Analysts doubted Aishat Kadyrova's ability to influence the outcome of Zarema Musaeva's case.
Almost three weeks after Aliya Yangulbaeva's public appeal to Aishat Kadyrova, there has been no response from either her or the authorities of Chechnya. Analysts interviewed by "Caucasian Knot" doubted that Aishat Kadyrova is capable of influencing her father, Ramzan Kadyrov's position regarding the release of Yangulbaeva's mother, Zarema Musaeva.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on June 17, 2026, Zarema Musaeva's daughter, Aliya Yangulbaeva, published an open letter on her Instagram* addressed to Aishat Kadyrova. In it, she asked for female solidarity and to influence her father's decision so that Zarema Musaeva "could celebrate her 57th birthday not behind bars, as in previous years, but free, next to her family." There was no response to her appeal from either Aishat Kadyrova or the authorities of Chechnya.
Zarema Musaeva is the wife of former federal judge Said Yangulbaev. Chechen security forces took her away on January 20, 2022, from an apartment in Nizhny Novgorod. After that, Ramzan Kadyrov accused the Yangulbaev family of organizing a terrorist network and stated that they would find a place "in prison or underground." A court in Chechnya sentenced Musaeva to three years and ten months in prison, finding her guilty of disrupting the work of a settlement colony. More about Kadyrov's conflict with the Yangulbaevs can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" references "How the Yangulbaevs became Kadyrov's enemies" and "Main points about the Kadyrovites' struggle with the Yangulbaevs".
Analysts assessed the effectiveness of Yangulbaeva's appeal to Kadyrova
Aliya Yangulbaeva's appeal to Aishat Kadyrova is understandable from a human perspective and contains a hidden call to the head of Chechnya, believes the chairwoman of the "Civic Assistance" committee Svetlana Gannushkina*.
"Zarema Musaeva is an elderly and not very healthy woman. It is quite understandable that her daughter wants to protect her. Sometimes it is easier for a woman to turn to those who can help. There is a subtext in this appeal: your father must understand that his daughter cannot miss any opportunity to help her mother," she told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".
At the same time, according to the human rights activist, it is unclear whether Aishat Kadyrova herself has real leverage to influence her father. "The question is whether Aishat has the opportunity to appeal to her father with such a request; for me, it remains open. What does her silence mean? What is her relationship with her father, and what is her own attitude towards Zarema's story?" Gannushkina said.
The decrease in the activity of the opposition Telegram channel is not related to Ibrahim Yangulbaev's attempt to demonstrate loyalty to Kadyrov for the sake of his mother's release, noted a lawyer from Russia, living in Belgium as a political refugee.
In his opinion, the tone of the channel's publications has never been conciliatory. "The fact that the Telegram channel has recently slowed down, I do not associate with Ibrahim trying to demonstrate compliance to Kadyrov – as if the channel, hated by the authorities of Chechnya, has actually ceased to operate. It is hardly a trade for the freedom of their mother," the lawyer told a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" on condition of anonymity.
He noted that recently new posts in the channel appear rarely and are mainly dedicated to the court proceedings against Musaeva. "I cannot say that I am a regular reader of the channel, but by changing the avatar to a photo of Zarema Musaeva, I would also like to suggest that the number of publications about the Kadyrovs has decreased for the same reason – although I have no grounds to assert this," the lawyer noted.
The analyst also doubted that Aishat Kadyrova could influence her father's position, even if she decided to advocate for Musaeva's release. "Even when the Yangulbaev brothers appeal to Kadyrov in defense of their mother, the tone of these appeals is usually far from obsequious. Therefore, I have serious doubts that Aishat Kadyrova could somehow influence her father's opinion, even if she were to ask him for Zarema Musaeva's release," the analyst concluded.
Aishat Kadyrova is the eldest daughter of Chechnya's head Ramzan Kadyrov, who held the positions of Minister of Culture and Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya for the social block from 2021 to 2025, and resigned in February 2025. She is known as the founder of the fashion house Firdaws.
The lawyer considered it unlikely that Zarema Musaeva would be transferred to a colony outside Chechnya
The comparison of Zarema Musaeva's case with Nikita Zhuravlev's case is irrelevant, as his transfer was formally related to the opening of a new case of treason, which was considered not in Chechnya, but not directly with the public exposure as such, noted the lawyer and attorney of the Moscow Bar Association Mikki Arapiev.
"Musaeva currently has both criminal cases – under Chechen jurisdiction (Shali court) and a federal case, which gives a formal reason for changing the region, does not exist," he explained to a correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".
Aliya Yangulbaeva's appeal to Aishat Kadyrova and the support of her brother Abubakar contrast with the public position of another brother – Ibrahim Yangulbaev, who runs an opposition Telegram channel against the authorities of Chechnya.
On February 27, 2024, a court in Grozny sentenced Volgograd resident Nikita Zhuravlev to 3.5 years in a colony, finding him guilty of violating the right to freedom of religion and hooliganism due to the burning of the Quran. In October 2024, the Prosecutor General's Office announced a new case against Zhuravlev for treason. A few weeks later, the convicted person was transferred from Chechnya to Volgograd, where this case was subsequently considered. The voluntariness of Zhuravlev's testimony about treason remains in question, but the closed court regime does not allow hearing his statements, human rights defenders noted. On November 25, 2024, a court in Volgograd sentenced Zhuravlev to 13.5 years in a colony on charges of treason (Article 275 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), taking into account the remaining term for the case of burning the Quran, the court imposed a sentence of 14 years in a colony.
It should be noted that the number of mentions of Ramzan and Aishat Kadyrov in the Telegram channel run by Ibrahim Yangulbaev significantly decreased from January to June 2026, as did the activity of the channel itself, where the last publication was made on May 26, and previous ones alternate only with congratulations on religious holidays, and in between descriptions of court hearings regarding Zarema Musaeva.
Since the beginning of this year, Ramzan Kadyrov's name has been mentioned in the Telegram channel five times, and the posts are critical in nature.
Aishat Kadyrova has been mentioned in the Telegram channel since 2020. Her name appears in at least a hundred publications. The last time was in 2024 – only three times. All posts are critically oriented.
It is worth recalling that Aliya Yangulbaeva previously stated that the idea to appeal specifically to Aishat Kadyrova arose about six months ago after discussing it with her brother, Abubakar. She explained her appeal to Kadyrova by concerns for her mother, and the choice of Aishat Kadyrova as the addressee of the letter was explained by the fact that a daughter can understand another daughter to the fullest. Aliya Yangulbaeva noted that she had heard earlier that Aishat Kadyrova helps people.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that on May 12, human rights defenders announced a fundraising for Zarema Musaeva, who needs medications and special diabetic nutrition. The fundraising amount is 300,000 rubles, which will be enough for six months of support. As of 07:00 Moscow time on July 7, 244,355 rubles have been raised for Zarema Musaeva, according to data provided on the "Zaodno" platform.
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