Daghestani National Policy Minister resurfaces after month-long absence and assassination rumours
Daghestani National Policy and Religious Affairs Minister Temirlan Abutalimov has resurfaced after a month-long absence from the public eye. Dispelling rumours that he had been assassinated, Abutalimov has claimed his disappearance was due to a car accident.
Abutalimov made his first post on Telegram since 3 March on Sunday.
It was accompanied by a photo showing him with a bandaged head, in a neck brace, and a sling around his arm.
While Abutalimov has not explicitly explained why he was absent for a month, he wrote that his ‘appearance speaks for itself’ and that he was ‘back in action’ after a ‘forced break’. He also reminded his followers to follow traffic rules, always use seat belts and child seats, and not to exceed speed limits.
Reports on social media have suggested that Abutalimov was the target of an assassination attempt in early March.
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’.
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 fought 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.
Gunef Yedic
