Guard Colonel Yuri Dmitrievich Budanov. Yuri Budanov: biography, family, murder. Why Yuri Budanov was convicted. External assessments, track record and characteristics

Recently, the killer of Colonel Yuri Budanov, Magomed Suleymanov, died in one of the Russian zones. He died in a significant way and somehow at the wrong time - exactly on the eve of the date of his murder and his own wedding (while in prison, he was going to get married, and in Chechnya a bride had already been found for him, whose parents agreed to give their daughter in marriage to a prisoner). The killer even recovered sharply from the mere thought of his future marriage. But for some reason something went wrong. Some providence intervened. The groom suddenly felt unwell and died. The wedding did not take place. A lavish funeral had to be held instead. Suleymanov was buried as a national hero of Chechnya. The last death in a long series of deaths put an end to the tragic confrontation between officer Budanov, once betrayed by the authorities, and his many ill-wishers. Who was actually the greatest enemy for the colonel - the Chechen militants or the authorities of that era that betrayed him? This question remains open to this day...

The mysterious sniper from Tangi-Chu

Briefly about the background of the conflict. During the second Chechen campaign, the colonel commanded the 160th Guards Tank Regiment. The regiment did not get out of combat. And at the moment when he was finally taken out of the active action zone, in the area of ​​​​the village of Tangi-Chu, he suddenly found himself in the sector of sniper fire. The sniper acted savagely - first he shot in the groin, and then in the heart or head. Budanov was heavy-handed and quick to kill. “One execution will save hundreds of Russians from death and thousands of Muslims from treason.” He repeated these words of Ermolov to his subordinates hundreds of times. And the task of any commander in war is quite simple and comes down to two short and clear points: fulfill the combat mission and preserve personnel. By any means.

Budanov promptly took up the implementation of the second of them. He saved his personnel, the soldiers entrusted to him. As a result of operational search activities, we found Kungaeva. The village authorities unanimously pointed out to her, to whom Budanov made an offer that they could not refuse. True, they later unanimously renounced their testimony. Kungaeva was immediately captured and brought to the regiment “for clarification.” Budanov burned with a thirst for revenge and quick reprisal. The colonel's tragic mistake was his decision not to wait for representatives of the military prosecutor's office (they had already been notified of what had happened). He began the interrogation himself. And then events began to develop rapidly and increasingly. Eyewitnesses to the incident say that someone called Budanov. He got distracted. At that moment, Kungaeva rushed at him, trying to take possession of the service card. At that time it was not the best decision. Pushing her away, the enraged Budanov (the officer had a large build) slapped Kungaeva with a powerful slap in the face. It turned out to be incompatible with life - the blow broke the attacker's cervical vertebra. Then a version of rape arose, which, however, was not subsequently confirmed by any of the examinations carried out.

The Chechen media and human rights activists who joined them during both Chechen campaigns (Sergei Kovalev and others) boiled with indignation. According to the paratrooper general, Hero of Russia Vladimir Shamanov, who knew the tanker well, “they excitedly competed to see who would pour the most lies and dirt on the colonel.”

Neither the General Staff nor the Ministry of Defense stood up for one of their best officers. Moreover. Many of the officials and officers involved in the conflict publicly disowned their former colleague and made statements that predetermined his conviction. The commander of the united group of federal troops in Chechnya, Anatoly Kvashnin, generally stated that the colonel is a bandit, and there is no place for such people in the Russian army. This was the same Kvashnin, whose potential killer Budanov had previously personally shot in battle.

“I’ll wrap your guts around a machine…”

The investigation was gruelingly long and tedious. According to one version, Budanov suffered a serious mental disorder after two brain concussions received during the war. Several forensic psychiatric examinations were carried out to establish his mental state. The examinations gave different conclusions: “insane”, “limitedly sane”, “sane”. According to forensic psychiatrist Kondratyev, who conducted many hours of conversations with Budanov, “there is no doubt that at the time of the crime the officer was in a state of temporary mental disorder. This state was provoked by Kungaeva, who told him that she would wrap his intestines around a machine gun, after which she grabbed the weapon. But the court ordered a second examination, and when she repeated my conclusion, a third. The third examination confirmed the findings of the previous two. Then an examination was ordered in Chechnya. Chechen psychiatrists decided that he could be responsible for his actions, after which he was convicted. I'm still confident that we made the right decision."

Order of Courage for “service inconsistency”

In Chechnya, Budanov was well known on both sides of the barricades. He was not afraid of the devil, or the bullet, or the militants, or the wrath of his superiors. In the first Chechen war, putting his career on the line, a tanker saved special forces who were ambushed. Once again someone betrayed the scouts, and they flew into a trap. The battle went on for several hours. The specialists were already running out of ammunition, but the militants were still arriving. The weather was unflyable, and the helicopters could not help. Fortunately, Budanov’s unit was not very far from the site of the clash. He requested permission to rush into battle. Smart staff officers categorically forbade the colonel to get into the “bag of fire”: it’s none of your business. They will get out on their own. But the tanker decided differently. Having verbally sent staff officers to an address widely known among the people, he personally led a column of tanks that rushed to the rescue of the specialists. In that battle, the fuel oil was saved by the special forces.

