Yunus - bek Yevkurov Yunus - bek Bamatgireyevich Yevkurov ( ; born 23 July 1963 ) is the head of the southern Russia n republic of Ingushetia , appointed by President Dmitry Medvedev on 30 October 2008 . The following day , the People ' s Assembly of the Republic of Ingushetia , the republic ' s regional unicameral parliament voted in favor of Yevkurov ' s appointment , making him the third Head of Ingushetia . He is a career soldier , paratrooper , and Hero of the Russian Federation who was involved in numerous conflicts where Russia played a key role , including Kosovo ( 1999 ) and Chechnya . On 22 June 2009 , Yevkurov was seriously injured following a car - bomb attack on his motorcade in the city of Nazran . On 23 October 2011 , Yevkurov was again a target of an attack whilst on a national holiday . As head of Ingushetia , he has been able to stabilise the crime situation and bring about positive social changes within the Russian republic . Early life . Yevkurov , is an ethnic Ingush , was born on 23 July 1963 into a peasant family , of 12 children , consisting of five sisters and six brothers . He graduated from the same school that was later the scene of the Beslan massacre . Personal life . Yevkurov married Mareta on 23 December 2007 . The couple have one son , born on 1 November 2008 . Military service . Yevkurov was conscripted by the Soviet Army in 1982 , serving in the Naval Infantry of the Pacific Fleet . In 1989 , he graduated from the Ryazan School of Airborne Troops . Yevkurov continued his military education , graduating from the Frunze Military Academy in 1997 and from the General Staff Academy in 2004 . In June 1999 , Yevkurov was stationed in the Bosnian town of Ugljevik with the Russian peacekeepers under the auspices of SFOR . On 12 June , he led a task force on a swift 500 - km - long march , which aimed to secure the Pristina International Airport ahead of the NATO troops , thus ensuring a Russian presence in Kosovo after the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia . This led to a standoff with NATO troops . Yevkurov has had various positions of command within the Russian Airborne Troops and has participated in counterterrorist operations in the North Caucasus . During the course of the Second Chechen War in 2000 , he was in command of the 217th Guards Airborne Regiment ( 98th Guards Airborne Division ) . While on a reconnaissance mission , Yevkurov ' s team discovered a house where a group of captured Russian soldiers was held . Having neutralized the guards and infiltrated the building , the team was surrounded by Chechen reinforcements , resulting in armed combat . The Russian troops were able to break through the encirclement while Yevkurov was providing cover for the evacuation of the wounded . He personally carried a soldier to safety despite sustaining an injury himself . Twelve imprisoned soldiers were rescued . On 13 April 2000 , Yevkurov , for his courage , was presented with the Hero of Russia award , the country ' s highest title of honor . In 2004 , Yevkurov was appointed to be the Intelligence Division Deputy Commander of the Volga - Urals Military District . Political career . On 30 October 2008 , Yevkurov replaced the highly unpopular Murat Zyazikov as the head of Ingushetia . Zyazikov ' s dismissal and Yevkurov ' s appointment were received with much enthusiasm from the Ingush population . Attack . On 22 June 2009 , Yevkurov was seriously injured following a car - bomb attack on his motorcade in the city of Nazran at roughly 08 : 20 local time ( 04 : 20 GMT ) . In the incident , a Toyota Camry filled with explosives rammed the Yevkurov ' s convoy in what is believed to be a suicide bomb attack . One escorting policeman died on the spot ; Yevkurov ' s driver and cousin Ramzan died a few days later in a hospital . Yevkurov ' s brother Uvais was among the injured . Yevkurov suffered a ruptured liver , a severe concussion , and several cracked ribs , but was expected to survive following surgery . Yevkurov was then airlifted to a hospital in Moscow and was sent to intensive care with damage to his skull and internal organs , according to the " New York Times " . Though no group has yet claimed responsibility , Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accused Islamist militants of carrying out the attack , condemning the " terrorist attack " . Speaking on Russian television , Medvedev claimed that Yevkurov " did a lot to restore order . . . and the bandits obviously didn ' t like that kind of activity " . Russian news agency RIAN , quoting an unnamed Kremlin source , reported that executive authority in Ingushetia has been temporarily transferred to the prime minister , Rashid Gaisanov , who became acting Head by Russian presidential decree . The source claimed that " President [ Medvedev ] authorized Gaysanov to take operative management of the republic , and he has all the required authority for that " . Gaisanov remained the acting head of Ingushetia until Yevkurov returned to office . The attack followed other attacks on republic officials in June 2009 . On 10 June , the deputy chief justice of the Ingushetian Supreme Court , Aza Gazgireeva , was gunned down in Nazran shortly after dropping her children off at school , and on 13 June the former deputy prime minister , Bashir Aushev , was shot dead outside his home . After the attack , Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov claimed the Kremlin had ordered him to fight insurgents in Ingushetia , and during his subsequent visit to Ingushetia on 24 June pledged to revenge ruthlessly . On 4 July , a convoy of Chechen troops sent by Kadyrov into Ingushetia in response to the suicide bombing was ambushed by militants . The attack caused nine Chechen deaths , with 10 others severely wounded . On 9 July , Ingushetia ' s Interior Ministry announced the arrest of several suspects , including the Chechen rebel commander Rustaman Makhauri , allegedly involved in the attack on Yevkurov . Yevkurov regained consciousness from a coma two weeks after the attack . Yevkurov was released from the hospital in Moscow on 12 August 2009 , more than seven weeks after the attack , but continued to receive rehabilitation . Speaking to reports upon leaving the hospital , Yevkurov warned that " those who refuse to lay down their arms and surrender will be killed . " On 17 August 2009 , in a radio interview after the 2009 Nazran bombing Yevkurov accused the United States , Great Britain and Israel of being behind the destabilization of the North Caucasus in order to " prevent Russia from reviving the former Soviet might " . By September , 2009 , Yevkurov had returned to his position of head of the republic . Resignation . On July 2013 , he announced his own resignation following the upcoming Elections to the Ingush Presidency .