How Kadyrov supports the war against Ukraine in words, but protects his people from the front
Kadyrov's entourage stated his unwillingness to sacrifice Chechnya's population for the sake of the "Russian world", writes The Economist.
Despite fiery pro-war speeches and assurances of boundless loyalty to the Kremlin, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is doing everything possible to protect his compatriots from real combat operations in Ukraine, sources told the publication.
At the same time, Kadyrov himself publicly declares the dispatch of more than 70,000 people to the front, which would constitute 9% of the republic's entire male population.
However, casualty statistics show a different picture. According to the independent publication "Mediazona", Chechnya's losses amount to only 0.2% of the total number of killed Russian servicemen, although the republic's share of the population within the Russian Federation is five times larger.
Such a situation is explained by Kadyrov's exceptional rights, who secured unprecedented autonomy for himself after two devastating Chechen wars.
Residents of the region vividly remember the bombings and purges, and therefore have no desire to die for the idea of the "Russian world".
“Whatever interests Moscow has in Ukraine, we are infinitely far from them,” notes the publication's interlocutor, close to the Chechen leadership.
Even the well-known "Akhmat" unit, which Kadyrov positions as a major contribution to the war, is three-quarters composed of mercenaries from other regions of Russia, lured by good money.
The fighters themselves are often called "TikTok troops", as they film videos far from the front line.
"It seems they are fighting, but they are ordered not to overdo it and to protect themselves," explains the source.
At the same time, the war has become a convenient tool for Kadyrov for internal repression.
Those whom the regime deems undesirable or systemic violators are forcibly sent to the front, and local police have received quotas for supplying contract soldiers.
For others, the opportunity to buy their way out of being sent to war costs between 2 and 6 thousand dollars.
With his tactics, Kadyrov achieves a dual goal: he demonstrates absolute loyalty to Putin, but at the same time preserves his own Chechen resource, strengthening his image as "father of the nation" who managed to protect his people from a new devastating slaughter.
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"У атачэнні Кадырава заявілі пра яго нежаданне ахвяраваць насельніцтвам Чачні дзеля «рускага свету», піша The Economist."