Revenge for Kvashnin

The second Chechen campaign began with Shamil Basayev’s attack on peaceful villages in Botlikh. In August 1999, Chief of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin decided to make an inspection voyage to the Botlikh region. He took with him several generals and colonels. This air voyage took place in compliance with all secrecy measures. But, as often happened in that war, something leaked somewhere, and the generals were already waiting on the ground for the “bad guys.” An ATGM firing point was pre-equipped four kilometers from the landing site of the group of helicopters. As soon as the helicopters began to land, the militants opened fire. As experts later found out, the shooter was a professional. From the maximum flight range, only a professional sniper could hit a helicopter with a guided missile. You can count them on one hand all over the world. Captured Chechen fighters later said that he was a Kabardian mercenary from Jordan.

Helicopters carrying generals crashed to the ground. Kvashnin and his entourage jumped from the side to the ground from a height of several meters while the pilots tried to keep the car from stalling. But the crew died. Saving the generals, Hero of Russia pilot Yuri Naumov, navigator Alik Gayazov and special forces reconnaissance officer Sergei Yagodin passed away into another world.

A few months later, Budanov's regiment was subjected to the same attack. Four kilometers (standard distance) from the group of tanks on duty, a Niva appeared, from which a group of people in camouflage emerged. They busily and calmly began installing the ATGM launcher. The militants were not worried. They knew very well that the Budanov regiment was armed only with old T-62 tanks, the ammunition of which did not contain guided missiles. And four kilometers is the maximum shot for a tank gun. It is unrealistic to hit a point target - a Niva - from such a distance. The very first shot from a guided missile set fire to one of the T-62s. Fortunately, there were no crew there. And then the unthinkable happened. Budanov rushed to the duty vehicle, “carried” the commander out of it, and clung to the gun sight. The very first shot of a high-explosive fragmentation shell smashed the SUV, the rocket launcher, and everyone who was fussing next to it to pieces. It was the same Circassian and his retinue. Colonel Budanov personally destroyed the one who killed the Hero of Russia pilot Yuri Naumov and his friends. With his shot, he signed the death warrant for the potential killer of the Chief of the General Staff. That did not stop Kvashnin from calling his savior a bandit in a difficult hour for Budanov.

Well, the technology is old: push the falling one. Career comes first. You can do it on the bones of your colleagues...

"People's Avenger" or tool of intimidation?

Budanov's case was dealt with by the North Caucasus District Military Court. The colonel was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The investigation and trial of the colonel had a huge public resonance in Russia and Chechnya at that time. The colonel’s case became a kind of social test for determining “friend or foe.” “Are you for us or for them?”

Budanov was released on parole in January 2009. And on June 10, 2011, he was shot in Moscow by a native of Chechnya, Yusup-Khadzhi Temerkhanov (previously involved in the case as Magomed Suleymanov). The colonel was shot by the unwavering hand of a cold-blooded killer - all six bullets hit the target. Yusup-Magomed subsequently never admitted his guilt. Yusup-Magomed never had a direct relationship with Elsa Kungaeva. Neither brother nor uncle. According to one version, the killer, by shooting Budanov, was taking revenge on the feds for the fact that at one time, 11 years ago, Russian soldiers killed his father in Chechnya. Allegedly, he associated Budanov (who had nothing to do with the murder of his father) with all the evil that the federals inflicted on his fellow countrymen during the Chechen wars.

The story with the killer’s father is also murky. The investigation had information that he was an active member of gangs. But the court did not dig that deep.

It is quite obvious that Yusup in this story was an ordinary performer. The version of revenge for the father is a legend for those uninitiated in Chechen realities. Chechens never take revenge on representatives of any “social group”. In their opinion, this is idiocy. Highlanders always take targeted revenge. And in this case, Budanov was chosen as the addressee. But he's not the only one. This was a message to everyone who fought with militants in both Chechen periods. We supposedly remember everything. And we'll get everyone. And Budanov will not be the last on our personal officer hit list. It is not for nothing that the Union of Officers of Russia reacted so sharply to the murder of the tanker. Its representatives made it clear that they would not tolerate this state of affairs and would take retaliatory measures. They did not specify which ones.

In addition, Chechens pathologically do not know how to lose. And their loss in the second Chechen war was more than obvious. Tens of thousands of bearded fighters for pure Islam were sent to the next world as a result of the second campaign. The federals beat them in every gorges, in every village, around every turn and bend of the river. The Russian military machine, like a concrete mixer or a moloch of war, methodically ground them in its millstones.

Seeing the prospects this holds for the entire population of mountain Chechens, Ramzan Kadyrov performed a miracle. He found words in the Russian language and arguments in his head to convince the commander-in-chief to stop this merciless massacre.

He succeeded. “We survived! – Ramzan shouted into the microphone, not hiding his emotions. “You see, we survived!”

After “survival” came the second action of Chechen self-identification - it was necessary to take victory away from the federals. Or gloss over their triumph as much as possible (which in fact did not happen - that victory cost Russia too much). And for this it was necessary to get yesterday’s heroes of the Chechen war in Russia, to kill the most prominent winners. Well, or send them to jail - as an edification to others. The Chechens considered the Russian authorities of that time and Russian justice as their faithful allies in this matter.

