Presidential combine. Having become the sovereign ruler of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov announced the onset of the "time of super projects" in the restoration of the republic
North Caucasus - 2007
In this region, two models of development have finally formed, which in one form or another can be realized in the future and throughout Russia. This is a tough authoritarian leader, complete lawlessness, the omnipotence of the security forces, violation of human rights as a norm, corruption, high unemployment and a lot of beautiful promises. Only in one case - Chechnya - the head of the republic managed to subdue all clans and interest groups, and in the other - Ingushetia - the same methods led to sluggish chaos.
Presidential combine. Having become the sovereign ruler of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov announced the onset of "the time of super projects" in the restoration of the republic. The New Times correspondent followed his first steps as head of Chechnya
Ilya Barabanov
His activities as interim president 1 Ramzan Kadyrov began with a round table on the topic "The New Economic Strategy of the Chechen Republic." Reporting on the almost Soviet pace of restoration of Chechnya destroyed by the war, the republic is sure to note the merits of Ramzan Kadyrov, who successfully fulfills Vladimir Putin's order. Every third house is decorated with portraits: Ramzan Kadyrov, Ramzan Kadyrov and AkhmatKhadzhi Kadyrov, Ramzan Kadyrov shaking hands with Vladimir Putin, just Vladimir Putin, again Ramzan Kadyrov. From the walls, citizens are informed: “Ramzan, you are a worthy son of your people. The people are proud of you." There are also quotes from Putin: "The restoration of Grozny is one of the primary tasks." A few days before his resignation, Alu Alkhanov warned of the danger of a personality cult being created around the figure of Kadyrov. Kadyrov himself, commenting on his predecessor's speech, denies all accusations: “I don't know what kind of personality cult Alkhanov is talking about. If a person, a politician takes care of his people, solves the problems of this people, finds a common language with the people, why is this qualified as a cult of personality? It's completely incomprehensible to me."
Cement without analogues
Showing journalists the resurrected Grozny, the guide spoke about the cement, "unparalleled in the world", told about thousands of square meters of housing rebuilt. Journalists were not allowed inside the houses. The correspondent of The New Times, however, looked behind the facades with portraits. And he found an explanation for the "modesty" of the owners: having pledged to improve the appearance of the city, Ramzan Kadyrov is in no hurry to spend energy on its internal content. In some houses there are no partitions between floors, in others there are no stairs at all: inside the house box there is emptiness, above your head there is a clear sky where you can fly up, but you cannot climb the stairs. It is absolutely impossible to live in this new building, but everything looks very decent from the outside. At the same time, some buildings have indeed been restored, but these are mostly not residential, but official objects. Speaking at a round table meeting, Ramzan Kadyrov said that success in restoring the republic is mainly the result of the activities of the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, which he personally supervises: too little money comes from the federal center, without efforts to find local sources, the result will be in years, then as needed now.
Olivier by Ramzan
The FSB officer for Chechnya, who agreed to answer questions from The New Times correspondent solely on condition of anonymity, tried to calculate how much money he himself voluntarily-compulsorily transferred money for the restoration of the republic. “The salary is 20 thousand, they gave 10 and a paper that I voluntarily transfer the rest to the fund,” says the officer. - For any business, this (unofficial) tax is 50% of all income. It's easier with budget employees. Previously, they deducted 10% of the salary once a quarter, now they take a third every month.” While talking, we turn from the infamous Minutka Square in Grozny to the restored Akhmat Kadyrov Avenue. The interlocutor from the FSB, who is also the driver, says: “Ramzan's people are being put everywhere! A person does not know what an Olivier salad is, does not know how a report is written, and he is appointed head of the regional police department. Maybe order? There will be no order." The officer calls the restored houses exclusively tinsel, inserting completely politically incorrect definitions into his speech, addressed both to the entire Chechen government and to Ramzan Kadyrov personally.
presidential vector
The new Chechen leader took the oath in his residence in Gudermes among decorative mountains and towers, after which he received a certificate and a presidential standard from the hands of the presidential envoy in the Southern Federal District Dmitry Kozak 2 . The management of the Rosselmash company presented the newly-minted president with a grain harvester Vector-410. Members of Kadyrov's fan club celebrated the inauguration with festivities under the portraits of the new president hung on every building. Kadyrov also received another gift. On the eve of the inauguration, so that no one would have any doubts about the success of his fight against terrorists, the Chechen security forces destroyed Suleiman Imurzaev, known as Khairulla and who, along with Doku Umarov and Rappani Khalilov, was considered one of the main leaders of the Chechen militants. The destruction of separatist leaders on memorable dates is quite a common thing for Chechnya. Suffice it to recall the assassination of Abdul-Khalim Saidullayev, Umarov's predecessor as president of Ichkeria, on the eve of the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg in June 2006. The concentration of all control levers in the hands of Kadyrov and the elimination of both local and Moscow elites from them, primarily representatives of law enforcement agencies who tried to control the republic's oil business, should become the main problem for the new Chechen administration. However, Kadyrov's entourage, apparently, does not believe in possible problems. Promising to destroy all militants and restore the republic as soon as possible, the Chechen leader made a small hajj to the holy places of Saudi Arabia a few days before the inauguration. “Kadyrov, refusing to use the stairs, together with the mufti accompanying him, with three deputy prime ministers and religious figures of the Chechen Republic, climbed the steep slopes to the top of Mount Arafat and read a long prayer,” the press service of the President of Chechnya reported. Apparently, all the hopes of the new president are only in the Almighty.
Alu Alkhanov is the first president of Chechnya to leave his post alive. The resignation was the logical result of the persecution that the Kadyrov group unleashed against Alkhanov. Alkhanov was sent to an honorary pension - he was appointed to the post of Deputy Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, having received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree, as a moral compensation and the guards assigned by the new status, giving him a chance not to repeat the sad fate of the commander of the Highlander detachment Movladi Baysarov , shot by Chechen OMON in the center of Moscow in November 2006.
Ramzan Kadyrov proves his love and devotion to Vladimir Putin in practice. At the elections of deputies of the State Duma in December in Chechnya, with a turnout of 99.46%, 99.36% of voters cast their votes for United Russia.
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1 Following the early resignation of President Alu Alkhanov on February 15, 2007.
On March 1, Vladimir Putin submitted Ramzan Kadyrov's candidacy for the presidency to the republican parliament, on March 2, the approval took place, and on April 5, the inauguration.
