Daghestani National Policy Minister ‘disappears’ amidst reports of an assassination attempt
Daghestani National Policy and Religious Affairs Minister Temirlan Abutalimov has notably been absent from the public eye following reports of a possible attempt on his life near Makhachkala in early March.
Abutalimov’s last post on his Telegram channel appeared on 3 March, where he stated that he returned from a work trip in Moscow to Makhachkala. RFE/RL reported that since then, he had missed several public events, including a council meeting on 4 March, a meeting with mothers of Russian soldiers on 5 March, and a civil society conference the following day.
RFE/RL noted that the ministry’s Telegram post marking Eid al-Fitr, featured Abutalimov’s deputy, Rafik Khanzarov, describing him as acting minister. However, on the ministry’s official website Abutalimov was still listed as minister.
The first reports of a possible attack on Abutalimov were published by Djamaat Daghestan, a Telegram channel that appears to be linked to international terror organisation ISIS, with a video showing an ambulance driving from a cluster of buildings, with a helicopter being heard in the background.
The Telegram channel NIYSO claimed on 12 March that an explosive device was planted in a rubbish bin by the entrance to a house in Karaman near the Caspian Sea, causing him ‘serious injuries’ when it was set off.
The group alleged that Abutalimov was visiting a woman who was providing him with ‘intimate services’.
RFE/RL said an undisclosed source provided footage that allegedly showed the aftermath of an explosion near a house in Karaman. Footage, purportedly published by his would-be assassins, show a man resembling Abutalimov leaving his car near buildings similar to those seen in other videos showing the alleged aftermath of the attack.
The 28-year-old Abutalimov was appointed as National Policy Minister by Daghestani Head Sergei Melikov on 1 September 2025. He graduated from the Daghestan State University’s law faculty in 2019. Before his military service, he worked as an investigator in the Khasavyurt Police Department.
He has also served in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a volunteer after the announcement of partial mobilisation in autumn 2022 and served in the 70th motorised rifle regiment based in Shali, Chechnya. In December 2023, he was awarded the title Hero of Russia, a month after receiving the Order of Courage.
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Agency (HUR) has named Abutalimov as one of five commanders involved in the execution of four Ukrainian POWs in May 2024 near the village of Robotyne in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. The accusation is based on intercepted radio communications.
Drone footage published at the time shows four unarmed men, reportedly Ukrainian soldiers, surrendering with their hands raised. The captors, believed to be Russian soldiers, force the Ukrainians to lie face down before shooting them at close range.
The HUR also reported that Russian troops, including Abutalimov, may have been involved in the killing of several more Ukrainian POWs at the end of May 2024.
Gunef Yedic
