Confessions of extortion related to espionage
In September 1998, as Chechnya asserted de facto independence and Russian law largely paused on its territory, four engineers from Granger Telecom—British nationals Peter Kennedy, Darren Hickey, Rudolf Petchey, and New Zealander Stanley Shaw—arrived in Grozny. They were tasked with establishing mobile, satellite, and regular telephone networks under a contract valued at £183 million with Chechen telecommunications. After the First Chechen War, communication in the region was severely disrupted.
Within days, the engineers were abducted. On the night of October 4, a group of armed militants attacked a private residence on Grozny’s Lermontov Street. Six guards stationed by the local leadership protected the foreigners. Aslan Maskhadov, who had won the 1997 presidential elections in Ichkeria, tried to present the republic as a functioning state rather than a bandit-infested enclave tied to Islamist aims.
Maskhadov’s guards were unable or unwilling to resist the better-armed abductors; only one guard was injured. At that time, street fighting was common in Grozny, and the anti-kidnapping unit located nearby did not respond. The kidnapper seemed to vanish without a trace.
Later reports identified Magomed Chaguchiev, a 65-year-old mathematician from Dagestan, as being present at the scene. He recounted his capture to Sunday Times journalists, describing a harsh environment: hostages kept in an underground cell, repeatedly beaten with rifle butts, batons, and chains. They were shown executions on video and given only bread and water for a week.
The captors reportedly coerced the engineers into confessing to spying. No operators were involved in espionage. Weeks later, the abductors dressed the British in camouflage and produced a video confession in which one claimed that Granger Telecom employees allegedly listened to all conversations in Chechnya and transmitted information to Western intelligence services. The recorded confession also stated that the engineers sought to curb the spread of Islam, aligning with purported directives from British and Israeli intelligence services.
Maskhadov contended that the engineers were seized by a field commander known for brutal methods. A separate internal investigation by Chechnya Telecom suggested a different lead, while Granger Telecom reportedly offered $10 million for the captives, a deal that did not succeed. Rumors circulated that members of a global extremist network offered $30 million to kill the Britons to strain relations between Ichkeria and the West.
Chechen Telekom eventually captured a key figure linked to the group. He refused a trade initially but later changed stance and killed the British, perhaps to retaliate for the kidnapping of an associate.
On December 8, the severed heads of the four foreigners were found near Assinovskaya on the Caucasus highway. The bodies of those slain on December 29 were bought by Maskhadov’s government for a nominal sum and transported to Dagestan before reaching England via Azerbaijan. While the search for hostages continued, many prisoners were released, and human trafficking flourished in the chaos.
Local journalists recalled a distinctive pattern in Chechen television under Maskhadov: heart-wrenching appeals from relatives of missing people aired in prime time. As kidnappings became more frequent, authorities eventually limited contact with abductors to curb the broadcasts.
“The most pathological character of the war”
A military historian reflected that the kidnapping of three Britons and a New Zealander remains the most famous case among foreigners taken by Ichkerian militants, though not the only incident. Abductions by various groups continued from the end of the first war into the early second. Humanitarian workers and business personnel were commonly targeted.
For instance, in 1997 four French doctors without borders workers were abducted in Nazran, an allied incident in the region. A Turkish businessman was seized in Chechnya, and a German and a Serb businessman were abducted in neighboring Ingushetia. In 1998, a U.S. citizen missionary and teacher was kidnapped in Makhachkala and taken to Chechnya. In October 1999, a French photographer was taken during the second war.
The list of kidnappings, both foreign and local, was extensive. The principal kidnappers included the Barayev and Akhmadov factions, though multiple groups operated with their own prisons and makeshift cells. Hostages were typically kept in basements, with kidnappers extracting ransom using threats and torture. The ultimate ransom often depended on the captor’s influence and the victim’s family wealth.
Though the British victims fell into Arbi Barayev’s hands, the historian notes that Barayev, while not the strongest, was exceptionally brutal and unpredictable. He could provoke extreme acts for ransom, and their captors mistreated and killed foreigners in pursuit of money. The fate of the Britons remained linked to disputes over sums and the volatile power dynamics among rebel factions. Some theories point to internal political struggles or external interference as motives for the killings.
Even amid such violence, some analysts suggest a grim interplay of coercion, wealth, and leverage. The killings served as a stark reminder of how the war era blurred lines between insurgency and organized criminal activity.
“War” is real
A film titled War, directed by Alexei Balabanov, explores how Ichkerian militants kidnapped foreigners in extensive detail. The plot follows a base where a bandit leader brings two British captives to a village basement to meet a wounded Russian officer and other prisoners, with ransom demands central to the narrative.
As described, the incidents resemble real-life cases where captives faced harsh treatment and uncertain outcomes. The captives endured rough conditions, with some experiencing brutality, while the broader context shows a persistent pattern of kidnapping as a tool in the conflict. Detention varied by gang, and some groups used severe intimidation, including threats and violence, to coerce families into paying higher sums.
The portrayal emphasizes the brutal reality of war where prisoners face danger and uncertainty. The dynamics of fear, coercion, and ransom created a cycle of violence that affected many people beyond the immediate victims.