Armenian blogger abducted by Chechens faces extremism charge

Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened two criminal cases involving blogger and small-time entrepreneur Areg Shchepikhin, who was abducted on 3 June at Moscow’s Yaroslavsky railway station. One case concerns Shchepikhin himself, who is suspected of inciting extremism and promoting hatred, while the second concerns his abduction, for which six individuals have already been charged.

Shchepikhin is facing charges of public incitement to extremist activity via the Internet, punishable by up to five years in prison, and inciting hatred or enmity based on ethnicity with threats of violence, punishable by up to six years.

According to investigators, the charges are based on the findings of a psychological-linguistic forensic examination, which allegedly identified ‘calls for violent actions against ethnic and national groups, as well as their denigration,’ in Shchepikhin’s social media posts.

The day after Shchepikhin was kidnapped, criminal proceedings were launched based on charges of abduction and abuse of official authority. Six suspects — all of Chechen origin — have been detained.

The group reportedly used a vehicle with government-issued number plates, often seen accompanying associates of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov. Upon being stopped by police, three of the detainees presented documents identifying them as members of Russia’s National Guard (Rosgvardiya). They claimed that their actions did not constitute kidnapping, but rather a lawful ‘detention’. This version was supported by Chechen Minister of Press and National Policy Akhmed Dudaev.

Shchepikhin, an eccentric figure with a minimal public profile before the incident, has long maintained an online presence, posting a mix of bizarre self-aggrandising claims and provocative commentary. He called himself the ‘god of sex’, claimed to ‘speak a divine language’, and described himself as ‘head of Moscow City and Russia’s financial centre’. Alongside these grandiose statements, his posts also included inflammatory remarks targeting Muslims and Jews — content which led to the extremism charges.

According to the Telegram channel Mash, which has close ties to security services, Shchepikhin has been hospitalised in psychiatric institutions at least twice over the past decade. His registered sole proprietorship was dissolved in 2024, with his accounts frozen and a reported tax debt of ₽173,000 ($2,200). In 2019, he unsuccessfully applied for a government grant to develop an app that could ‘generate a new image’ for users based on photos.

Shchepikhin’s posts and his subsequent abduction sparked a wave of public reaction from Russian officials and state-aligned media personalities.

Russian MP Shamsail Saraliev appealed to the Interior Ministry, demanding legal action against Shchepikhin for ‘publicly calling for the destruction of Russia’s peoples’.

Apti Alaudinov, deputy head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces and commander of the Akhmat special forces unit, went further, stating in a video message that he would have ‘reached for a pistol’ had he encountered Shchepikhin personally. Alaudinov referred to Shchepikhin as an ‘animal’, ‘chicken’, and a ‘traitor’ who should be removed from Russian society. According to Alaudinov, Shchepikhin’s comments amounted to attacks on the Chechen people and other religious communities.

Prominent TV presenter Vladimir Solovyov, speaking on his programme Full Contact, referred to Shchepikhin as ‘scum’, a ‘pig’, and a ‘bastard’, claiming that he had insulted Muslims. Solovyov also insisted that the abduction was ‘gentle’ in nature while urging critics to await formal legal assessments rather than devolve into ‘hysterics’.

In subsequent posts, Dudaev expressed his support for Solovyov, calling the presenter’s words an example of ‘defending national dignity’. Dudaev shared videos featuring ethnic Armenian fighters in the Akhmat unit condemning Shchepikhin, arguing that society must respond firmly to provocations that risk destabilising interethnic harmony.

Dudaev also published a statement from the Coordinating Centre of Muslims of the North Caucasus, which labelled Shchepikhin’s posts as extremist and described them as ‘calls for terrorist activity’ and ‘an attack on the sovereignty of Russia’. The centre warned that such rhetoric could provoke ‘deep social upheaval’ and ‘national division’, and called on law enforcement officers to issue a ‘strong legal response’.

The statement concluded by calling Shchepikhin a ‘traitor and enemy of Russia’, stressing the need to prevent such incidents from becoming examples for others.

As of publication, no preventive measures have been taken against Shchepikhin.

Chechnya abducts Armenian businessperson from Moscow for ‘insulting Chechens’

Areg Shchepikhin was reportedly beaten for hours and forced to record a video apologising for ‘insulting the Chechen people’.

OC MediaElizaveta Chukharova