Lechi Dudayev
{{Short description|Chechen politician and officer (1961–2000)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Lechi Dudayev
| birth_date = 1961
| death_date = {{death date and age|2000|01|31|1961|df=y}}
| birth_place = Grozny, Checheno-Ingush ASSR, Soviet Union
| death_place = Grozny, Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
| image = Lechi_Dudayev.png
| caption =
| allegiance = {{flagicon|Chechen Republic of Ichkeria}} Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
| serviceyears = 1994–2000
| rank = Colonel
| commands = 30px Duki special forces
| unit =
| battles = First Chechen War
Second Chechen War
| awards = {{flagicon|Chechen Republic of Ichkeria}} Ġazotan tur
| office = Mayor of Grozny
| termstart = 1996
| termend = 2000
| preceded =
| succeeded =
}}
Lechi Sultanovich Dudayev ({{langx|ru|Леча Султанович Дудаев}}; 1961 — 31 January 2000) was a Chechen politician who was mayor of Grozny and a participant in both Russian-Chechen wars from 1994 until 2000.{{Cite web |date=25 January 2018 |title=Памяти героя свободной Ичкерии Лечи Дудаева |url=http://chechenews.com/%d0%bf%d0%b0%d0%bc%d1%8f%d1%82%d0%b8-%d0%b3%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%be%d1%8f-%d1%81%d0%b2%d0%be%d0%b1%d0%be%d0%b4%d0%bd%d0%be%d0%b9-%d0%b8%d1%87%d0%ba%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%b8%d0%b8-%d0%bb%d0%b5%d1%87%d0%b8-%d0%b4/|access-date=8 August 2023 |website=chechenews.com |language=ru}}
Biography
Dudayev was born in 1961 in Grozny.{{cite book |last1=Дудаева |first1=Алла |title=Миллион первый |date=2003 |publisher=Ультра. Культура |isbn=978-5-98042-013-0 |page=288 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y7AiAQAAIAAJ&q=%221961%22+%D0%94%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%B5%D0%B2 |access-date=28 April 2025 |language=ru}} He was the son of Bekmurza Dudayev, which made his uncle the first President of Ichkeria, Dzhokhar Dudayev. He was part of the Yalkharoy teip, who mainly came from the city of Yalkharoy. After graduating from high school in 1982, he worked in the engineering department of GrozNII of Oil and Gas, and while on the job graduated from the Grozny State Oil Technical University with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Death
When, during the breakthrough from the blockade of Grozny, the Chechen command learnt that the exit was booby-trapped, someone suggested letting in Russian prisoners of war. A militant, Arsan Abubakarov, recalled in his diary that they were trying to go to Yermolovka at the time, and were forced into the minefield when they were ambushed on a bridge with machine guns.{{cite book |last1=Рыклин |first1=Александр |title=Ответственность «элит», или Кто нас довел до жизни такой |date=2022 |publisher=Захаров |isbn=978-5-8159-1671-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=detwEAAAQBAJ&dq=%D0%9B%D0%B5%D1%87%D0%B0+%D0%94%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%B5%D0%B2&pg=PT84 |access-date=28 April 2025 |language=ru|quote=29 января. Мы шли на Ермоловку через минное поле. Шамиль Басаев, Леча Дудаев, Хункар-Паша Исрапилов, Жим Асламбек, Мехидов Абдул-Малик шли впереди колонны. На мосту через Сунжу мы попали в засаду, понесли крупные потери. Нас начали обстреливать с двух сторон БМП, пулеметы, АГС. Мы, разбегаясь, наступали на мины. Многим оторвало ноги. Один прямо лег на мину, и ему разорвало грудь. Только с помощью Всевышнего нам удалось перебраться через мост. Но там стало много раненых и шахидов. Шамилю оторвало ногу. Абдул-Малик получил}} Unhappy with these words, Lechi Dudayev said that the Chechens could not use methods peculiar to the Russians. He suggested that the commanders move forward. All his comrades-in-arms agreed to this proposal.
Dudayev wanted to go first through the mined field, but he was stopped by Shamil Basayev, who himself stepped forward to clear the way for the Chechen soldiers following him. However, there was an explosion and Basayev's right foot was blown off. Dudayev came forward next, and after walking a few steps he too was blown up by a Russian mine. His wound was fatal.{{Cite web |date=2 February 2000 |title=Шамиль Басаев далеко не уйдет Ему оторвало ногу |url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/138958|access-date=2023-08-11 |website=kommersant.ru |language=ru}}