Putin posthumously gives Hero of Russia award to Daghestani policeman
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 22 September 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Putin posthumously gives Hero of Russia award to Daghestani policeman, 22 September 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/58189de615.html [accessed 1 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 22, 2016
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) poses for a picture with Nurbagand Nurbagandov (right) and Kumsiyat Nurbagandova, the parents of police officer Magomed Nurbagandov, who was recently killed by militants in Daghestan, during an awarding ceremony in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has given the country's highest award to a police officer who was killed by militants after refusing to renounce his duties.
Police Lieutenant Magomed Nurbagandov from the North Caucasus region of Daghestan was captured by Islamic militants and shot dead near Daghestan's eastern village of Sergokala in July.
Security services later killed three militants during an operation in the nearby city of Izberbash, according to the Interior Ministry. In a video found in the phone of one of the militants, the captors demanded that Nurbagandov urge his colleagues to resign from the police and he defied them, saying: "Keep on working, brothers!" before being killed.
During the September 22 award ceremony at the Kremlin, Putin praised the officer as a model for others and handed the Hero of Russia medal to his parents.
Daghestan has been at the epicenter of a wave of violence by armed criminal groups and by militants seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate in the North Caucasus.
Organized crime, business turf wars, political disputes, and clan rivalry also contribute to the bloodshed in the region.
Based on reporting by AP and Interfax
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
