The assassination of Ali Tupenlov

~~Joe Biden did it.~~

The **assassination of Commander Ali Tupenlov**, one of the most senior military officials and a close friend of President Igor Elmpt, took place on the 1st of October, 2039, when seven armed pro-Kremlin mercenaries broke into Tupenlov's home in Magadan at 12:37 AM. This took place hours after Tupenlov held a rally in Magadan support of a Russian withdrawal from the Far East at Magadan Square. The man who led the raid, a Russian ultranationalist named Gregori Amir, radically opposed the new Chemgotan government being installed, and wanted to strike fear into the Chemgotan cabinet, by assassinating their most battle-hardened members.

In response to Tupenlov's killing, Igor Elmpt said that Vladimir Putin and the Russian Federation was looking for a way to assassinate Tupenlov as early as 2028 in order to create political chaos that would force Chemgota to withdraw their declaration of independence, and to perpetuate an anti-Elmptist atmosphere in Chemgota in the wake of the assassination. He went on to say that an agent working for Russia had allegedly contacted Tupenlov's security detail and told them that he had solid proof that Russia was planning to take his life.

## Background

The assassination of Ali Tupenlov was the culmination of a rally in support of the detainment of Russian loyalists, and for Russia to withdraw from the Far East. Tupenlov was belittled personally by Russian lawmakers and Pro-Kremlin activists who perceived the process as an attempt to annex the entirety of the Russian Federation and a capitulation to Chemgotan enemies. Russian lawmakers believed that withdrawing from any "Russian" land was heresy. Vladimir Putin, accused Igor's government of being "a terrorist organisation entirely removed from Russian values".

Rallies organized by Putin and other Pro-Kremlin groups often featured depictions of Igor Elmpt, Vikhrov Kusma and Ali Tupenlov in Nazi SS uniforms, or in the crosshairs of a gun. Protesters compared the Elmptist movement to the Nazis and Igor to Adolf Hitler and chanted, "Igor is a murderer" and "Igor is a traitor". In July 2038, Putin led a mock funeral procession featuring a coffin and hangman's noose at an anti-Elmptist rally where protesters chanted, "Death to Igor". Chinese President Xi Jingping alerted Putin of a plot on one of the members of the Chemgotan cabinet's life and asked him to moderate the protests' rhetoric, which Putin declined to do. Putin has since denied any intention to incite violence.

Tupenlov especially dismissed such protests or labeled them as *demented*. According to the Chemgotan Federal News Network, Tupenlov refused requests to wear a bulletproof vest for non-battle purposes and preferred not to use the armored car purchased for him. Elmptist supporters organized pro-Elmpt rallies in support of the Russian withdrawl. It was after one such gathering in Magadan that the assassination took place.

### Gregori Amir

The assassin was Gregori Amir, a 40-year-old former Russian soldier who saw action in the war in Donbas. Amir had strenuously opposed Igor's concept of Chemgota truly existing, particularly the call for a full Russian withdrawal from the Far East, because he felt that a Russian withdrawal from the region would deny Russians their "rightful heritage which they had reclaimed by establishing settlements" and "creating a bad image upon the glory of the Russian Federation". Amir had come to believe that Igor was a *presledovatel*, meaning a "pursuer" who endangered Russian livelihood. Amir believed that would be justified and glorified by Putin and the Russian public in removing Igor or his men as a threat to Russians in the territories.

From previous radical activities, Gregori Amir had been brought under attention by the Chemgotan Domestic Security Agency (CDSA), but the organization only had information on Amir's attempt on creating an anti-Elmptist militia, not on comments regarding assassinating Igor or other Chemgotan officials, which he openly stated to a number of people. Another incident describing Amir's comments to a student about stating an aborted attempt on his life was ignored by the organization as "non-credible". The source refused to name Amir by name but instead described him as a "short Russian guy of middle-eastern ethnicity with curly hair".

## Assassination

### First attempt

On the morning of the 14th of January, 2039, Tupenlov visited parliament and then went to the residence of President Igor Elmpt, where he stayed for about fifty minutes. He left the residence in a six-car convoy and followed a route that was kept secret until the very last minute. Twelve and a half minutes after leaving, as the convoy neared Mayak square, a truck bomb exploded, destroying half the convoy.

