One of the ideologues of Chechen extremism and of independent Ichkeria, Movladi Udugov has probably found safe shelter in one of the Arab countries in the Gulf region.
Russian security sources state that he is known to have visited lately such countries as Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Turkey, according to Russian Itar-Tass News Agency.
Udugov became known during the first Chechen war as comrade-in-arms of Dudayev and Ichkeria's press and Information minister. Experts have called him the Chechen “Goebbels”. After the death of Dudayev and Maskhadov's rise to power, Udugov joined Chechnya's extremists. Amongst many activities, he masterminded the invasion of Daghestan by Chechen radicals in the summer of 1999.
After Moscow launched its military campaign in Chechnya and Udugov was announced “wanted” by international law enforcement agencies, he fled from Chechnya to engage in the “propaganda” of the liberation movement of the Chechen people and in its fund-raising missions, according to the Russian news agency.
Udugov and his partners were said to have established close ties to various extremist organizations in Turkey, which, however, did not prevent militants from their groups to take Turkish workers hostage for their role in the work to restore Chechnya from 1997 to 1999.
Sources close to Maskhadov in Chechnya said Udugov, who was married to three Chechen wives, took a young Turkish girl as his fourth wife in the summer of 2000. According to reports, the two got married in Antalia.
It became known last Wednesday that Turkey had approached Moscow with a request to provide an extradition file needed, in order to consider Russia's demand for the arrest and extradition of Russian citizen Movladi Udugov.
Sources in the Russian President's information department noted that Moscow welcomed Turkey's decision to act upon this matter. They highly regard it as evidence of Ankara's readiness to interact and cooperate with Moscow in fighting international terrorism, the sources mentioned.
A request to hand over Udugov was sent to Turkey about 18 months ago but no response was received until recently. The Russian information department sources suggested that Turkey's position must have emerged under the impact of the changes occurring in the international arena, specifically in connection with the anti-terrorist campaign, conducted by international forces in war-torn Afghanistan.
The Russian side hopes that Ankara's request for the extradition file can be seen as confirmation of Turkey's serious intention not to encourage visits or stays in its territory of international terrorist organization members, such as Movladi Udugov, who is still wanted by the international law enforcement agencies. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