Nothing worked out with special forces captain Eduard Ulman. He and his comrades disappeared on the day of sentencing. But Budanov, through joint efforts, was able to be put behind bars. Following him, they managed to send two officers of the Dzerzhinsky division to jail - Sergei Arakcheev and Evgeniy Khudyakov. After this, the activity of the “people's avengers” from Chechnya came to naught. It looks like they were made an offer they couldn't refuse. And the power in Russia was already different. Throwing officers into the crucible of war and then handing them over to be torn apart by their former enemy has become completely unpromising. Therefore, the search for the “culprits” and their surrender to yesterday’s enemy stopped.

Freedom and death

“It’s bad that he was released, he shouldn’t have been released,” said Moskovsky Komsomolets columnist and experienced journalist Vadim Rechkalov, who has visited Chechnya many times, in his interview on Ekho Moskvy. “We should have given him 25 years, released him in 10 years - with different documents, a different person, saved him, taken him away, hidden him. The authorities knew perfectly well that the Chechens would get him, but nevertheless released him. And thus condemned to death. He may have committed a crime, but he did not start this war. First, our soldiers and officers are left to the mercy of fate in Chechnya and are forbidden to shoot first, and then, when the most ingenuous ones are blown away and they become socially dangerous, they say: why did you do this? What is this if not betrayal? The Chechens found the moment, found the time, found the weapon, found the Mitsubishi to take revenge, to regain their dignity. But ours - no, we are not interested in Budanov - you are waste material, no one needs you. Chechens put their own people above any laws. And we sit and argue whether he is such a criminal or an even worse criminal. This is the law of war: friend - foe. And when this is mixed with politics and criminal law, the result is complete nonsense..."

Two truths

In war, each participant has their own truth. The interexistence of two truths, which do not intersect with each other in any way, and do not want to hear and understand each other, is the reason for the war. The truth of the Kungaev family: Budanov kidnapped and killed an innocent girl. The truth of commander Budanov: the girl was an enemy, an enemy sniper and killed his soldiers.

Yuri Budanov has been dead for a long time. May he rest in peace. The symbol and curse of the second Chechen war, a Russian officer of the Russian army, a tough and honest man, brave and short-sighted, a brilliant commander, who in an instant deliberately and irrevocably ruined his own and others’ lives, fell at the hands of a hired killer. The drama of an abandoned warrior, who was first sent into the heat of war, was actually made a criminal, and after that he was also convicted, officially called a criminal, ended in a bloody tragedy - six targeted shots from a bloodline.

Although no, it was not a bloodline. Krovniks don’t shoot from around the corner. Enemy snipers and female snipers are shooting from around the corner. This murder was committed on the eve of Russia Day. Significant. And death overtook the killer on the eve of his own wedding. Also iconic. And symbolic.

It was hot July 2010... My friends and I met on Poklonnaya Hill near the Monument to the Internationalist Warrior. The meeting of combatants was organized by young guys - veterans and disabled people of the wars in South Ossetia and Chechnya. We contacted each other online and agreed to meet. There weren't many of us gathered - about a hundred people, but from all over Russia. There were also Afghans - guys our age, and very young boys... Two front-line priests were preparing to serve a memorial service for the dead at the Monument. The weather was beautiful and everyone was in a great mood. Many knew each other, but had not seen each other for a long time, hugged, laughed, talked. There were wives and children here. I was told that Yuri Budanov might come to the meeting. I really wanted to meet him. He came up somehow unexpectedly and immediately to our group. I recognized him. "Budanov Yuri Dmitrievich!" - he said simply and with dignity and extended his hand. So he said to each of us, shaking hands. And then he took off his dark glasses and smiled broadly. We made eye contact and I saw his eyes. Blue, amazingly beautiful eyes that I will never forget. It seemed to me that I looked into those eyes for so long that in that short moment I was able to look into his soul, as bright and pure as those eyes, incapable of lying or betraying. Never and not for anything in the world. So Yura Budanov entered my heart and my life and remained there, deep in my heart and soul forever...

FATHER...

I was in the hospital getting ready for surgery. The hospital is specialized, nuclear industry workers, nuclear weapons testers and liquidators of various accidents at nuclear power plants underwent surgery here. The men are mostly middle-aged, well-educated and experienced in life, with high intelligence and a sense of humor. Fate brought them together in one place and with one misfortune. There was no time to be despondent - everyone was fighting for life. Some had a chemotherapy session, some went under the surgeon’s knife, some were recovering from surgery. It’s strange, but in this establishment there was positivity and good spirits in the atmosphere, although most of the diagnoses sounded like a death sentence - cancer. These were amazing men! There were so many long intimate conversations at night, it was impossible to sleep, so fascinating were these stories about youth, life and work - the very essence of which is Feat. In the morning, Yura Khabarov came to see me - a surgeon from God, with golden hands and a heart, who, not for the first time, saved the life of me and a huge number of other people. “Dmitry Ivanovich Budanov, the father of Colonel Budanov, came to our surgery. I will operate on him. Do you want to go see him?” Dmitry Ivanovich turned out to be a tall, gray-haired man with intelligent and lively eyes. I told him about my attitude towards his son Yuri, and we easily became friends. It was clear how serious his illness was, but he laughed, joked and behaved well. Only when it came to Yuri did he become gloomy and dark with pain for his son, but everyone, literally everyone around him so unconditionally told him that his son Yuri was a real Hero, to which Dmitry Ivanovich smiled quietly, feeling enormous moral support, and it was clear - it’s better than not saying anything about Yura. “Eh, I should wait for Yurka, drink a hundred grams with him and die in peace!” “You’ll wait, Dmitry Ivanovich! You have no other choice. Yura is waiting too,” we told him. Then he waited for another two long years, fading away, but his voice on the phone was cheerful even through the pain. Yura left prison and hugged his father in his home. “He was a man of amazing will, Dad...” Yura told me later. “He drank exactly one hundred grams and died a week later.” How much pain and suffering did the father endure during the years of his son’s captivity? And the mother? Dmitry Ivanovich set himself the task of waiting for his son from prison. And he , like a real military man, he completed this task. He did not want to go on a date and see his son behind bars. There was something aristocratic about him, despite the simplicity and military directness of the tanker. Blessed Memory to him!