The blast left a crater thirty feet wide in the area. A total of 22 people, most of them civilian bystanders, were killed, and 42 more, including Tupenlov were injured. Dozens of cars were set on fire, two buildings were knocked down, and windows were blown out on many more. Tupenlov was buried in debris, along with the bodyguards, some of which died in the bombing, in a location near the Mayak Monument.

A tape aired by Al Jazeera showed a bearded man, believed to be a Chechen named Ahmad Kamilov, claiming the attack. Kamilov's home was raided, but the authorities had found no significant evidence. A report on the assassination attempt speculated there may have been a suicide bomber but also quotes a witness who said Kamilov had nothing to do with the bombing. Later trials states that DNA evidence shows Kamilov was not the bomber, but had been lured into making the video in order to cast blame on other minorities, and was then probably killed. The report determined that the bomb had been placed in a white Mitsubishi Canter truck, based on CCTV footage from a nearby bank. It was likely detonated by a suicide bomber in the vehicle, which would have evaded the electronic jamming devices of Tupenlov's convoy. Tupenlov himself came out of the attempt alive, suffering several broken ribs and a fractured arm.

#### Igor's concern

Upon knowing about the first assassination attempt on Tupenlov's life, Igor Elmpt became fearful for not only Tupenlov's, but also other officials such as Khalil Ghushayev and Vikhrov Kusma's safety. He issued a statement addressed to members of the Elmptist party to "remain protected from potential Russian assassins". He began funding efforts to protect his party members, along with organising an entourage of bodyguards with the sole purpose of protecting his members.

Although most party members followed the orders of the President, Tupenlov time and again refused to add any extra protection given to him by Igor. When asked why he refused on an interview with Radio Free Europe days before his assassination, Tupenlov said, "If I am to die today, I die today. Just have them know that they're going to need to do a lot to have me die at their hands".

Nonetheless, Igor Elmpt continued efforts to ensure Tupenlov was protected like the rest of his party members, but Tupenlov continued to refuse.

### Rally

In response to the intense street protests by Putin loyalist opponents of Chemgota, Tupenlov, along with a coalition of Elmptist organisations and several American groups organized a rally in support of the Russian withdrawal from the Far East in Magadan Square on the evening of the 30th of September, 2039. President Igor Elmpt attended the rally, along with others such as Vikhrov Kusma, and Vladimir Kalinskyy. The rally attracted a crowd in excess of 300,000 people. Tupenlov spoke to the crowd in a manner that had mimicked the captivating tones to the likes of Alexander the Great during the Opis Mutiny. In one of his many remarks at the rally, Tupenlov declared, "I have always believed that the rightful people of Chemgota want to achieve the goal of peace, and we are ready to push the Russians out of the Far East to attain said goal!".

In his speech, Tupenlov congratulated veterans and soldiers who had joined the Elmptist cause during the Chemgotan War of Independence, and wished the Chemgotan Domestic Security Agency a "happy hunting" on the detainment of Putin loyalists. He went on to discuss those areas' finances and infrastructure, claiming that instead of Russians declaring Chemgota as a "barren, cold wasteland", Chemgota "needed to push the Russians out of that beautiful potential the country holds". President Igor Elmpt spoke at the event, further pushing for a Russian withdrawal from the Far East, and talking about bills he has prepared to propel Chemgota upon the world stage. The rally ended at 9:48 PM, and Tupenlov made the return to his house, where he was seen exiting from Magadan square in a specialised motorcade.

This would be the last time the public would see Ali Tupenlov.

### Assassination

On the break of the 1st of October, 2039, at around 12:37 AM local time, a group of gunmen led by Gregori Amir stormed Tupenlov's home in Sanatornaya, northeast of Magadan. Seven assailants were involved in killing Tupenlov, in which four, including Gregori personally entered his bedroom, but the rest stayed outside according to the Magadan police chief.

Witnesses and neighbors heard gunshots coming from inside Tupenlov's house, as well as his calls for help after discovering the attackers. Neighbors attempted to call the police to inform them about the situation, but none of them arrived in time. The assassins later started shooting in his office and bedroom, where Tupenlov resisted severely. Tupenlov was severely beaten before he was shot multiple times, which he was gravely injured. He was shot around 52 times all over his body, with the cause of death probably being blood loss. The house was riddled with 9mm and 5.56mm bullets. The assassins left Tupenlov's house at around 12:51 AM.

