1.0 Introduction
The Ğalğay Kortamuq̇alen Eskar, or Ingush Liberation Army (ILA), is the armed wing of the Ingush Independence Committee (KIN). Established in April 2023, the ILA aims to liberate the Ingush from Russian Federation control.
Ingushetia, officially the Republic of Ingushetia is one of the constituent republics of the Russian Federation. Populated by the Ingush people it has seen frequent state crackdowns and violence.
A statement released by the KIN stated that they wanted to restore what its members consider “the territorial integrity of Ingushetia (Glalglyache) and [to] protect its borders from possible aggressive actions by Russian satellites”. [Source]
2.0 Motto, Symbols, Patches and History
2.1 Motto
Although the group does not have any official mottos or phrases it commonly uses religious quotations in propaganda. One of these was in the statement released by the KIN announcing the formation of the ILA which stated:
“Under the right of our people to self-determination and self-defence, granted to us by Almighty Allah, decides to form the Ingush Liberation Army (galgay Kortamuqalen Eskar)”
Religious nationalist organizations in the Caucasus region commonly employ the use of religion to justify their national identity. [Source, source, source]
2.2 Symbols of the Ingush Liberation Army
The flag of the Ingush Liberation Army (ILA) replaced the older flag of Ingushetia. The new flag of the group(s) features the Arabic phrase “لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله” (There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah). This emphasises the importance that the KIN and ILA place upon Islam and the Muslim community.
2.3 Patches of the Ingush Liberation Army
Apart from using the military banner of the Ingush Liberation Army they also use another patch on their uniforms. This is displayed below.
This patch is based on a drawing made by one of the Ingush fighters who died. It has several identifiable features:
- The round nature of the shield represents the traditional Ingush shield. According to the group this “represents the protection of our people from external threats and aggression”
- The swords in the centre symbolise the “unity and valour of our warriors” who are “ready to defend freedom and justice”
- The writing at the top of the emblem is ‘Ğalğay Kortamuq̇alen Eskar”. This stands for the ‘Ingush Liberation Army’ and it is written in Ingush as opposed to Russian Cyrillic.
2.4 History of the Ingush Liberation Army
The history of the ILA and KIN is quite recent and the organisation has only been around since 2023. However, Ingush liberation organisations have been around for several decades. These stem from the original colonisation of the Ingush region by the Russian Empire between 1800 and 1864. [Source]
2.4.1 – WW2
Tensions between the Ingush people and the Soviet government occurred during WW2. Stalin accused both the Chechen and Ingush populations of collaborating with the Germans during the war which was never proven. Stalin deported the majority of the Ingush population to Central Asia after the war. They were only allowed back into Ingushetia 13 years after deportation and were met with heavy repression from state forces. [Source, source]
2.4.2 – Post Soviet period
In 1992 ethnic tensions between the North Ossetians and Ingush people in Ingushetia occurred. Orchestrated by Ossetian nationalists, over 60,000 Ingush people were forced from their homes. As a result of this, the Russian Federation sent forces into the region ostensibly as peacekeepers.[Source]
2.4.2 Formation of the Ingush Independence Committee / Ğalğay Komitet /Komitet Ingushskoj Nezavisimosti (KIN)
On 7 January 2023, a congress of supporters of an independent Ingushetia in Istanbul formed the KIN. Representatives at the conference included prominent Ingush representatives and activists. The participants emphasised that they are not a political party and they “do not claim a special position in [our] society”.
One of the stated goals of the KIN was the consolidation of Ingush society around independence. The preservation of Ingush cultural and religious identity was also stated. Additionally, the creation of a basis for building an independent Ingush state was claimed.
“The leadership has been elected; regarding security issues, the names of the participants are temporarily not disclosed. Cooperation on the basis of brotherhood exists and is possible with some Caucasian diasporas,”
Press service of the Ingush Independence Committee
The committee also received support from the Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Alexey Goncharenko. A day after the conference he wrote on Telegram that
“Ingushetia is on the path to independence! A very important story!”.
Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Alexey Goncharenko
2.4.3 Formation of the Ingush Liberation Army / Ğalğay Kortamuq̇alen Eskar/Ingushskoj Osvoboditel’noj Armii (ILA)
In April 2023 the KIN issued a statement announcing the formation of the ILA as its military branch. The KIN activists justified their decision due to the need to prepare for “the collapse of Russia”. Also due to many years of ‘Russian occupation and violence’ In Ingushetia, the Ingush people should be ready for the collapse of the Federation. They stated that such a collapse would:
“Inevitably lead to confrontation within the Russian elites, all kinds of private military companies (PMCs) and gangs created by the criminal Kremlin authorities”
Although the armed group is newly formed, instances of violence within Ingushetia have occurred. These incidents may be linked to the group and will be discussed below in the operations section. Additionally, the group operates a unit active in Syria known as the “Sham” unit. [Source]
3.0 Organisation of the Ingush Liberation Army
3.1 Place within the broader government structure of Ingushetia
The Ingush Liberation Army and the Ingush Independence Committee hold a unique position within the wider Caucasus region. This stems from their deliberate avoidance of being perceived as a political party and their assertion that they “do not claim a special position in [our] society.” This makes them special as they do not claim to be the legitimate government of the Ingush region. Rather they claim to effectively be a liberation force. This uniqueness extends to their lack of engagement with the Ingushetia government and their formation in exile.
This contrasts with Chechnyan separatist organisations as they held de-facto independence from Russia. From 1996-1999 after the First Chechnyan War the Chechens governed their republic. Chechnya briefly achieved “independence” from Russia for three years before Russian forces crushed it and reintegrated it into the Federation.
These Chechnyan groups claimed to hold legitimate governance over the region they were ruling over. This, along with a serious sense of ethnonationalism amongst the Chechnyan population contrasts them to the Ingush who have never held control of their region in the same way. [Source, source]
3.2 Financing of the Ingush Liberation Army
Although the financing of the armed wing and the committee remains undisclosed, Ansar Garkho, the committee head, disclosed in an interview that he had collaborated with charitable organizations. Donations might supply funding to the Committee, which could then be redirected to its armed wing, the ILA. Other independence movements in the Caucasus region, as well as Caucasus-based jihadist organizations, have obtained funds through smuggling. The region’s unstable security environment has fostered an atmosphere in which groups exploit opportunities to secure funding. [Source, source]
3.3 Key Figure of the Ingush Liberation Army
Ansar Garkho
Ansar Garkho is the only notable figure in the Ingush Independence Committee and he serves as the figurehead of the movement. Born and raised in Malgobek, Ingushetia he left the region in 2017. Following Ingush security forces’ actions, they confined him to the basement of his house, menacing him with a machine gun, and issued threats of imprisonment or death.
Whilst in Ingushetia he collaborated with varying charitable organisations such as the Afiya Charity Foundation. The construction aimed to build mosques, madrassas, and housing. However, Ingush authorities rejected these construction requests, fearing they could pose “a potential threat to their power.”
The former head of Ingushetia Yunus-bek Yevkurov tried to call the Ingush activists including Ansar Garkho into a council. He and the other representatives rejected this council by declaring that:
“Under no circumstances would we cooperate with the occupying power”
3.4 Recruitment
The KIN and the ILA both recruit from the Ingush population which numbers around 700,000 people worldwide. Although its membership numbers are unknown, it has a significant diasporic community to draw from. Around 85,000 Ingush people live in Turkey another 18,000 live in Kazakhstan. However, the relative size of the community able and willing to fight for the ILA will limit its size. [Source, source, source]
In a video released by the group, it shows fighters who are a part of the “Sham” unit in Syria. In this video, the group calls for the people of Ingushetia to join and do whatever they can to free Ingushetia from Russian control. This unit, although only composed of the eight fighters seen in the video, may be able to recruit from the aforementioned Ingush diaspora in Turkey.
3.5 Connections to Ukraine
The KIN and its armed wing the ILA have several connections to Ukraine and Ukrainian politicians. In December 2023, a group of politicians in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine proposed a piece of legislation. This bill supports the right of the Ingush people to their statehood. The bill acknowledged the Ingush people’s right to establish an autonomous, sovereign national state.
