Claim: After graduating from medical school, Khassan Baiev became a popular plastic surgeon in Chechnya and later a surgeon near Grozny.
Evidence: In 1985, Baiev graduated from medical school and started his specialist training. He returned to Chechnya in 1988 and became a successful plastic surgeon; and, in the early 1990s, he went to Moscow for additional training. By 2000, Baiev was the single surgeon for nearly 80,000 residents near Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, and at one point during the conflict he performed 67 amputations and eight brain operations in a 48-hour period.