The police in Lviv have detained three 18-year-old residents of Mykolaiv region in connection with the theft of a memorial plaque dedicated to the late Dzhokhar Dudayev, the first president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and a national hero of the Chechen people.
On May 1, at approximately 07:25, local authorities reported the theft to the police. Officers reviewed surveillance footage from the “Safe Lviv” system, which led them to the location of the suspects, who were subsequently arrested.
According to law enforcement, the investigation is being conducted under the article pertaining to theft, which carries a potential prison sentence of five to eight years. The investigation is ongoing, and no comments have been made by the detained individuals regarding their motives.
The memorial plaque was unveiled on April 21, coinciding with the anniversary of Dudayev’s death. It is located on the facade of a building at the beginning of Dudayev Street in central Lviv.
Dzhokhar Dudayev was a significant military and political figure, serving as the first president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria during its struggle for independence from Russia in the 1990s. Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, he held the rank of major general in the Soviet Air Force. He was killed by a missile fired from a Russian Su-25 aircraft on April 21, 1996. In the same year, Lviv renamed Lermontov Street to Dudayev Street.
Streets named after Dudayev can also be found in Istanbul, Ankara, and Amman, in addition to a square in Warsaw and a park in Vilnius.
Three individuals have been arrested in Lviv for stealing a memorial plaque honoring Dzhokhar Dudayev, the first president of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The police are conducting an ongoing investigation into the incident, which carries significant legal repercussions.