Chechnya leader accused of involvement in Montenegro coup

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Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Russia's Chechnya republic, has been accused of inciting Muslim leaders in Montenegro to help stage a Russia-backed coup to prevent Nato membership.

MPs Milan Knezevic and Andrija Mandic from Montenegro's pro-Russian Democratic Front opposition bloc and several Serbians are on trial for plotting to take over parliament and assassinate then-prime minister Milo Djukanovic before the October 2016 election. Two Russians allegedly organised the conspiracy on behalf of Russian intelligence, The Telegraph revealed in February.

After the plotters' arrest, an ally of Mr Djukanovic was elected prime minister, and Montenegro joined Nato in June despite Moscow's objections.

In a letter to Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, Knezevic and Mandic said Mr Kadyrov had figured in the indictment starting last week and was accused of agitating Muslim community leaders to help the Democratic Front overthrow the government, Izvestia newspaper reported.

“This is a means to discredit the Democratic Front, which was trying to establish economic and cultural cooperation with Chechnya,” Knezevic told Izvestia.

The Montenegrin special prosecutor's office asked for a written request for comment, which had not been answered as of press time.

The politically charged trial of the alleged coup plotters did hear claims of Mr Kadyrov's links to the conspiracy at the end of October. Aleksandar Sindjelic, a Serbian conspirator turned prosecution star witness, told the court in Podgorica he learned of the Chechen leader's involvement from Eduard Shishmakov, one of the Russian intelligence officers accused of overseeing the plan.

He was told large sums of money had been channeled through Kadyrov to bribe a mufti in Montenegro into forming a parliamentary coalition with the Democratic Front.

Knezevic and Mandic visited Chechnya in January, where they met with Dzhambulat Umarov, the minister of national policy, external communications and print.

Mr Umarov told RBC newspaper on Wednesday that the Montenegrins had not met with Mr Kadyrov and only discussed parliamentary ties and anti-terrorism and religious policy.

Shishmakov, who was expelled from Poland for spying in 2014, and another Russian were arrested in Serbia but reportedly returned to Moscow after the head of Russia's security council made a surprise visit to Belgrade.

Vladimir Putin's spokesman has denied any Kremlin involvement in the coup attempt, as have Russian nationalists who have been indirectly linked to the plotters by leaked emails.

Last month, Russia granted asylum to one of the Montenegrin suspects and refused to extradite him.

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...ntenegro-coup/

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