WAR…

Guard Colonel Yuri Budanov participated in two Chechen companies. No, he participated - this is not about him, Yura fought in Chechnya. He fought great, for real. When a soldier or officer is REAL, this is especially evident in war... As well as vice versa. Yura Budanov was real. A man, a soldier, a commander, a friend. A real warrior, loved by his own and feared by strangers. Yes, his enemies feared and hated him, but they respected him. It was a very rare combination of exactly opposite feelings, but it was real! What is war? War is an extreme degree of social evil in which all its participants suffer, all without exception. How did the Chechen war begin and was it fair? There is no definite answer to this question, although everyone has their own, but I advise you to find and read the Report of the Parliamentary Commission's investigation into the events in Chechnya from 1991 to 1994, preceding the start of the first Chechen War. This commission was led by an honest and respected person, a deservedly beloved director and State Duma deputy, Stanislav Govorukhin. He later published this Report in the form of a small book. The blood runs cold from the atrocities committed by Chechen bandits in Grozny, Bamut, Shali, Urus-Martan, Tolstoy-Yurt and other settlements of Chechnya... They killed and raped, took away cars and property, drove Russians and Armenians out of their homes and took them into slavery , Jews - there was no mercy for either the elderly or children. The Chechens, normal people who tried to stand up for their neighbors with whom they lived next to for many years, also suffered. They were also killed and their property was taken away. But, of course, the Russians suffered the most... The war in Chechnya began in 1991 from the moment these terrible crimes began, for which many criminals never received any punishment. Now they prefer to remain silent about it, this is understandable and explainable, but the truth does not cease to be true, even if someone does not recognize it. The First Chechen War was a direct consequence of atrocities that could not help but be stopped, both from a legal and human point of view, but only through military operations of the army in Chechnya and the destruction of armed gangs that were growing like a cancer inside Russia... Is it possible was there an agreement? Don't know. But would you like to negotiate anything with murderers of people and rapists of children? I think there would be no sense in these conversations and agreements. That's what happened, exactly what happened. Then there was the New Year's assault on Grozny, to please the idiotic ambitions of stupid armchair false generals. Our boys and commanders fought heroically, dying in brigades in the crucible of the avenues of Grozny burning from the bombing. Then there were stubborn bloody battles for the cities and villages of Chechnya. There was heroism and cowardice, high deeds and betrayal, victories and defeats. Then there was a real war - where the grief and pain of each individual person merges in small tears into a cruel mountain river of tears, sweeping away in its path everything good and good that remained in a past, peaceful life. It was in this fierce real war (just and unjust at the same time, like any civil war on the territory of any state) that the real Colonel Yuri Budanov fought. He commanded a tank regiment, personally went into reconnaissance and hand-to-hand combat, cherished the life of each of his soldiers and officers like the apple of his eye, was a father-commander and a brilliant commander, awarded by his Motherland with two Orders of Courage - the highest military awards after the Star of the Hero of Russia, to which he There was very little left. For the feat of saving almost two hundred GRU special forces, when he, contrary to the orders of the command, jumped into a tank and, together with his deputy, recaptured an entire special forces company from the militants from an ambush in the mountains, giving the guys salvation from certain death, Colonel Budanov, without a doubt, would deservedly receive Gold Star of the Hero of Russia.

And although at the moment when Yura made the decision and accomplished this feat, he least of all thought about the Star of the Hero and about his life, his life would certainly have turned out differently if that terrible tragedy had not happened in the mountain village of Tangi-chu Urus-Martan region of Chechnya in the spring of 2000...

TRAGEDY…

This tragedy is known to everyone. Guard Colonel Yuri Budanov lost several of his soldiers and officers killed just shortly before the end of the Chechen mission and the return of the 160th Guards Tank Regiment home. Young guys died from a sniper’s bullet in the area of ​​the mountain village of Tangi. Yura fought so skillfully that he very rarely lost his fighters.

