Image by Kremlin.ru
Vladimir Putin with Ramzan Kadyrov (2018-06-15)
The past two months have seen a tumultuous set of developments in the North Caucasus. The region is well known for instability due to its long-running Islamist insurgency. But now it faces a fresh form of destabilization. Namely, the expansionist instincts of Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov, by far in a way the region’s most powerful leader.
News broke on Sept. 26 that Kadyrov and Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, the leader of Ingushetia, Chechnya’s western neighbor, had signed a deal. The terms involved a transfer of up to 10% of Ingushetian territory to Chechnya. Unprecedented protests ensued in Magas, the Ingush capital. Tens of thousands took to the streets to denounce the deal and call for its overturn.
This is not where the story ends. Ingushetia is but one part of the saga in Kadyrov’s latest quest to expand his influence beyond the borders of the Chechen Republic. His next target likely lies to the east, and with it a much more dangerous opponent…
To read more visit The Moscow Times.
