[KavkazUzel] A military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Dagestani native Makhach Bashirov to 15 years in prison, finding him guilty of financing ISIS*. Bashirov had previously received a lengthy prison sentence for plotting a terrorist attack in Kislovodsk.Â
As the " Caucasian Knot " reported, in August 2024, Makhach Bashirov was among six people convicted in the case of preparing an explosion at the Kislovodsk police station; he received an 11-year prison sentence.Â
Following his arrest in 2021, investigators identified Makhach Bashirov and other defendants as members of the extremist religious group At-Takfir wal-Hijra, which is banned in Russia. Bashirov's mother then recorded a video message to the president declaring her son's innocence, and residents of the Khasavyurt district collected over 1,400 signatures in his support.Â
The Southern District Military Court has been hearing the case of Makhach Bashirov under the article on financing terrorism (Part 1.1 of Article 205.1 of the Russian Criminal Code, which provides for a prison sentence of eight to fifteen years) since August 2025.Â
According to investigators, from April 15 to May 5, 2020, Bashirov, while in Kislovodsk, transferred money to the bank account of a member of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant*, the Southern District Military Court reported on its Telegram channel.
The verdict was handed down on June 10. Bashirov was sentenced to 15 years in prison, the first five of which he will serve in a penal colony, and the remainder in a maximum-security penal colony.Â
The court's statement does not specify whether he pleaded guilty, the amount of the money transfers, or the previous sentence handed down to Bashirov. Caucasian Knot has not yet received any comments from the convicted man or his lawyer regarding plans to appeal the verdict.
Makhach Bashirov, a 31-year-old native of the village of Terechnoye in the Khasavyurt district of Dagestan, is listed in the Rosfinmonitoring register of terrorists and extremists. According to a Telegram bot tracking updates to this list, Bashirov's details were first added on May 30, 2022. On May 15, 2026, the entry was updated: an asterisk was added to his name, denoting his involvement in terrorism.