Ruslan Gelayev
| Hamzat Gelayev (Russian: Хамзат Гелаев) |
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|---|---|
 |
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| Nickname(s) | Black Angel |
| Born | 1964 Komsomolskoye (Saadi-Kotar), Chechen–Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union |
| Died | 2004 Near Bezhta, Republic of Dagestan, Russian Federation |
| Allegiance |
Soviet Union Republic of Abkhazia Chechen Republic of Ichkeria |
| Years of service | 1992–1993 (Abkhazia) 1993–2004 (Chechnya) |
| Rank | Brigadier General (demoted in 2000) |
| Commands held |
Borz ("Gelayev's spetsnaz") Sharia Guard |
| Battles/wars |
Georgian–Abkhazian conflict First Chechen War Second Chechen War |
| Awards | Kioman Syi (1995) |
Ruslan (Hamzat) Gelayev (Russian: Руслан (Хамзат) Гелаев) (1964 – February 28, 2004) was a prominent commander in the Chechen separatist movement against Russia, in which he played a significant, yet controversial, military and political role in the 1990s and early 2000s. Gelayev was commonly viewed as an abrek and a well-respected, ruthless fighter. His operations spread well beyond the borders of Chechnya and even outside the Russian Federation and into Georgia. He was killed while leading a raid into the Russian republic of Dagestan in 2004.
Ruslan Gelayev was born in 1964 in the village of Komsomolskoye (Saadi-Kotar) near Urus-Martan, 10 years after his parents had returned from the Stalinist deportation of Chechens into Central Asia. Gelayev lived for several years outside Chechnya in the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, held various jobs and, at one point, served in the Soviet Army.
In 1992–1993, Gelayev took part in the Georgian–Abkhazian conflict as a volunteer in the Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus militia fighting for the Abkhaz separatist side against Georgia, serving under Shamil Basayev. Together with the Chechen Battalion, Gelayev took part in the Battle of Gagra, which marked a turning point in the War in Abkhazia.
After his return to Chechnya, he joined the forces of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria's president, Dzhokhar Dudayev, taking command of the special forces regiment Borz (Борз, "Wolf" in Chechen) made up of veterans of the Abkhaz conflict. During the subsequent war with Russia, Timur Mutsurayev wrote a song dedicated to the unit, "Gelayev's Spetsnaz!" (Гелаевский спецназ!), which became popular in Chechnya. In 1993–1994, the unit took part in combat actions against the anti-Dudayev Chechen opposition forces of Ruslan Labazanov and Beslan Gantamirov who were later being aided by Russian covert operations operatives and mercenaries recruited by the Russian secret service FSK from the ranks of the Russian Army.
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