Putin has appointed Ramzan Kadyrov as colonel general. The Chechen President is considered extremely brutal and is also known as “Putin’s bloodhound”. Why was he promoted now?
Amid military setbacks in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed the authoritarian ruler of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, as colonel general.
The decree on his appointment has already been published, and he is “incredibly grateful” to Putin for the “great appreciation,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram on Wednesday. Colonel-General is the third highest rank in the Russian Armed Forces, behind Marshal and Army General.
Now save articles for later in “Pocket”.
Kadyrov had two reasons to celebrate. Because on October 5th, the day of the promotion, he was 46 years old. “One could understand this act as a kind of birthday present from the Russian President,” says Alexander Libman in an interview with FOCUS online.
He works as a professor of political science with a focus on Eastern Europe and Russia at the Freie Universität Berlin. “Overall, however, this is a purely symbolic act. Putin wants to show Kadyrov that he respects and recognizes him. Apart from the title adjustment, no major changes are to be feared.”
Russia expert Gerhard Mangott from the University of Innsbruck takes a very similar view. “The message is: Absolute loyalty to Putin pays off and is given appropriate recognition,” he said in an interview with FOCUS online.
At the same time, Mangott believes that Kadyrov was chosen “because he publicly blamed the generals for the failures in Ukraine”.
In doing so, he relieved the Kremlin boss and shifted the blame for Russian failures in the Ukraine war onto others. Anyone who takes a look at Kadyrov’s Telegram profile will know what Mangott means. In mid-September, for example, the 46-year-old denounced the “mistakes” of Russian generals.
“Unless changes in strategy are made today or tomorrow, I will be forced to approach DoD and country leadership and explain the real situation on the ground,” he wrote.
A few days ago, Kadyrov lashed out at Alexander Lapin, also a colonel general and responsible for the Lyman front. After Russia withdrew from the strategically important city in eastern Ukraine, he called on Telegram to depose Lapin and send him to the front as a simple soldier.
“By appointing him Colonel-General, Putin has clearly upgraded Kadyrov’s status within Russia’s political elite,” explains Mangott. Despite – or perhaps because of – his massive criticism of the Russian military leadership. In this way, the Russian President is showing the 46-year-old that he “has not fallen out of favor with him”.
The Kremlin had already praised Kadyrov’s “heroic contribution” to the offensive in Ukraine on Monday. From the very beginning, the Chechen President took an active part in the aggressive war against the neighboring country and emerged as one of the most ardent supporters of the war.
He is also called “Putin’s bloodhound” – not only because Kadyrov is particularly loyal to the Kremlin boss, but also “because he is so brutal in his rule in Chechnya,” explains Mangott. “There are only very limited human rights there.”
Some statements from the past few days illustrate how Kadyrov thinks. He declared that he wanted to send his three adolescent sons to fight in Ukraine. Ahmat, Selimchan and Adam are between 14 and 16 years old.
“I’m not joking. (…) Soon they will be sent to the front and will be in the most difficult sections of the contact line,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram. Elsewhere, he called for the use of “low-yield nuclear weapons” given the difficulties faced by the Russian army.
Politically, the 46-year-old has always been useful to Putin, after all he controls Chechnya. Militarily, he supports the Russian armed forces in Ukraine with his own units. These include Kadyrov’s notorious personal militia.
She is also known under the name “Kadyrovtsy”. “This is a strong paramilitary formation that successfully took action against Islamist rebels,” says Russia expert Mangott, describing the group. “Brutal warfare, extortion, kidnapping and internment characterized this process.”
On Thursday night, Kadyrov announced that he would send more of his “special units” to fight in Ukraine. “We have good guys (…). We send our volunteers every day,” he said.
Before his current appointment as colonel-general, the 46-year-old had already been promoted to general three times – each time in the armed forces of the interior, the police and the Chechen national guard.