He deeply, precisely as a personal tragedy, experienced the loss of each of his people. Having received information about a sniper point in the village of Tangi, Yuri Budanov brought the alleged sniper, the girl Elza Kungaeva, to the regiment for interrogation. During the interrogation, Elsa died as a result of strangulation. There is no doubt that this is a deep tragedy and a terrible coincidence of circumstances. Tragedy for the Kungaev family. A tragedy for the Budanov family. A tragedy for relations between the Russian and Chechen people. A tragedy for all people who do not want hatred and war, but want peace and harmony. For everyone, except for some scum who sow evil and hatred, and also make personal PR and political capital from this human tragedy. “If I had known what would happen there that evening, I would have left that same day, sailed away, walked across the mountains from there...” Yura later told us bitterly. But it was already too late. Politics intervened in this matter. And there was a trial, a verdict and a many-year prison sentence. Streams of lies, slander and dirt in newspapers and on television began to pour out in tons on Yura Budanov. Dozens of examinations, even with all their bias, could not prove the fact of rape, although with the capabilities of modern forensic science it is impossible to hide this fact if it actually happened. Hundreds of corrupt journalists and “human rights activists” continued to stubbornly squeal about this violence, as if they were not protected by Yuri Budanov from terrorists, bandits and murderers who, with explosions, grief and pain, came to our homes in Moscow, Beslan, Stavropol, Makhachkala and in many other cities of Russia. Yura Budanov drank his cup to the bottom, although it is difficult to imagine what kind of human strength and will one must have in order to survive all this and not break. Two brutal wars, blood and death on both sides, many years of captivity in prison, severe psychological pressure and enormous mental breakdown. What kind of person can withstand such a test? Too much for one person. But he returned and won again. His father, mother, wife and children were waiting for him at home. Yura now just wanted to live, because so many trials had already befallen him. His enemies could not defeat him. And then they decided to kill him insidiously and demonstrably...

MEMORY…

On June 10, 2010, in the center of Moscow, at noon, in the courtyard near the playground, where children were walking carefree, a terrorist killer shot Yura Budanov six times in the back and head. The vile killer was afraid to meet Colonel Yuri Budanov face to face. Warriors don't shoot in the back. Jackals and terrorists shoot in the back, just as they shot in the backs of men, women and children at the Beslan school, the Budenovskaya hospital and the Dubrovka Theater Center in Moscow. The terrorists managed to kill Guard Colonel Yuri Budanov, but they failed to defeat him and will never defeat him. Like George the Victorious, the warrior Yuri (baptized Georgy) Budanov, defeated the forces of evil and ascended to heaven to, together with the Holy Warriors in the Kingdom of Heaven, protect his Russia, which he loved selflessly, fought for it with enemies and died in battle for it . “Sleep well, Hero”, “Eternal Memory to the Russian Colonel”, “Yuri Budanov - Hero of Russia!” - huge posters with these words appeared at football stadiums in the hands of fans of the Spartak and CSKA clubs, and on the streets of Russian cities immediately after the murder of Yuri Budanov. Photos of posters with these sincere words of gratitude to Yuri Budanov and recognition of his services to the Fatherland and people are on the Internet. This is what the people say, and you cannot deceive the people, the people are always right. It is no coincidence that in Russia they say: “The voice of the people is the voice of God!” The people themselves returned to Yuri Budanov the Colonel's shoulder straps, military awards - two Orders of Courage and awarded the title of Hero of Russia... People's Hero is, perhaps, the most important and worthy title of Colonel Yuri Budanov.

Sleep well, Hero! Your Russia will never forget you. Eternal Memory to the warrior Georgy Budanov!!!

Vadim Savateev - Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Assistance to Combat Veterans "FAITH AND VALOR", Head of the working group of the Council for Disabled People under the President of the Russian Federation

The killer of Colonel Budanov died in prison

On August 3, lawyer Roza Magomedova said that Yusup Temirkhanov, sentenced to 15 years for the murder of former Colonel Yuri Budanov, died in the Omsk colony. “He died in the medical unit of the colony from cardiac arrest. He always had health problems, the defense tried to get him released due to illness, but was unsuccessful,” Magomedova said.

According to a representative of the regional department of the Federal Penitentiary Service, Temirkhanov died in the Omsk city hospital. “He died in the city hospital, where he was transferred from the FSIN hospital. The decision to transfer was made on August 1 as his health deteriorated. He had chronic health problems, which is why he died,” said a department official.

Initially, Temirkhanov served his sentence in a maximum security colony; due to health reasons, the conditions of his detention were softened. When the prisoner's condition worsened, he was transferred to the colony's medical unit, and from there to the city hospital.

Temirkhanov's death caused a huge resonance in Chechnya

Relatives decided to bury the deceased in his homeland, in the Chechen Geldagan - the ancestral village of Temirkhanov. “He will be buried in his homeland, his body will be sent there in the coming days,” lawyer Roza Magomedova said on August 3, adding that her client was ill, but was recovering. “Everything happened unexpectedly,” Magomedova added.

The death of Temirkhanov caused a wide response among the residents of Chechnya. According to media reports, residents of the Republic began to gather in Geldagan on August 3, despite the fact that the funeral was planned for August 4. The funeral service for Temirkhanov was attended by thousands of people, and the flow of cars into Geldagan was practically uninterrupted. From the entrance to Geldagan to the mosque where the ceremony took place, security forces were on duty, who sometimes asked not to film what was happening. The staff of the Chechen state television and radio company Grozny also expressed condolences to the relatives of the deceased.

