A proposal has been made in Russia to reduce penalties for murders committed in the name of blood feuds

At a webinar organized by the Law Faculty of Moscow State University, Russian lawyers proposed reducing penalties for murders committed in the name of “blood vengeance.” In their view, this practice allegedly helps correct mistakes in the law enforcement system, compensate for damages, and ensure that criminals show remorse. Representatives from various regions of the Russian Federation and the occupied part of Ukraine participated in the meeting.

The webinar was opened by Dureya Ziyadova, Ph.D. in History and professor at Dagestan State University. She spoke of the “significant preventive potential” of blood feuds.

According to Ziyadova, this custom, unlike “traditional justice,” allegedly makes it possible to simultaneously secure compensation for damages, an apology from the perpetrator to the victims, and the perpetrator’s sincere repentance.

The professor proposed classifying murders motivated by blood feuds under Part 1 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This provision provides for a sentence of imprisonment for a term of six to 15 years.

At the same time, current Russian legislation considers the motive of blood feud to be an aggravating circumstance. Such murders are classified under subparagraph “e.1” of Part 2 of Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. This article provides for imprisonment for a term of eight to 20 years or life imprisonment.

Dureya Ziyadova’s proposal was also supported by other webinar participants from the North Caucasus region. Among them were:

• Elmira Dzhakhirova—Doctor of Historical Sciences, professor at Dagestan State University;
• Siabshakh Shapiev—Doctor of Law, professor, and Honored Lawyer of the Russian Federation;
• Dzhambulat Saydumov—Doctor of Law, professor at Chechen State Pedagogical University.

They presented blood feuds as part of the culture of the Caucasian peoples, which, according to them, persists to this day and makes it possible to “correct” the mistakes of the official justice system.

Rustem Maksudov, chairman of the All-Russian Association for Restorative Mediation, also proposed considering the reconciliation of feuding families—which signifies the end of a vendetta—as a form of mediation and “restorative justice.”

Andrey Zyukov, a candidate of legal sciences, member of the Russian Criminological Association, and Z-activist, who represented the “LPR” at the webinar, spoke about the alleged wisdom of the Caucasian peoples in the context of blood feuds.

He claimed that thanks to vendettas, the peoples of the Caucasus have learned to reach agreements among themselves. In contrast, Russians—including those “who call themselves Ukrainians”—allegedly lack such a custom, which is why the war in Ukraine has lasted so long.

“[Ukrainians] need to understand the objective realities. Russia has arrived. Russia is here to stay. And it does not bring evil; it brings good, peace, builds, develops, and so on,” Zyukov stated.

At the same time, the “LPR” representative described the practice, widespread in modern Russia, of releasing convicts sentenced for serious crimes from prison to fight in the war against Ukraine as part of the Russian Armed Forces as a form of “reconciliation.”

The organizers published the full recording of the webinar on the RuTube video-sharing platform. The publication SOTA drew attention to it.

Meanwhile, Russian authorities are preparing to toughen criminal penalties for inciting mass unrest, justifying terrorism, and committing violence against government officials, particularly online.

As a reminder, in Russia, demand for amulets that supposedly protect against the evil eye rose by 120% in January–February 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.