Option of Kadyrov

The head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov in the program “Actors with Nail Asker-Zade” on the Russia 1 television channel said that he dreams of leaving his post. “We can say this is my dream [to leave the post of head of the republic]. To be the leader of the region and be responsible for the people, for the republic, to the Almighty and the leadership of the state, to the people is very difficult, ”Kadyrov said.

“I would say not that I'm tired, I don’t want to serve. Once we needed people like me to fight, restore order-and today we have order, prosperity. I believe that the time has come to make changes in the Chechen Republic, ”Kadyrov said.

Pervomaiskaya demonstration in Grozny. 2017 IA "Chechnya Today"

Kadyrov at the same time refused to talk about his probable successor. The decision on who in the future will lead Chechnya should be made by the leaders of the country and the people of Chechnya. Although, according to Kadyrov, "there are several people who can fully fulfill these duties at the highest level."

In principle, this is not the first “threat” of Kadyrov to leave his post. In February 2016, on the eve of the elections (Chechnya is the only North Caucasus Republic, where the head is chosen on general voting, and not in parliament), Kadyrov also stated that he would “with pleasure” transfer his powers to someone else. “Now, in order not to use my name against my people, I believe that the leadership of the state needs to find another person,” Kadyrov said then, noting, however, that he was only the “infantryman of Putin”, who will always say “to any of his orders.

Then Vladimir Putin first appointed Kadyrov by the acting head of Chechnya (his term expired in the spring), and already in the fall elections were held with the expected result: Ramzan Kadyrov received 98% of the vote.

Pre -election campaign in the Chechen Republic. 2016 IA "Grozny-Inform"

What is the reason for Kadyrov’s new statement, of course, is difficult to judge. You can integrate it into a number of performances by other regional leaders with the requirements for the federal center to increase or at least not reduce financing. The most loud such case is, of course, the appeal of the Khakassia parliament to the federal government, which refers to the catastrophic situation with regional finances. But in other regions, there are also less and less silent, separately can be distinguished freshly significant governors, and so far, it is allowed to complain to them.

If Kadyrov really uses words about his likely resign as blackmail, then this may mean two things. Firstly, Kadyrov is completely confident in his indispensability, otherwise it is dangerous to talk about resignation. Secondly, dissatisfaction is brewing in the republic, otherwise why should Kadyrov look for all new money.

On the other hand, Kadyrov can use the threat of his resignation to probe the soil. Vladimir Putin, whose “infantryman” is the head of Chechnya, has not yet publicly declared his participation in the upcoming elections - we can safely assume that Kadyrov knows no more about Putin’s plans than all other Russian citizens. And he needs this information, because it is on Putin that the comfortable existence of Kadyrov himself depends.

Be that as it may, now the “ball” is on the side of the federal center. If in the foreseeable perspective no one will give a signal that Kadyrov is needed in his place, then something may really happen.