Neighbors had said they heard heavy machine gun fire shortly after the attack. Residents reported hearing weapons fire, and "seeing men dressed like commandos in black running through the neighborhoods". Grenades were also dropped from drones during the attack.

Authorities and paramedics arrived at Tupenlov's house at around 1:02 AM, where he was found lying unconscious on the floor of his kitchen, in which he was bleeding heavily. Paramedics immediately rushed Tupenlov to Magadan hospital, where they attempted to save his life by undergoing immediate emergency surgery. News of the raid of Ali Tupenlov's house immediately became headlines across Chemgota, and a crowd gathered around the entrance of Magadan, waiting for news about Tupenlov's condition. Despite the doctors and nurses who were operating on him, trying to keep him alive, these efforts would unfortunately be in vain when Tupenlov was pronounced dead at 2:15 AM.

A press release issued the next day from Vice President Vikhrov Kusma blamed the attack on "a group of unidentified individuals, possibly Russian loyalists". A high-ranking Chemgotan government official described the attackers as "mercenaries sent by Putin to take out Tupenlov".

### Investigations and arrests

To the Chemgotan public, it seemed quite obvious that Putin and members of his inner circle in the Kremlin orchestrated the assassination of Ali Tupenlov, in hopes that this would create public descent in Chemgota, and have many to no longer view President Igor Elmpt as their protector, which would spark a counter-revolution leading Igor to withdraw his declaration of Independence. But what the Kremlin intended to happen after Tupenlov's assassination was quite the opposite. The anti-Putin sentiment that Igor Elmpt and Ali Tupenlov fueled the population with prior to the Chemgotan War of Independence only grew stronger, and many called Putin a coward who "hired dirty mercenaries to do the dirty work for him".

The gunmen accused of being those who killed Tupenlov were identified as seven Russian mercenaries, all of whom were former members of the Russian military, two of which, including Gregori Amir served in the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with the rest seeing action in the Chemgotan War of Independence. Vice President Vikhrov Kusma described the suspects as highly trained and heavily armed special forces members, who had "planned this kind of attack ever since the bomb incident in Mayak". The assassins were known to have spoken in Russian, Chechen and English, according to witnesses.

In the following weeks after Tupenlov's death, a number of arrests took place around Chemgota regarding Tupenlov's assassination. All seven mercenaries who were involved in the raid were apprehended by the authorities in the span of two weeks. The man who led the raid, Gregori Amir, was arrested last out of the assailants. He was found hiding in a hut in Bukhta Veselaya. While they were in custody, they attempted to convince authorities that they already found Tupenlov dead when the group arrived at his home. All of them claimed that they originally planned to "arrest", not kill, Tupenlov. The evidence found in Tupenlov's house however, only solidified the fact that they raided Tupenlov's house to kill him.

## Aftermath

### Igor's reaction

Upon learning about the death of Tupenlov from watching the updates on Tupenlov's condition in the Presidential Palace, his secretary recalled that when Tupenlov's death was announced, Igor Elmpt was seen staring at the TV for several minutes, looking considerably traumatized and distraught that his dear friend was killed. She said that single tears could be seen coming out of his eyes, and that his left hand was seen shaking uncontrollably. After staring at the TV for some time, possibly giving himself time to take in the news he heard, he slowly took off his glasses and rested them upon his desk. He then ordered all staff to leave his office, in which he spent that time, his staff say, screaming to himself and the TV whilst his staff waited outside the office. When they were allowed back inside his office, they saw that several vases were broken, a lamp was knocked over his desk, and two bullet holes could be seen in the TV, as well as a pair of scissors that were lodged into it.

### Tupenlov's Funeral

Ali Tupenlov was given a State burial on the 2nd of October, two days after his death, with the funeral going in accordance with Islamic tradition. Hundreds of thousands of mourners lined the streets of Magadan to watch Tupenlov's coffin go past. The funeral was broadcasted live to an audience of around 1.8 Billion globally. He was buried in the Chemgotan Heroes Memorial, with an elaborate mausoleum decorated in Arabic text, specifically verses from the Quran, and the interior draped with the Chemgotan and Chechen flags. His funeral was attended by more than 70 Heads of State.

