Chechen authorities called the kidnapping of Areg Shchepikhin a detention.

"Openly, publicly and repeatedly called for ethnic cleansing and Nazism, — the minister explained Chechnya on national policy, external relations, press and information Akhmed Dudayev, insulted religion and God, and also expressed clearly extremist views and declared his intention to rape young children."

According to Dudayev, the arrest took place "without particularly harsh violent actions" and law enforcement officers “essentially saved Shchepikhin’s life,” because "Hundreds of thousands of Muslims were seething with the desire to bring him to justice as soon as possible."

Moreover, the first photos after his "arrest" show bruises on Areg's face, and he is limping. Media reports claim he was beaten for several hours, tortured, and forced to apologize on video.

“I was kidnapped from the Yaroslavsky railway station by Chechens, — Shchepikhin himself said. — They took me out of town. <…> They wanted to know if I had any connections or contacts with Ukraine, if I was somehow connected to the opposition. They terrorized me on social media for a long time, for about a year <…>. Well, I told the Chechens to go to hell, and I told the Muslims to go to hell. And that's how they reacted. They broke my ears with the butt of a pistol." 

The Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs adds that six people have been detained in connection with Shchepikhin's case.