It also denounced the 1944 mass deportations, the 1992 fighting in the Prigorodny region, and the partition of the Ingush people’s territory. Ukrainian political scientist Mikhail Savva stressed that the bill aims to garner support from the Ingush population and to undermine Russia’s strength from within. [Source]
Ansar Garkho has also held meetings with the leader of the Crimean Tatar national movement, Mustafa Dzhemilev. During this meeting, the two national liberation movements discussed cooperation, political collaboration, and humanitarian aid. A central tenet of the meeting centred around the shared experience of suffering the Crimean Tatar and Ingush people went through under Stalin and Russia. [Source]
4.0 Equipment of the Ingush Liberation Army
4.1 Weapons
The Ingush Liberation Army has posted several videos and photographs of the members of its group with an array of weaponry. Examples of what the group is known to use are listed below:
- PKM machine gun
- Makarov PM Pistol
- AKM
- AK-74
- AM-50 Sayyad (Anti-materiel rifle)
4.1.1 Rocket launchers
Another photograph displays two ILA fighters with an array of rocket launchers behind them with American-made AT-4 rocket launchers and also RPG launchers with an array of warheads. One of the identifiable rockets includes the PG-7VR, featuring a tandem charge warhead specifically designed to penetrate 750mm of rolled homogeneous armour and its equivalent in ERA (explosive reactive armour). [Source]
4.2 Armor and Kit
The group has also been pictured with varying forms of kit such as body armour, modern camouflage uniforms and balaclavas which help to disguise the group’s operators. In the video released by the group, there appears to be the use of a drone to record the videos which leads to the potential of the group to use drones in a reconnaissance role.
5.0 Tactical-Operational Information of the Ingush Liberation Army
Due to the groups’ small size and relatively recent start of operations, there is not much information about the groups’ tactical procedures. However, they have committed several low-intensity attacks against police officers and checkpoints. This suggests that currently, they lack developed tactics or sufficient membership numbers to execute significant attacks against Russian security forces or infrastructure.
5.1 Operations by the ILA
There have been several militant attacks against Russian security forces and police officers in Ingushetia in the regions and towns where the ILA has a presence such as Malgobek and the Ingushetia-North Ossetia border.
- Zyazikov-Yurt – On 6 April 2023, three police officers died during a counter-terrorism operation in the village of Zyazikov-Yurt. When police discovered a group of militants, they attempted to apprehend them but encountered gunfire from machine guns. During the clash, three officers lost their lives, while another 8 sustained injuries of varying degrees of severity. [Source]
- Nazran – On March 27, 2023, militants attacked a police post at the intersection of the Nazran-Kantyshevo and Malgobek-Mayskoye highway. The shooting injured two police officers, prompting an investigation that resulted in three Ingush men being put on the wanted list. [Source]
- Karabulak – On March 3, 2024, security forces conducted a special operation in the town of Karabulak, resulting in the elimination of six militants affiliated with the ILA. These militants had opened fire on law enforcement forces, presumed to be members of the Russian FSB, from a residential building which led to the raid. Local authorities subsequently introduced counter-terrorism emergency powers in the town. [Source]
5.2 Core Purpose
The core purpose of the ILA is to free the Ingush people and the region of Ingushetia from Russian control and to establish an independent Ingush state. To this end, they have secured recognition from the Ukrainian government and several prominent Ukrainian politicians. This has allowed them to not only secure international recognition but also begin a dialogue by which their supporters can attempt to gain more and more support for the ILA to destabilise Russia in the Caucasus region. [Source]
5.3 Personnel size
Although concrete numbers of the membership of the ILA are not readily available the group has posted videos of its ‘Sham’ unit in Syria with eight members seen on camera. Even though this is not a large number of fighters, the fact that the group can post a unit to Syria means that they have a significant enough membership to be able to do so. [Source]
6.0 Future of the ILA
Ingushetia continues to contend with a challenging geopolitical environment, Establishing stable relations with Russia and its neighbouring republics has proven to be challenging due to its placement on insecure borders, limited natural resources and complex political history. These difficulties have been compounded by continued low-level fighting in the Caucasus. The Ingush Independence Committee’s formation of the Ingush Liberation Army with the intention of “liberating the Ingush territory and population from Russian rule” presents an additional threat to the stability of Ingushetia and Russia.
