[2] On 17 May 2000, Alikhadzhiyev was detained by a large group of uniformed Russian soldiers who arrived by armoured vehicles and helicopters at his home in Shali.

Alikhadzhiyev, who was with his four minor children and was caring for a sick mother, did not resist; he was handcuffed, blindfolded and taken by an armoured vehicle to a location nearby, which is where he was last seen.

On 25 May, Colonel general Valery Manilov confirmed the arrest during a press conference, and on 1 August the state news agency RIA Novosti announced that "Ruslan Alikhadzhiyev, one of the closest allies of Maskhadov, was captured in a special operation by the FSB.

[2] A Shalinsky District's prosecutor's office said it opened a case for kidnapping, but "the steps taken to identify the individuals responsible for this crime have been unsuccessful" and the investigation was suspended on 12 December 2000.

In July 2007, in the case Alikhadzhieva v Russia, the European Court of Human Rights found Russian authorities responsible for the "disappearance" and presumed killing of Alikhadzhiev and ordered the government to pay his mother 40,000 euros ($54,500) in damages,[7][8][9][10] as well as about 5,000 euros ($5,382) for costs and expenses incurred.