He describes himself as “Putin’s foot soldier”: The 46-year-old Kadyrov is known as a loyal ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
But that was not always so. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, his loyalty was initially not to Russia but to Chechnya. At that time, Kadyrov joined Islamic separatists who wanted Chechnya’s independence from Russia.
The first Chechen war ended in 1996 after Russian forces intervened to prevent the secession of the majority Muslim republic. After a second war, new Russian President Vladimir Putin placed Chechnya under direct Kremlin control and installed Ramzan Kadyrov’s father, Akhmad Kadyrov, as head of the region’s administration.
By this time, in the late 1990s, Akhmad Ramzan and his son Ramzan Kadyrov had abandoned the Chechen separatist movement and defected to Russia. In 2003, Akhmad Kadyrov became President of Chechnya, and his son Ramzan became head of security.
Since then, Ramzan Kadyrov has commanded a militia of pro-Russian Chechens, the so-called Kadyrovtsy, which is said to be tasked with suppressing any remaining separatist elements. This militia is said to have committed serious human rights abuses ranging from kidnapping to torture and killings, according to Amnmesty International.
Ramzan himself is said to have been involved in such crimes. The Kadyrovtsy are also said to have kidnapped businessmen to extort money.
After the death of Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov in a bomb attack in May 2004, his son was appointed Deputy Prime Minister. However, analysts consider Ramzan Kadyrov to be Chechnya’s de facto leader.
Because Kadyrov was considered Putin’s darling and was awarded the prestigious title of “Hero of Russia” in 2004. Soon after, he was promoted to Prime Minister.
When he reached the required minimum age of 30 in 2007, Putin appointed him President of Chechnya. He has remained the leader of Chechnya to this day.
Kadyrov ruled and still rules Chechnya with an iron fist. According to human rights organizations, anyone in the autonomous Russian republic who speaks critically about the authorities and the government risks being arrested, prosecuted, convicted on false charges, kidnapped or even killed.
According to Human Rights Watch, journalists, dissidents, human rights activists and bloggers – including their families – live in grave danger. In its 2022 World Report, the organization writes that “Ramzan Kadyrov continues to ruthlessly suppress all forms of dissent.” LGBTQ people are also increasingly being subjected to massive persecution.
Putin can count on Kadyrov to guarantee stability in the region and quell any unrest. Kadyrov has even pledged to “carry out any military order from Russia’s Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin.”
For that unwavering loyalty, he enjoys considerable liberties. He took it upon himself to criticize the Russian leadership for the recent military setbacks in Ukraine. And even to call for the use of low-yield nuclear weapons.
Although some Chechens have been fighting alongside pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine for years, allegedly as volunteers, it was not until late February 2022 that Kadyrov officially declared that Chechen fighters had been deployed to Ukraine.
In March he announced that around 1,000 Chechen fighters were in Ukraine, a number that cannot be verified. Kadyrov’s Chechen forces are notorious for their brutality and for their social media presence. They were involved in the siege and capture of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol earlier this year.
Kadyrov has always vocally supported the war against Ukraine and even promised to send his own sons to the front. He recently announced that Putin has promoted him to the rank of colonel general. It seems that Putin’s self-proclaimed “foot soldier” keeps climbing the ranks.
Adapted from English by Astrid Prange de Oliveira.
Autor: Benjamin Restle
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The original of this article “Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin’s first fighter” comes from Deutsche Welle.
