Ratmir Shameyev

Ratmir Erikovich Shameyev (; July 7, 1988 – April 29, 2011), also known as Emir Zakariya, was a Kabardin Mujahid Emir (commander) fighting in the North Caucasus.

Militant Activity According to Russian law enforcement officials, Shameyev's militant career began in May 2010 when he was involved in a skirmish with local security forces. Traveling in a car with fellow militants, the vehicle exploded and Shameyev lost his right eye but was still able to escape his pursuers; this was seen as an act of God by other militants of the North Caucasus, and Shameyev's profile grew considerably.

Known as a "brilliant and charismatic orator" who had been "lionized" on North Caucasian jihadist websites, Shameyev and Asker Dzhappuyev - the overall leader of the United Vilayat KBK - were the "putative masterminds" behind a 12-month killing spree that resulted in the deaths of dozens of police and local government officials in Kabardino-Balkaria, including republican mufti Anas Pshikhachev as well as respected Circassian ethnographer Aslan Tsipinov. The operation resulted in the virtual decapitation of the insurgency leadership in Kabardino-Balkaria.