Appeared on social networks video, which captured a column of dozens of cars moving near Geldagan, among which was a black police Mercedes. Hundreds of citizens greet the cars with shouts of “Allahu Akbar.”

chp_groznyy / Instagram

Ramzan Kadyrov arrived to say goodbye to Budanov’s killer

On August 4, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, held a funeral ceremony and expressed condolences to the relatives of the deceased.

“Today I came here to say my word to my relatives and my people: he was illegally convicted, imprisoned, and he died a natural death, by the will of the Almighty,” said the head of the republic. He assured that the Chechen authorities will strive for a fair attitude of law enforcement agencies towards the residents of the region.

“We call for them to comply with the law and the Constitution and treat us as citizens of Russia,” Kadyrov emphasized.

The head of Chechnya called the deceased a people's hero

In his Telegram channel, Ramzan Kadyrov said that the late Yusup Temirkhanov will forever remain a hero in the memory of his fellow citizens.

“The court, with its guilty verdict (...) made him a hero who avenged the violated honor and imprisonment of the Chechen girl, Russian citizen Elza Kungaeva. This is how he will forever remain in the people’s memory, even if over time the verdict is found to be erroneous!” - the politician expressed confidence.

Kadyrov reiterated that he considers Temirkhanov a victim of a miscarriage of justice.

Temirkhanov shot Budanov in 2011

On June 10, 2011, Temirkhanov, as the investigation and court established, fired eight bullets at former Colonel of the Russian Armed Forces Yuri Budanov, a veteran of the second Chechen war. The shots rang out as Budanov was leaving a notary's office in the center of Moscow. Killed with military honors.

If you have witnessed an important event, you have news or an idea for material, write to this address: [email protected]

Budanov Yuri Dmitrievich - Russian officer, former colonel. Born on November 24, 1963 in the city of Khartsyzsk, Donetsk region.

Graduated from the Kharkov Guards Higher Tank Command School. He served in military service in Hungary and Belarus. In 1995-1999 he studied at the Academy of Armored Forces named after Marshal Malinovsky.

During the period of hostilities against illegal armed groups in the Chechen Republic in January 1995, he received a brain concussion due to a landmine explosion.

In August 1998, he was appointed commander of the 160th Guards Tank Regiment, and in January 2000 he was promoted to colonel. In October and November 1999, Budanov was wounded twice when a shell exploded and when a tank was fired at from a grenade launcher.

On March 27, 2000, he was arrested on charges of kidnapping, rape and murder of 18-year-old Elza Kungaeva. The charge of rape was dropped after examinations and testimony from the participants in the case.

On July 25, 2003, by the verdict of the North Caucasus District Military Court, Yuri Budanov was sentenced under paragraph “c” of Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Murder”) to 9 years in prison, under Part 1 of Article 126 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Kidnapping”) to 6 years in prison, under paragraphs “a, c” of Part 3 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Exceeding official powers”) to 5 years in prison with deprivation of the right to hold positions related to organizational and administrative functions in government bodies for a period of 3 years .

The final punishment for the totality of crimes committed by partial addition of punishments was determined in the form of imprisonment for a period of 10 years, serving the sentence in a maximum security correctional colony and with deprivation of the right to hold positions related to organizational and administrative functions in government bodies for a period of 3 years.

In accordance with Article 48 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Yuri Budanov was deprived of a state award - the Order of Courage and the military rank of "Colonel".

In May 2004, Budanov filed a petition for pardon. On September 15, 2004, the pardon commission granted his request. The governor of the Ulyanovsk region, Vladimir Shamanov, signed a petition for pardon.

On September 21, 2004, Budanov withdrew his request for pardon, the application was granted.

In November 2006, Budanov filed a petition for parole with the court of the Ulyanovsk region, but the request was denied. On December 24, 2008, the court granted Yuri Budanov’s request for parole. On January 15, 2009 he was released.

Budanov served his sentence in the 11th detachment of the correctional institution YUI 78/3 in the city of Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region.

On June 10, 2011, he was shot dead on Komsomolsky Prospekt in Moscow. He is survived by his wife and two children.

Colonel Yuri Budanov (biography presented in the article) is one of the most controversial figures of our time. Some perceive him as a hero, dedicating poems and songs, while others perceive him as a rapist and murderer who mocked a defenseless Chechen girl on his daughter’s birthday. What is known about this man today?

The path to the army

Yuri Dmitrievich Budanov, whose biography the article is devoted to, is a native of Ukraine. His homeland is the small town of Khartsyzsk, which is located in the Donetsk region. The boy was born in 1963, on November 24, into a military family. He practiced sambo and received the title of Master of Masters. He grew up as an ordinary teenager who dreamed of serving in the army. He was called up in 1981 while serving military service in Poland.

Not finding himself in civilian life, in 1987 he entered a military school. I chose a tank one, which is located in the Ukrainian Kharkov. The tank driver was Dmitry Ivanovich, Budanov’s father. Upon graduation, the young man served in Hungary. The collapse of the USSR found him in Belarus, where the officer made a difficult decision for himself - not to swear allegiance to the newly-minted republic, but to return to Russia.

