In the regions

Kadyrov exposes Putin's imperialism as an absurd caricature

December 25, 2015 Ilya Yashin

Today it became known that President Putin agreed to transfer to the control of Ramzan Kadyrov Neftedhchych in the Chechen Republic. Until now, the company “Chechenneftekhimprom” has been controlled by the federal government, and in fact, Rosneft (read - Igor Sechin). Now Kadyrov takes this asset to himself.

In fact, we observe the final stage of establishing the independence of Chechnya, which maintains only formal ties with the federal center. The head of the republic concentrated exceptional powers in his hands - there is nothing like this in any Russian region.

Chechnya became the only subject of the Russian Federation where the regional army operates. Thousands of armed Chechens have certificates of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation. In reality, they are personally loyal to the head of the republic. It is important to remember that the core of the power structures of Chechnya is former militants amnestrated by Kadyrov, that is, people obligated to him not only salaries, but freedom and life.

The actual actual does not apply to Chechnya federal security forces - the law there is only the word Kadyrov. Everyone remembers how Kadyrov publicly humiliated the federals, threatening to shoot law enforcement officers who dare to come to Chechnya without his knowledge. Any regional boss would be behind bars after such statements. Kadyrov everything got away with - the security forces reconciled.

Against the background of complete permissiveness, Kadyrov’s appetites grow. Now he takes away from the federals not only powers, but also economic assets. A few years ago, it was impossible to imagine that someone claimed the estate of Sechin-the key Putin oligarch. Today you can state: Kadyrov took this bar.

Russia has recently been often called the Empire. Putin and myself clearly like such a rhetoric. However, the phenomenon of Kadyrov exposes Putin's imperialism as an absurd caricature.

The empire runs its territories. In Russian realities, one of the “colony” brazenly dictates its will to the center of the empire, while receiving multi -billion dollar subsidies from the state treasury. And over and over again, the "Empire" takes under the visor before the pressure of yesterday’s action movie, with weapons in the hands of the opposing Russian army.

Kadyrov plays a crucial role in Russian politics. He is the same boy from Andersen’s fairy tale, who shouts to Putin: “And the king is naked!”



Photo: Musa Sadulayev / Ar / TASS