Abduction of Russian diplomats in Iraq

The 2006 abduction of Russian diplomats in Iraq took place on June 3, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq when Iraqi insurgents ambushed a car belonging to the Russian Embassy.cite news |title=Russia Confirms Deaths Of Hostages In Iraq |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2006/06/iraq-060626-rferl03.htm |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |publisher=AP, AFP |date=2006-06-26 |accessdate=2007-03-28] Vitaly Titov, an embassy official, was killed in the attack and the other four persons in the car – Fyodor Zaitsev (the embassy Third Secretary), Rinat Agliuglin (a cook), Oleg Fedoseyev (a maintenance worker), and Anatoly Smirnov (a driver) – were abducted.cite news |title=Group Claims Russian Hostages Slain |url=http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=nation_world&id=4305626 |work=CNN |publisher=AP |date=2006-06-25 |accessdate=2007-03-28]

On June 19 2006, the Mujahedeen Shura Council, a group affiliated with al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack and issuing an ultimatum to Russia to withdraw from Chechnya and release all Muslim prisoners within 48 hours. On June 25, the group issued a statement that it had beheaded three of the hostages and shot to death the fourth. The statement was accompanied by a video showing a few seconds of the beheading of one hostage, the beheaded corpse of a second hostage, and the shooting of a third.

On June 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian security services to locate and kill those responsible for the kidnapping and execution of the diplomats. Nikolai Patrushev, the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor organisation of the KGB, noted that the order would be carried out regardless of the "time and effort" required.cite news |first=Steven Lee |last=Myers |title=Putin issues order to kill slayers of hostages |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/28/news/russia.php |work=The New York Times |date=2006-06-28 |accessdate=2007-03-28] cite news |title=Putin Orders Hunt For Killers Of Russian Hostages In Iraq |url=http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=nation_world&id=4315166 |work=KABC-TV |publisher=AP |date=2006-06-28 |accessdate=2007-03-28] A similar order was believed to have been issued against Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev, the one-time acting president of the former Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Yandarbiyev was killed by a bomb in Doha, Qatar in February 2004.cite news |first=Nick Paton |last=Walsh |title=Putin gets blame for Qatar hit: Chechen 'financier of terrorism' killed by mine |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/chechnya/Story/0,2763,1148533,00.html |work=Guardian Unlimited |date=2004-02-15 |accessdate=2007-03-28] However, Aleksandr Goltz, a Russian military expert, questioned the ability of Russian intelligence agencies to carry out the assassination order in a country mired in civil war.cite news |title=Russia: Putin's Orders In Iraq Create Challenges For The FSB |url=http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/06/4b1c605a-ff33-4b94-a607-e20cadd53dc7.html |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |date=2006-06-30 |accessdate=2007-03-28]

One of the kidnappers of the Russian diplomats was captured in December 2006. He admitted his involvement in the incident, and is believed to have personally beheaded two of the diplomats. [cite news |author=Associated Press |title=Iraqi court to try al-Qaida militant accused of helping to coordinate hundreds of deadly attacks in Baghdad, US military says |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/16/europe/EU-GEN-Iraq-Al-Qaida-Trial.php |work=International Herald Tribune |date=2007-05-16 |accessdate=2008-08-12] Another kidnapper was killed in October, 2008. He is believed to have personally shot Rinat in the head. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081004/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq] . The bodies of the four diplomats have not been found.

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