He continued his service in Transbaikalia, where for 10 years he had no complaints; on the contrary, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel ahead of schedule. He entered the military academy, graduating in 1999.

Was there any participation in the First Chechen Campaign?

Did Yuri Dmitrievich Budanov take part in the hostilities? The officer's biography was collected by the press literally bit by bit. According to media reports, Budanov was already wounded in the First Chechen War, receiving a severe concussion. In 1999, two more will be added to it - already during the Second Chechen War.

Today, information has been published about the available documents, according to which Budanov did not take part in the first military campaign, and the information about the shell shock in January 1995 is false. At the moment, his medical record, which could shed light on a lot, is lost. According to the latest version, this was the work of Budanov himself, who tried to hide a certain diagnosis when submitting documents for admission to the military academy.

Yuri Budanov: Colonel saves special forces

Since October 1998, the officer has been appointed commander of the 160th armored regiment, which was transferred to the united Siberian Military District in December. Since the fall of 1999, his regiment was stationed in Chechnya, where it carried out orders regarding the neutralization of large gangs in the Argun Gorge and Khankala.

Why do many people perceive Budanov as a hero? This is due to the battle near Duba-Yurt at the end of December 1999, where a reconnaissance group under the command of Art. Lieutenant Shlykov ("Nara") was ambushed by militants. Special forces moved to rescue the Taras assault detachment, which allegedly came under fire at the Wolf Gate. Subsequently it turned out that the fighters of Art. Lieutenant Tarasov did not transmit any distress calls. It was an action radio game.

Neither the artillery (there was poor visibility due to thick fog) nor the soldiers of other assault brigades who came under fire could help the Nara. Having lost three units of armored vehicles, more than 10 people killed and 40 wounded, the reconnaissance group could have been completely destroyed if not for the tanks of V. Pakov’s battalion from the 160th regiment of Yu. Budanov.

Details and consequences of the rescue

Vladimir Pakov in two cars (a third joined in the evening) headed to the Wolf Gate, without having a direct order. That is why the crew personnel consisted exclusively of officers. Subsequently, it turned out that other units could have provided assistance, but the commanders were afraid of punishment for unauthorized actions, unlike Yuri Budanov.

The colonel saves a dying reconnaissance group, taking responsibility upon himself. It was with his consent that Vladimir Pakov, who learned about the tragedy, went to help the special forces. The tankers were stationed just three kilometers from the battle site.

According to the participants in the battle, without the help of the T-62 and Budanov’s officers, the remnants of the Nara would not have been able to get out of the ring of fire at the Argun Gorge on their own. The militant detachment was completely destroyed only a few weeks later.

The special forces were under the impression that the massacre was made possible due to the betrayal of the command. This fact was not officially confirmed, but the savior was declared a service discrepancy. Be that as it may, in January 2000, Yu. Budanov was nevertheless awarded the Order of Courage. There is information that he was nominated for this award twice, but the officer was not destined to receive it a second time.

Tragedy of March 26, 2000

This ill-fated day radically changed the future of Yuri Budanov. The Colonel became a father for the second time. His little daughter was born, who was named Ekaterina. Alcohol appeared on the table of the regiment commander and his deputy I. Fedorov. The rioting officers first gave the command to fire at the peaceful village, but Lieutenant Bagreev did not obey the order. Then Budanov decided to deal with Elsa Kungaeva, a Chechen woman who turned 18 shortly before the incident.

According to the colonel himself, she was suspected of having allegedly fought as a sniper on the side of the militants. The BMP crew was ordered to deliver the girl to the regiment's location. During an hours-long interrogation, Budanov strangled Kungaeva, breaking her spine. After which the body, according to him, was handed over to the soldiers. They abused her, which was proven by forensic examination.

Budanov's arrest

Already on the 27th it became known: Colonel Yuri Budanov was arrested. The hero’s biography ended here, the investigation and long trial of the criminal began, as he was recognized by the North Caucasus District Court. The ex-regiment commander was charged with three crimes:

• abuse of power;
• kidnapping;
• murder.

Initially, participation in rape was also charged. Subsequently, the charge was dropped, and the guilt of a soldier named Egorov was proven. Surprisingly, by a lucky chance he managed to avoid punishment, because the State Duma declared an amnesty. In January of the following year, Budanov's case was transferred to a military court, and the hearing itself began in February.

Officer's testimony

What version of what happened does Colonel Yuri Budanov himself present? The biography of his subsequent period of life is well presented in the media. Both his testimony at the trial and the stories of eyewitnesses, including cellmate Oleg Margolin, with whom the former officer had conversations for a long time, were studied.

According to him, the owner of the house (Kungaeva’s father) kept weapons, and his daughter repeatedly went to the mountains to shoot with a sniper rifle. It was hot during the interrogation, so Budanov unfastened his holster and put it on the table. The girl admitted to hating the federals and confirmed the assumption of the regiment commander.

He was about to hand her over to the scouts when she grabbed the pistol lying on the table. At the same time, she threatened Budanov that she would find his little daughter in order to “wrap her guts around a machine gun.” The combat commander, in a state of passion, which was later confirmed by an examination, strangled Kungaeva. Having come to his senses, the officer took the body out to the soldiers so that they could bury it. During the exhumation, it turned out that the girl was still alive for some time. During her lifetime, she was subjected to bullying and violence.

