Ruslan Makhmudov

Victim record SAM-1995-V057 · Samashki, Chechnya · First Russian-Chechen War

Original Cyrillic name: Махмудов Руслан Ширванович (Байциев) — Born: 1980 — Date of death recorded by Memorial: 7 April 1995 — Location: Sharipova Street, Samashki — Memorial source record: Appendix 3, no. 57 — Case category: Child killed during shelling

Documented circumstances

Ruslan Makhmudov was 15 years old when he was killed on 7 April 1995. His full name appears in Memorial’s appendix as Ruslan Shirvanovich Makhmudov, with Baytsiev recorded as an alternative family name. He lived in Samashki in western Chechnya.

Memorial describes Ruslan returning calves from pasture with another teenager, Alvi Amirkhanov. Before 16:00, mortar fire struck the area near Sharipova Street. Both teenagers were killed. The investigators recorded that the shelling occurred before the expiry of the ultimatum deadline set by federal forces for civilians to leave the village.

The entry in Appendix 3 lists evidence given by family members and neighbours, including his mother and sister, as well as a local administrative register. Memorial’s narrative separately names Ruslan among the first deaths from mortar and artillery fire. The available report does not establish an exact birth date or identify the individual who fired the fatal munition.

Related documented victims: Alvi Amirkhanov — killed in the same mortar attack.

Sources and verification

Primary record: Memorial Human Rights Center, “By All Available Means… Operation of the Russian Interior Ministry in Samashki, 7–8 April 1995” (Russian, 1995), Appendix 3, entry 57. The narrative passages in the report are used only when they refer to this person or incident.

Further context: ICRC casebook — Operation Samashki (based on the Memorial investigation). The ICRC educational casebook is not an independent criminal verdict.

Editorial note: This page records a death and circumstances documented in Memorial’s investigative report. It does not independently establish the personal guilt of a named soldier. English Romanization is editorial; the original Cyrillic name governs. The birth year alone does not establish a precise age unless the source explicitly provides one. No verified portrait of this person has yet been added.

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