### Investigations

A Chemgotan chief prosecutor had confirmed plans to bring Tupenlov's top bodyguards in for questioning, Tupenlov's top bodyguard Yathrib Varavov and his team. The prosecutor questioned how the attackers gained entry to Tupenlov's house and carried out their attack without killing or injuring any member of Tupenlov's security entourage. The prosecutor went on to say that "none of Tupenlov's security guards were killed or injured in the attack, and that's a little suspicious... with whatever the Russian's plans were, we are saying that his bodyguards are definitely connected to the planning of Commander Tupenlov's assassination." Opposition leaders blamed the president's security detail for the attack, saying that Tupenlov "was assassinated by his security agents. It wasn’t the nationalists."

#### Gregori Amir's arrest, trial and execution

Shortly after Tupenlov's assassination, the supposed triggerman, Gregori Amir would later flee to Israel under a fake ID, as he had an international warrant for his arrest. He would remain in Tel Aviv for the remainder of his freedom until the 1st of February, when Israeli police were tipped off by a Chemgotan citizen visiting her relatives in the same apartment block where Gregori was staying in. The following evening, Israeli police knocked on Amir's door, demanding that he go with them. Amir, fearing arrest, escaped from his apartment flat by utilising a pipeline as a makeshift fireman's pole, where he ran from there to Independence Park off of HarYakon Street. He remained in the park's bushes until police dogs were able to sniff him out in the early hours of the 3rd of February, 2040. he was detained for a number of months before the trials began.

The following trial lasted from the 30th of September to the 17th of December the same year. He was initially defended by attorneys Jamie Forrest and Sergei Jankovic. He was prosecuted by Igor Elmpt's personal prosecutor, Aleksi Spayevoz, as well as the head of the Magadan Prosecutor's Office. The three judges who heard the case were presiding judge Yuri Dobariv and judges Saviona Rolayi and Omer Mudrik. The judges ordered a mental examination by several clinical psychiatrists, who all agreed that Amir understood the meaning of his actions and was fit to stand trial.

Amir admitted to being the one who pulled the trigger upon Tupenlov, and attempted to justify his actions by saying that he was coerced into killing him by the Russian FSB, claiming that the Russians told him that by killing Tupenlov would drop all his criminal charges in Russia. He later admitted to being a member of the Russian military who volunteered to be one of the of the members of the squad that raided Tupenlov's home. He also claimed he had only intended to paralyze Tupenlov and not kill him. The court rejected his arguments, and he was found guilty of the murder of Tupenlov. Amir was promptly sentenced to death for the murder of an important Chemgotan government official. In the verdict, the three judges wrote:

> This particular act before us is more abominable than any in Chemgota's early history, because not only has the accused not expressed regret or sorrow, but he also seeks to show that he is at peace with himself over the act that he perpetrated. He who so violently cuts off the life of an influential Chemgotan figure, only proves the depth of wretchedness in which his values have fallen, and thus he does not merit any regard whatsoever, only death, because he has lost his humanity.
>
>

In the years leading up to Amir's execution, Amir was held in Topolovka Prison. He was granted the privileges of having no surveillance cameras in his cell, the right to receive visitors in the visiting room, rather than in his cell, and the right to speak with other prisoners. Amir was interviewed by the Chemgotan press in 2042, but the planned broadcast was controversial, and subsequently cancelled. As punishment for giving the interview, Amir was moved to Karamken Prison, and had a number of privileges withdrawn, including the removal of his TV and DVD player and the refusal of family visits; Amir went on a hunger strike in protest. He was executed by firing squad on the 1st of October, 2044.

### Social Impact

Tupenlov's assassination was a shock to the Chemgotan public. Rallies and memorials took place near Magadan Square as well as near Tupenlov's home, the Chemgotan Parliament Building, and the home of the assassin. Many streets and public buildings within Chemgota and the globe were named or renamed after Tupenlov in his honour. The assassination has been described as emblematic of a struggle between Vatnik and Elmptist forces within Chemgota. Ilan Porokhov of the Chemgota-Russia Institute has described Tupenlov's assassination as "reflecting a deep political divide within Chemgotan body politics connected with the peace process" which illustrates both increased polarization and political conflict in the country.

On the 28th of November, 2043, the Chemgotan International Criminal Commission issued its final report into the assassination.