The court's decision

For many, Yuri Budanov is a hero of Russia. The biography of the ex-colonel shows: in July 2003, he was found guilty on three counts and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

It should be admitted: during the trial by a commission of experts in December 2002, a verdict was made about the officer’s insanity. The consequences of his shell shock, according to experts, could lead to a partial loss of control over his actions.

The case could have ended in forced treatment, but a few months later this decision was overturned by the Supreme Court of Russia. The colonel was stripped of his military ranks and government awards and banned from holding leadership positions for the next three years. The former officer was sent to a colony in the city of Dimitrovgrad (Ulyanovsk region) to serve his sentence.

Serving a sentence

In May 2004, former Colonel Yuri Budanov first filed a petition for clemency. He sent it personally to V. Putin, but soon withdrew it. Presumably, because of the position of R. Kadyrov, the President of Chechnya, who called the former officer an enemy of his people.

In the same year, a second petition followed, submitted by Budanov to the regional commission. Under it was the signature of Vladimir Shamanov, the then governor, formerly the commander of a group of troops of the Russian Ministry of Defense in the Chechen Republic. The commission returned military awards and military rank to the colonel. However, his participation in satisfying the governor's clemency petition received publicity. This led to a scandal, after which the request was again withdrawn.

At the beginning of 2007, Budanov applied directly to the court for parole. And he was refused, because he considered: “the prisoner did not repent of what he had done.” There were several more requests, but only in December 2008 a positive decision was made. The Dimitrovgrad court finally recognized that the criminal repented and fully atoned for his crime. Budanov's release took place in January 2009. He spent nearly 9 years in prison.

Life in freedom

Ex-Colonel Yuri Budanov arrived in Moscow, where his family was waiting for him. Thanks to the patronage of General Shamanov, he was given an apartment not just anywhere, but in one of the buildings of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation. He managed to meet his father, who was seriously ill, but waited until his son returned from the colony. He soon died.

Budanov got a good job working on the passenger car fleet of the State Unitary Enterprise "EVAZhD". However, a month after his return, the Investigative Committee at the Chechen Prosecutor’s Office announced an investigation into the former colonel’s involvement in the murder and abduction of three more people in the Shali region.

According to their information, witnesses pointed to Budanov after stories about him on television. Subsequently, the number of victims in this criminal case increased to 18. Only in June 2009 was it announced that the former officer’s involvement in the disappearance of civilians was not confirmed.

Yuri Budanov: biography, cause of death

It was 2011. On the calendar - June 11. Together with his wife Svetlana, Budanov approached the notary's office, where the couple had to draw up documents for 11-year-old Ekaterina to travel abroad. The couple has two children. The eldest Valery was already 23 at that time.

Here, on Komsomolsky Prospekt, a bloody murder will be committed, which will be described in detail by CCTV footage. After a telephone conversation on the porch of the house, Budanov headed towards the central part of the yard, followed by a man whose identification mark was a baseball cap.

At 12:04, several men ran out to the sound of gunfire. Five shots were fired. Three were aimed at the head, two at the body. Yuri Budanov had no chance to survive. The criminal was found based on an identikit. He turned out to be a Chechen named Yusup Temirkhanov, whose father died at the hands of the Russian military. The man said the main motive for the murder was revenge. His photo is presented below.

Funeral of the ex-colonel

Surprisingly, experts do not really believe in the Chechen trace, although R. Kadyrov, with his statements, actually gave indulgence to anyone who would deal with the killer of 18-year-old Kungaeva. Yuri Budanov himself warned about this (biography, cause of death are described in this article). The ex-colonel told his cellmate that he was afraid not of revenge from the girl’s relatives, but from those who want to erase the shameful pages of the events in Chechnya.

The former officer was buried at the Novoluzhinskoye cemetery, located on the territory of Khimki. He was taken on his last journey, given military honors, although no official representatives of the Ministry of Defense were present at the coffin. Several thousand people, among whom were many former and current officers, accompanied their comrade in arms in complete silence, not allowing the funeral to be turned into a political rally.

A few words about the family

His wife Svetlana walked the entire path of life with her husband, giving her husband two children. When Budanov was in a pre-trial detention center in Rostov-on-Don, she and her children visited him twice a month, although she was forced to move to Ukraine and live with relatives. Only in recent years has the family been provided with housing on a rental basis. Svetlana does not hide the fact that she had to accept the help of many people, including General Shamanov.

Having witnessed a crime, she found herself under state protection. Her ex-husband’s colleagues did not abandon her in trouble either, providing all possible support. They claim: about people like Budanov they say: “Soldiers respect, enemies fear.”

The eldest son Valery is a graduate of the Suvorov Military School. He received a law degree and works at the bar. Since 2011 he has been a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.

The youngest daughter Ekaterina still has everything ahead. In March, the girl celebrated her eighteenth birthday. For the family, an example of a real hero is their father, Colonel Yuri Budanov. His biography will be rewritten, they believe, and the name of the Russian officer will definitely be rehabilitated.