Armenian investigators name suspects in killing of Chechen woman Aishat Baymuradova, one was previously linked to terrorism case in Russia

On Feb. 3, Armenia’s Investigative Committee officially named two suspects in the killing of 23-year-old Chechen woman Aishat Baymuradova, who had fled Russia to escape domestic abuse. According to a response from the agency to a request by BBC News Russian, both are Russian citizens: Karina Iminova and Saidkhamzat Baysarov.

Armenian investigators believe that Baysarov and Iminova acted on the instructions of a “person not yet identified.” Armenian law enforcement authorities sent a request for legal assistance to Russian officials in December of last year, but have not yet received a response. The suspects have been placed on a wanted list, and a “diffusion” has been issued through Interpol (a less formal request than the better-known Red Notice).

The Insider found that Baysarov had previously been arrested in Russia under Article 205.1, Part 1.1 of the country’s criminal code, which covers “aiding terrorist activity.” Court records confirm that Baysarov was detained in December 2018 and remained in pretrial detention at least until December 2019. However, there is no publicly available information about the case being heard in court or about any verdict. Baysarov is not listed in Russia’s federal register of terrorists and extremists (maintained by the financial monitoring agency Rosfinmonitoring), which suggests the case was dropped.

A Moscow-based lawyer specializing in terrorism cases, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told The Insider that such cases can be closed without a verdict only in exceptional circumstances.

“Technically, a person could be acquitted. There are no suspended sentences in such cases. The most likely scenario is that the case was suspended in exchange for cooperation,” the lawyer said.

In 2022, Baysarov was convicted in an unrelated case for repeated drunk driving. The court ruling stated that he had no prior convictions at the time, further confirming that there was no verdict in the terrorism case. Baysarov was released after being sentenced to pay a fine.

The Insider also established that since 2019 Baysarov’s sister, Madina Baysarova, has been listed in the Russian Federal Financial Monitoring Service’s register of “terrorists and extremists.” No court rulings involving Baysarova could be found in publicly available records, but she remains on the list.

The second suspect, Karina Iminova, was acquainted with Aishat Baymuradova and, according to human rights activists, was the last person Baymuradova met on Oct. 15, 2025, the day she disappeared. BBC News Russian noted that, contrary to reports about Oct. 15 being the date of their “first personal meeting,” Baymuradova's Instagram page contained a joint photo of the two from Sept. 20 with the caption “My dearest.”

The human rights project NC SOS (North Caucasus SOS) previously reported that Iminova stopped responding to messages immediately after the killing and is believed to have left Armenia. According to the BBC, Iminova claimed to be from Dagestan, but a source who saw her documents said she was born in Osh, Kyrgyzstan. Among her social media followers, journalists and activists found several figures linked to the circle of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, including Rubati Mitsaeva, a former associate of Akhmed Zakayev’s who later returned to Chechnya and sided with Kadyrov.

Aishat Baymuradova's body was found on Oct. 20, 2025, in the apartment in Yerevan where she lived after fleeing Chechnya. According to investigators, the cause of her death was mechanical asphyxiation (although Armenia’s Investigative Committee said it could not be determined with absolute certainty). Her body also showed hemorrhages and signs of blunt force trauma, as well as injuries that may have been caused by exposure to high temperatures.

Baymuradova fled Chechnya with the help of human rights activists who assist women from the North Caucasus. They say such women often face the threat of domestic violence, persecution, and so-called honor killings — and that the danger can persist even after they leave Russia.