Masked assailants attack journalist and lawyer in Russia's Chechnya province

Just outside the airport, their vehicle was blocked by several cars and they were beaten by several masked assailants, who put guns to their heads and broke their equipment.

Novaya Gazeta said that Milashina sustained a brain injury and had several fingers broken, and Nemov had a deep cut on his leg. They were taken to a hospital in Chechnya's main city, Grozny, where Milashina repeatedly lost consciousness, according to her newspaper.

Russian human rights ombudsperson Tatyana Moskalkova asked investigators to look into the attack on Milashina and Nemov.

Milashina has long exposed human rights violations in Chechnya and has faced threats, intimidation and attacks. In 2020, Milashina and a lawyer accompanying her were beaten by a dozen people in the lobby of their hotel.

Hours after Tuesday's attack on Milashina and Nemov, a court in Grozny sentenced Zarema Musayeva to 5½ years in prison on charges of insulting and violently resisting police, an accusation that rights groups have rejected as trumped-up.

Musayeva has been in custody in Chechnya since her arrest in January 2022. Her husband, a former judge, and her two activist sons have left Chechnya. Chechnya's strongman regional leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has accused the Musayev family of having terrorist links and said that they should be imprisoned or killed.

The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to keep the North Caucasus region stable after two devastating separatist wars. International rights groups have accused Kadyrov’s feared security forces of extrajudicial killings, torture and abductions of dissenters. His clout has risen since the start of Moscow’s campaign in Ukraine, where his security forces have taken active part.

Repeated demands by international human rights groups to end abuses in Chechnya have been stonewalled by Russian authorities.

Despite the Kremlin's support, Kadyrov reportedly has had tense relations with some of Russia's law enforcement agencies. Tuesday's attack quickly drew an angry reaction from Kremlin-connected lawmakers that could signal authorities' intentions to cut the Chechen strongman down to size.

Andrei Klishas, head of the constitutional affairs committee in the upper house, said that the attack on Milashina and Nemov warrants a “tough response” from the law enforcement agencies, and another senior lawmaker, Alexander Khinshtein, denounced it as “criminal” and urged prosecutors to prioritize the case.