Russian authorities have added Chechen MMA fighter Ilyas Yakubov to the country’s list of “extremists and terrorists” ahead of a court ruling on a criminal case against him.
Yakubov was arrested last fall after posting an Instagram video of a training session set to an audio track featuring Shamil Basayev, a notorious Chechen guerrilla leader. If convicted of “justifying terrorism” charges, Yakubov could face up to seven years in prison.
The athlete denies the charges, accusing investigators of deliberately delaying his case. His lawyer has also denied any connection between Yakubov and the Instagram account that shared the video.
Yakubov's name now appears alongside 15,400 individuals listed as “extremists and terrorists” by Rosfinmonitoring, Russia’s state financial watchdog. Being included on this list allows authorities to freeze a person’s bank accounts without needing a court order.
Shamil Basayev, responsible for several high-profile attacks in Russian cities during the 1990s, was killed in a 2006 truck explosion.
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