Russian media report Putin’s frustration with Chechen troops’ conduct in Ukraine

Ukrainska Pravda – Saturday, 28 May 2022, 16:31

Russian journalists report that, according to their sources, the Kremlin initially approved of the conduct of the Kadyrovites [units subordinate to Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of the Chechen Republic in the Russian Federation] in Ukraine. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin is now frustrated by their involvement in the setbacks on the battlefield.

Source: report by the Get Kit media project, founded by former journalists at Meduza, an independent Russian news media

Details: Putin initially approved of the actions of units under the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov; he publicly praised their courage. Around the same time, Putin presented the highest state award, the honorary title of Hero of Russia, to Adam Delimkhanov, Kadyrov’s cousin and a deputy in the Russian State Duma [Russia’s national parliament - ed.].

However, the reporters’ sources insist that lately Putin has begun expressing frustration over Kadyrov and his troops’ social media activity; this has happened against the informational backdrop of failures and defeats of the Russian occupation forces.

Putin’s discontent is further fuelled by representatives of the Russian army and the leadership of the Russian secret services. The Russian military is frustrated by the fact that Kadyrov’s troops, despite not having excelled in battle, are spreading a media image of themselves as more skillful and courageous than the rest of the Russian army. Meanwhile, the Russian secret services are intimidated by Kadyrov’s arbitrary and aggressive behaviour.

At the same time, Oleg Orlov, representative of the Memorial human rights centre, now banned in Russia, explained that Kadyrov has a special place in the Russian "power vertical". He is allowed to say and do more than other Russian officials and politicians of his rank. In (unofficial) exchanges, he refrains from physically threatening Russian officials and avoids criticising politicians of the rank of Prime Minister Mihail Mishustin and Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.

This is why Kadyrov has allowed himself to openly criticise Vladimir Medinsky, Head of the Russian delegation in negotiations with Ukraine, and his announcement that Russia was withdrawing its troops from the Kyiv and Chernihiv fronts. Moreover, the Chechen leader has had public disputes with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, whom Kadyrov accused of "lack of patriotism."

Quote from Orlov: "Just like any other dictator, Putin needs someone to rely on. His main source of support is the different types of siloviki [a silovik in Russian vernacular is a member of the police, army, and any other state law enforcement organisation - ed.]. And just like any other dictator, Putin needs to have a system of checks and balances within this network of forces. Kadyrov is just a pawn in Putin’s game. Putin needs to have an additional force to counterbalance all the other forces.

The extent of the Chechens’ actual participation in the war and the effect they have on the hostilities is disproportionate to the media attention it receives. He does it on purpose. It gets a lot of public attention! In this sense, his PR campaign is successful – he won on this front." 

Details: The authors of the Get Kit report also consulted independent investigative journalists with sources among the Chechen authorities. They claim that in addition to units of the Russian Guard and of the Russian Interior Ministry directly under Kadyrov’s command, there are some units from Chechnya that were forcibly or voluntarily deployed on other fronts.

Russian military command distinguishes between the Kadyrovites and the forcibly mobilised Chechens. For the most part, the Kadyrovites film their PR materials in the rear and on fronts that do not have direct contact with Ukrainian troops. Meanwhile, forcibly mobilised Chechens are deployed in the hotspots, to cover the rear, or to conduct mop-up operations.

Overall, Kadyrov’s public actions as head of Chechnya are aimed at currying favour with Putin and elevating himself to the rank of federal politician, rather than his current status as the head of a region in the North Caucasus.

Background:

• According to Ukrainian intelligence, about 2,500 militants from the Chechen Republic have taken part in the military invasion of Ukraine.
• Investigative reporters from Mediazona, a Russian independent media outlet, said that, according to their sources, the Kadyrovites are suffering heavy losses in hostilities in Ukraine, but this is well hidden by the government and the "siloviki", who put pressure on the relatives of the deceased not to make public any information about the deaths.
• Earlier, Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-controlled leader of Chechnya, said during an "educational" talk to young Russians that Vladimir Putin did not need to announce mobilisation: Russian citizens "should mobilise around the president themselves."
• Ukrainian reporters have pointed out more than once that the footage of "fighting" shared by the Kadyrovites often shows them in Russian-occupied cities and villages of Ukraine against the backdrop of empty buildings.
• After Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and head of the Russian delegation in negotiations with Ukraine, announced the withdrawal of Russian troops from northern Ukraine, Kadyrov claimed that he was prepared to capture Kyiv, and that Medinsky was wrong.