On February 27, hundreds of people in Moscow marched to commemorate the murder of prominent Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was killed seven years ago. Nemtsov was shot at least seven times in Moscow near the Kremlin and numerous reports have linked Nemtsov’s assassination to Chechnya’s leader and strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, whose policies were criticised by Nemtsov. Even though several Chechens close to Kadyrov were arrested over Nemtsov’s arrest and politicians have accused Kadyrov of being involved in the murder, the investigation has failed to make much progress. This is despite the fact that Putin condemned the murder and promised to punish those responsible.
Kadyrov is also believed to be behind the murders of well-known Russian journalists and lawyers, including the 2006 killing of Novaya Gazeta journalist Anna Politkovskaya, who was investigating human rights abuses in Chechnya. Apart from targeting critics of his regime, Kadyrov’s regime has undertaken a brutal crackdown against the region’s LGBT minority and enforced stricter laws on women in line with Islamic Sharia law principles. These actions are in violation of Chechnya’s constitution, which was adopted in 2003 after Russia gave it autonomy to conduct its own affairs. Article 11 of the constitution states that Chechnya is a “secular state” and “no religion can be established as an obligatory one.”
Moreover, Kadyrov has recently been taking matters that are usually dealt by the federal government—security and foreign affairs—into his hands. The European Council for Foreign Relations (ECFR) has said that Chechnya is increasingly operating outside of Moscow’s orbit. “Russian laws do not work in Chechnya,” the ECFR said in one of its reports in 2017.
For instance, Kadyrov has formed a formidable personal army known as the Kadyrovtsy. As the name suggests, all recruits have to pledge allegiance to Kadyrov. Per reports, the Kadyrovtsy militias have been used to suppress dissent in Chechnya and carry out assassinations across Russia and even Europe. In this regard, Russian intelligence and security agencies are increasingly viewing Kadyrov as a threat to Russian security interests. Opposition leader Ilya Yashin has even called Kadyrov a “threat to national security” and warned that Chechnya is “not subject to the laws of the country.”
Yet, despite Kadyrov’s penchant for killing Russian politicians and his disregard for the country’s laws and warnings by Russian officials, Putin has chosen not to reprimand Kadyrov. In fact, just last year, Putin endorsed Kadyrov for the Chechen elections and has continued to fund the Chechen leader. According to Brian Whitmore, an expert on Russian politics, Putin has given Kadyrov the license to act freely “as long as the restive republic [Chechnya] remains quiet and loyal.”
During the early years of Putin’s presidency, containing Chechen insurgency and separatism was a key security issue. It is during this period that Kadyrov played an important role. Kadyrov, along with several other Chechen factions, allied with Moscow to defeat the Chechen separatists in the second Chechen war from 1999 to 2000. He also helped Russian security forces in eliminating the ensuing Chechen insurgency. Putin has since relied on Kadyrov to rule Chechnya and ensure that the region remains stable, and Kadyrov has delivered on that front.
Since Kadyrov took over as Chechnya’s President in 2007, he has been successful in preventing an insurgency from taking root in the region. For instance, he has incorporated former anti-Russian Chechen militants into the Kadyrovtsy, which has managed to severely crack down on any sort of dissent or even rumblings of criticism against Kadyrov’s rule. By most accounts, Kadyrov has maintained stability in Chechnya at the cost of basic freedoms.
Additionally, Kadyrov has invested a lot into the development of Chechnya, especially its capital, Grozny. The city, which once had the distinction of being the ‘world’s most destroyed city’ due to relentless Russian bombing during the second Chechen war, has emerged as a symbol of Chechnya’s development. Today, skyscrapers are spread through much of the city, while large mosques and malls are also common. Furthermore, much of the region’s reconstruction efforts have focused on building homes, schools, hospitals, roads, and other infrastructure.
Putin has also relied on Kadyrov because the Chechen leader has pledged his allegiance to the Kremlin and Russia. In fact, Kadyrov has frequently referred to himself as Putin’s “foot soldier” and has openly supported the President’s domestic and foreign policies. Kadyrov can often be seen sporting t-shirts with Putin’s image and displaying pictures of the Russian President during public rallies.
However, the relationship between Putin and Kadyrov goes beyond the simple terms of a ‘give and take’ deal. Putin also expects Kadyrov to support Russia militarily. In fact, Chechen troops were used as ground forces during Russian combat missions in Syria, Georgia, and Libya. Most recently, Kadyrov announced that he was deploying Chechen soldiers in Ukraine to assist with Putin’s invasion of the country.
So far, Kadyrov has answered Moscow’s calls for military assistance. Crucially, Kadyrov is willing to forgo the autonomy that deploying his troops to aid in Putin’s wars entails, so long as he continues to be funded by the Kremlin and is given the freedom to shape the region in his image. However, it can equally be argued that in trying to pacify Kadyrov and tolerate his excesses, Putin has in fact lost control of his protégé and indeed Chechnya. Any efforts to rein in Kadyrov would lead to instability in the region, a scenario that Putin has sought to avoid at any cost. Experts have said that controlling Kadyrov could result in him rebelling against Moscow, which would set the stage for a potential third Chechen war. In light of Russia’s war against Ukraine, preventing Chechnya from descending into turmoil will be of the highest priority to Moscow. In this scenario, it is hard to see Putin having any other options other than keeping Kadyrov in power because, ultimately, Russia values security and stability over ensuring rights and freedoms.
Putin Has Lost Control Of Chechnya By Allowing Kadyrov to Shape the Region in His Image
While Kadyrov has done Moscow's bidding so far, especially in keeping Chechnya stable, he has consolidated power at a pace that has generated concerns among Russia’s security agencies.
March 2, 2022
Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov IMAGE SOURCE: MIKHAIL METZEL/TASS