A noted self-exiled Chechen opposition blogger who has been missing amid rumors that he was killed by people close to the Kremlin-backed authoritarian leader of Russia's Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has announced that he is alive. In a video statement late on February 20, Tumso Abdurakhmanov said he was happy to get back to his blogging activities after two and a half months of being silent. He did not elaborate on why he had not been heard from during that period. Abdurakhmanov who is currently in Sweden, has been known for his open criticism of Kadyrov and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Missing Chechen Opposition Blogger Squashes Rumors Of His Death In Video Statement
Chechen opposition blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov (file photo)