Gennady Nikolayevich Shpigun was one of the few dedicated people. He was a determined man, always ready to go to the end and not compromising with the enemy. These qualities inspired confidence on the part of the country's leadership, and active actions in the first Chechen war inspired confidence in the success of his mission. That is why he was appointed representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation to the very epicenter of hostilities - the Republic of Ichkeria. Further abduction and death of General G. N. Shpigun did not in the least underestimate his services to the country.
Short biography
The biography of General Shpigun from the very beginning went exclusively up (although it ended tragically in the end). The future major general of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was born on February 5, 1947 in the Babayurt region in the Dagestan ASSR. There he spent his youthful years. Until 1969, he was listed at the Dagdiesel factory, where he perfectly mastered the technique of using a milling machine.
After 1969, he decided to start social and political activities. Until 1980, his track record included posts in the secretariat of the CaspianMining Committee, assistant to the head of the regional committee of Dagestan, secretary of the Komsomol Council in Dagdiesel. In 1980, Shpigun was appointed assistant to the head of the department of the Dagestan Regional Committee of the CPSU.
In 1984, he swung even higher and started working in the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs. In the future, his career went uphill even after the collapse of the Soviet regime. As mentioned above, General Shpigun did not stand aside during the First Chechen War. He was responsible for all pre-trial detention centers located in Chechnya. Chechen politician and supporter of the independence of Ichkeria Dzhokhar Dudayev even included him in his blacklist.
Starting from 1996 and within 2 years, Major General Shpigun became a special expert of the Main Staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the emergency department, and then an inspector. In 1998, he was appointed to the post of head of the inspection at the main department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. At the end of January 1999, he received a new assignment, which was his last.
Kidnapping
In early February of the same year, General Shpigun took over as Plenipotentiary Representative of the Russian Interior Ministry in Ichkeria, replacing Adam Aushev in this position. Among the Chechens, this decision caused obvious discontent, and Aslan Maskhadov actually asked the Russian leadership to recall the new plenipotentiary.
On March 5, 1999, General Shpigun was going to fly home to congratulate his wife on International Women's Day in a few days. Unfortunately, his dream did not come true. On this day, the unexpected happened. Shpigun at Grozny airport was abducted by militants andtaken away in an unknown direction.
According to witnesses, when the general was on the plane and the airliner began to accelerate, 3 masked men, armed to the teeth, entered the passenger compartment from the luggage compartment. They were joined by 2 more people from the cabin. Shpigun was taken out of the plane by force and taken away. When the pilot was already directing the plane to the hangar, two UAZs blocked the way. People in military uniform searched the airliner and, having made sure that the general was not in it, got into cars and left.
Negotiations and searches
Already on March 17, militants demanded $15 million for the captured general through intermediaries. During the negotiations, the amount was reduced more than once, in the end, the kidnappers settled on the amount of 3 million. However, the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation did not intend to pay money to criminals. Interior Minister Stepashin said he would make every effort to release General Shpigun. Attempts were made and various options were developed: from negotiations with militant intermediaries to readiness to launch a missile attack on militant bases in Ichkeria and the involvement of special forces.
The situation was complicated by the fact that the kidnappers repeatedly hid the kidnapped general. In addition, there were many spies among the Ichkerian policemen. At the end of December 1999, the elder of Achkhoi-Martan reported through the press that Shpigun had recently been transported to Georgia and they were demanding 5 million for him. At the end of January 2000, information appeared about the whereabouts of the captured general, but it turned out to be false. The search continued.
Body detection
On the last day of March 2000 in the village of Itum-Kali, thanks to the help of local residents, the body of a prisoner was found, who, according to them, managed to escape and then froze in the forest. The captured militant said that it was General Shpigun. Medical examination confirmed this fact. The brother also recognized General Shpigun in the deceased. However, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was in no hurry to confirm the result of the medical examination and even tried to deny this information. At the end of April of the same year, an operation was carried out to rescue the nephew of the Makhachkala governor from captivity, who claimed that militants were holding Shpigun in a nearby basement.
Perceived masterminds of the kidnapping
The abduction of General Shpigun in Ichkeria was a kind of protest act on the part of the local population. Along with the search for the kidnapped general, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation tried to find out who ordered the terrible crime. Since Chechnya at that time was the hottest spot in the Russian Federation and was literally teeming with bandit groups, there were plenty of versions.
It is worth recalling that General Shpigun took the post of plenipotentiary, removing Adam Aushev, brother of Ruslan Aushev, the president of Ingushetia. The change of a local person to a stranger was not welcomed by the Caucasians and was considered an insult. The elders of Achkhoy-Martan expressed their dissatisfaction. However, their request was not heard.
The most compelling reasons for accusing Shpigun of kidnapping had the most radical Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev. Already in the early days, his name was considered firstamong prospective customers. The names of the Akhmadov brothers, Baudi Bakuev and Arbi Baraev were also mentioned. The list of sponsors of the kidnapping also included the commander of the customs and border guards of Chechnya, Magomed Khatuev, as well as the assistant chief of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ichkeria, Nasrudi Bazhiev.
The most unexpected thing was the presence of Boris Berezovsky in the list of customers. Shpigun knew about his financial connections with Chechen fighters and for this reason could be eliminated.
Reason for refusal to pay ransom
Despite the fact that the kidnappers reduced the amount of the ransom several times, the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation was not going to pay money to the militants. If earlier the conditions of the criminals were fulfilled, then in the case of General Shpigun, the situation has changed. There were good reasons for this. First, kidnapping has become a common occurrence in Chechnya. By 2000, there were over 700 such cases. Paying a ransom for each prisoner would hit the budget of a still fragile Russia hard, and in fact would be frank financing of militants. At one time, General Shpigun himself opposed this step. He believed that it was necessary to deal with gangs from a position of strength. Secondly, the fulfillment of all the conditions of the criminals from the outside looked like a frank weakness of the Russian leadership and would undoubtedly undermine its international authority. This could not be allowed, so the option to buy was immediately rejected.
Funeral
Farewell ceremony for General GennadyShpigun stretched over several stages and began back in Makhachkala at the airport. It was attended by the head of the People's Assembly of Dagestan, Mukhu Aliyev, the highest staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic, as well as representatives from their native region. The body of the deceased was brought to Moscow and in June 2000 was buried at the Transfiguration Cemetery.
Awards and memory
Major General of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Gennady Nikolaevich Shpigun always did his job conscientiously. According to some witnesses, having been captured, he attempted to escape. And this is with serious injuries. Yes, and death, according to the medical examination, came from hypothermia. The leadership of the Russian Federation could not but take into account all the merits of this person to the country. General Gennady Shpigun was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, two degrees at once. He was not forgotten in his native Babayurt either, the main street of the city was named after the hero.
Conclusions
The abduction and then death of General Shpigun clearly demonstrated to the leadership of the Russian Federation that one should deal with militants only from a position of strength. The second Chechen war, which started back in 1999, at intervals practically dragged on until 2009, returned Chechnya to Russia. The independent Republic of Ichkeria ceased to exist. To date, life in the Chechen Republic has returned to normal. Badly damaged during the war, Grozny was gradually restored and now looks much better than before the war.
