Russia adds exiled Ingush journalist to wanted list

Russia’s Interior Ministry has reportedly added Ingush journalist Magomed Toriev to an official wanted list. Toriev has lived and worked abroad since 2006.

The Russian independent media outlet Mediazona first published the information on 13 January, reporting that the wanted card on the official ministry website featured the contact number of a Federal Security Service (FSB) duty officer.

In November 2024, the Russian Ministry of Justice included Toriev in the register of ‘foreign agents’. According to the ministry's statement, the reason was for his alleged dissemination of inaccurate information about the decisions of the Russian authorities and the formation of a negative image of the Russian Armed Forces. In addition, Toriev was accused of speaking out against the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine and of writing material for media outlets on the foreign agents list.

In February 2024, Russian law enforcement agencies pointed out Toriev’s connection to Ingush Independence Committee member, Akhmad Ozdo (also known as Temerlan Gudiev), against whom a criminal case was opened on charges of organising an extremist community. However, it is unclear whether Toriev’s addition to the wanted list is related to this criminal case.

According to Sapa Kavkaz, the criminal prosecution may also be linked to a video that was published in August on the committee’s social media accounts. In the video, unidentified people in black uniforms call to join the ranks of the ‘Ingush liberation army’. Censor.NET noted that the video was filmed on the territory of Ingushetia.

The Ingush Independence Committee, of which Toriev is a member, was established in January 2023 at a congress of supporters of Ingushetia's independence in Istanbul. The organisation’s goals are to consolidate Ingush society around the idea of freedom and independence, to preserve cultural and religious identity, to create a basis for building an independent Ingush state, and to prevent deception and violence against the Ingush people.

In January 2024, the Russian Ministry of Justice added the Ingush Independence Committee to the register of ‘foreign agents’, accusing the organisation of calling for actions that could lead to the violation of the country’s territorial integrity. Later, in May 2024, the committee was recognised as an ‘undesirable organisation’ in Russia.

Russian authorities believe that the Ingush Independence Committee is part of the Anti-Russian Separatist Movement, which was recognised as an extremist organisation in June 2024. According to the Ministry of Justice, the committee is one of the movement’s subdivisions, along with the Free Russia Foundation, the League of Free Nations, and dozens of other organisations.

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