convert to Islam live in the Russian capital.
Kutaev added: “And when it is necessary to act in Russia, we will act. The authority that will govern Russia will be created only by agreement with us. Only with us. <...> We will control Moscow so that Moscow does not become impudent in dealing with the peoples and countries around it,” he said, comparing Chechens to “students marching with torches.”
This interview was observed a month later. April 24 Kutaeva Invited Journalist Alexander Plyushchev appeared on his radio program. He asked the guest to clarify his statements regarding Moscow and the change of power. Kutaev stressed that at the time of changes, “we will have to take into account” the peoples of the Caucasus who have Russian citizenship and, if necessary, “go to the barricades.”
In the same conversation, Kutayev spoke about members of the LGBTQ community being persecuted in Chechnya. He made it clear that he did not want to deal with their problems. “I am a representative of the conservative part of Chechen society,” Kutaev said. “In Chechen society, such behavior is treated not only painfully, but very seriously. <...> While protecting the rights of minorities, we should not violate the rights of the majority.”
According to him, in Chechen society “there is a compromise” in this regard: if people “put themselves in some way”, then “do your job calmly, and do not go around saying that I am Chechen, that I am Chechen, and then you show us, realizing that this offends us.” Kutayev also added that “by protecting ourselves from the deviants and deviants within us, we are trying to preserve ourselves as the Chechen community that we have inherited.” “This is how we like to be. This is who we are,” he said.
Kutayev described the most important issue of honor for Chechens as “higher than life.” He stated that “each family makes its own decision – father, mother, uncle, brother and son.” To the presenter’s question about whether a family in Chechnya has the right to kill one of its relatives who “exposes” it, Kutayev responded with a counter question: “Why does a member of this family have the right to expose this family?”
The decision is made exclusively by the family. Neither Kadyrov nor Putin nor Putin influence the decision. Whatever they do: kill, return home, expel, arrange a wedding – all this is decided by the family.
Subsequently, the human rights group SK SOS (which helps residents of the North Caucasus who have suffered domestic violence) demanded that Kutayev be removed from working at PACE, maleIt justifies “honour killings” against Chechen women and gay people. “His statements in effect legitimize extrajudicial killings, violence and impunity – which is not consistent with basic human rights principles.” male VSKSOS.
April 27, journalist Rinat Davlitgeldev resume Facebook messaged representatives of the Russian Democratic Forces platform PACE with several questions about Kutayev’s on-air interview with Plyushchev. He believes this conversation “has turned into a display of naked homophobia” – and such statements are unacceptable. The journalist wondered whether the PACE platform supports Kutaev’s statements, what is its official position in general on the problem of violation of the rights of gays and women in the Caucasus, and whether “a person who refuses to protect gay people and calls them ‘deviants'” could represent the human rights and democracy agenda of PACE.
Davletgeldiyev was supported by his colleagues. “Kutayev asks what right the girls have to expose their traditional Chechen families. And I want to ask who gave the right to this politician, ahem ahem, to discredit Russia in PACE.” books Host of the “Khodorkovsky Live” YouTube channel Elena Malakhovskaya. “I support indignation and questions. How did this demon get into human rights activists in general?” books Journalist Ksenia Larina, who shared Davletgeldev’s post.
CAT lawyer Olga Sadovskaya, who led his case in the European Court of Human Rights, also spoke about Kutayev (he filed a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights for persecution on trumped-up charges). She described what happened as a scandal “in a European democratic body that was formed in an undemocratic way.” “Regarding what happened, I want to say: Even the most caveman, who divides people into classes, should not be subjected to violence. But that does not prevent him from being a savage and a caveman.” books She’s on Facebook.
Businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky (also involved in the work of the Russian opposition platform PACE) malethat in Kutaev’s interview “there are a lot of different aspects worth discussing.” However, according to Khodorkovsky, when creating the platform, the task “was not unity of views, but rather to bring together their range and try to establish a dialogue.” “Hence the diversity of participants and opinions,” he wrote on social media. “We are there to learn how to coexist and solve common issues while disagreeing strongly on a whole host of other issues. And so far it has worked.”