Chechen Woman Found Dead in Armenia After Escaping Domestic Violence

The family of Chechen woman Aishat Baymuradova, who fled her home due to domestic violence, denied any involvement in her death. Her uncle told Regnum that the family only learned about the incident through social media.

"Of course, the family is not involved in what happened. We literally found out about her disappearance just two days ago through social media," Aishat Baymuradova's uncle stated.

According to reports citing human rights defenders, Baymuradova may have left Russia independently shortly before her disappearance, seeking to escape domestic abuse.

Body Found in Yerevan

News of her death emerged on Monday, October 20. Baymuradova's body was discovered in Yerevan, where she had been living in a rented apartment on Demirchyan Street. She was reported missing on October 15. The last sighting of Baymuradova occurred when she was preparing to meet a friend she had recently met on social media.

Activists monitoring the case suspect the friend may be connected to her disappearance. Their conclusion is based on an analysis of the friend’s social media followers, which reportedly included individuals associated with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Past Cases of Chechen Women Disappearing After Fleeing Abuse

This is not the first case of a Chechen woman disappearing while trying to escape family violence. In 2023, Seda Suleymanova left her home after a conflict with relatives who attempted to force her into marriage. She later moved to Saint Petersburg and lived with a partner. That summer, she was accused of stealing family jewelry and forcibly taken back to Chechnya, after which her whereabouts became unknown. She was officially declared missing on June 16, 2025, two years later. Another case involved 19-year-old Selima Ismailova, who went missing in 2023 after returning to Grozny. She had previously attempted to flee to Germany to escape domestic abuse.