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During the Chechen civil war and the First Chechen War in the 1990s, Alaudinov lost around 20 close relatives, including his father, uncle, and older brother.[3] However, Apti did not participate in them.[4]
Alaudinov started his career in the Chechen Interior Ministry’s organised crime unit. He was seen at the Moscow assassination of special forces commander Movladi Baisarov in November 2006. The operation was led by Kadyrov lieutenant Adam Delimkhanov.[4]
Deputy Interior Minister
A man who criticised local officials and Kadyrov in a YouTube appeal to the Russian President became a target of threats and had to flee to Dagestan. In May 2016, his house was burnt down by a group of masked men, and his family was dragged out, put in a car, and thrown under a bridge. His wife stated that they threatened the other residents if they reported the matter to anyone. Later, the Chechen police cordoned off his village to hunt him down. Kadyrov's spokesman denied these reports were true.[6][7] The complainant later publicly apologised to Kadyrov and accused the media of distorting his remarks in his video complaint.[8] He again fled to Dagestan in November 2016. According to human rights activist Svetlana Gannushkina, he had to flee after Alaudinov, who was then Chechnya's Deputy Interior Minister, threatened to kill him.[9][10]
In 2019 Alaudinov was detained in a Kadyrov-administered purge of federalists associated with Ibragim Temirbaev, a now-deposed mayor of Argun, Chechen Republic who was killed in a car accident two years later. After August 2019, Alaudinov absented himself from the Ministry, although he was still paid his salary. He later fled to safety in Moscow until March 2022.[4]
In September 2022, Alaudinov was appointed commander of the Akhmat volunteer special forces unit.[4]
In February 2023, Alaudinov was reportedly poisoned by a letter laced with toxin.[14][15]
In April 2024, the Danish and Swedish governments published a report which listed Alaudinov as one of four leaders of the Chechens.[16]
In April 2024, it was claimed that Alaudinov had been for a time estranged from Kadyrov: "Alaudinov has managed to survive in Chechnya despite initially being on the opposing side to the Kadyrov clan, and even being banished from Chechnya five years ago. As war broke out in Ukraine, Alaudinov finally got a chance to atone for his sins and help Kadyrov save his private army from ruin."[4] In May 2024, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty cited Russian opposition sources stating that Alaudinov had a good reputation within the Russian federal government after helping integrate former Wagner Group members into the 141st Motorized Regiment following the Wagner Group rebellion, and was favored as a successor to Kadyrov by the defense establishment.[17]
On 20 June 2024, Alaudinov made an appearance on the national TV broadcast of Olga Skabeyeva, where he talked about the end of the SMO. He figures that the Ukrainian forces have been heavily drawn to Kharkiv Oblast where they will in 2024 be destroyed in a final battle.[19]
On 19 August, Alaudinov berated Russians who complained that conscripts were forced to defend Kursk Oblast. Conscripts had been exempted by Vladimir Putin from serving in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and he never expected the Ukrainians to attack Russia. Alaudinov promised those who were killed would go straight to heaven.[21][22] A Moscologist said that whereas the FSB and Kadyrovites had been tasked with protecting the border, now that the Ukrainians had made progress in Russia, some conscripts from the Leningrad Military District and the Moscow Military District had been sent to Kursk as reinforcements,[22] and the Daily Telegraph said Alaudinov mocked the mothers of the conscripts.[23]
