Kadyrov – Chechnyan butcher the Kremlin wants to dress in angel’s clothes

On 6 July, the media reported that a Chechen blogger who was criticizing Kadyrov has been shot on 5 July in Austria. It was added that the police were able to detain the perpetrator, who was also a Chechen. It has been suspected that Kadyrov himself had ordered this assassination.

It seems this issue is really serious, because the Kremlin, thinking that the best defense is a good offense, rushed to give its statement on the matter. Dmitry Peskov (Putin’s press secretary) announced that the Kremlin does not see a link between the assassination of political emigrant Mamikhan Umarov in Austria and head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov. Peskov said:

“What does Kadyrov have to do with anything? It isn’t logical. An assassination in Austria and Kadyrov. If he was a Chechen who criticized Kadyrov, does that automatically mean Kadyrov is involved? You have to agree that it isn’t logical.”

So, the Kremlin sees itself as an innocent angel. If we look at it from such an angle, we could even agree with Peskov’s logic, because not all assassinations carried out by Russians have been ordered by Putin. However, there is one “but” – not all Chechen bloggers get assassinated, only those who criticize Kadyrov. And when it comes to assassinations, it’s beneficial to find out who benefits from them. Knowing how Kadyrov hates anyone who doesn’t share his views, it’s safe to say that Kadyrov would benefit the most.

Kadyrov has already commented on this. He believes that the Chechen blogger was killed by foreign intelligence services acting against Russia. He had been observing how news about the assassination were forming and he could see the “power of the information machinery” that spread the narrative that he was somehow involved in the assassination. Kadyrov added that Anzor from Vienna, Mansur Stariy and other bloggers who make money by exploiting the idea of patriotism have become and will continue being victims of intelligence services that operate against Russia and Kadyrov. Kadyrov also noted that any reasonable person must understand that anyone who engages with intelligence services will end up being disposed of.

Let’s analyze Kadyrov’s statements. First, we have to formulate questions and then look for answers. First – why would foreign intelligence services want to kill Chechen bloggers who criticize Kadyrov? Is there any merit to assassinating bloggers and then shifting the blame to Kadyrov? Does the fact that Kadyrov is being blamed for these assassinations even change anything? We have to conclude that foreign intelligence services would gain absolutely nothing from killing Chechen bloggers. Russia and Chechnya are so arrogantly self-sufficient that they don’t really care for maintaining a good reputation. Of course, there have been cases when the Kremlin’s involvement has been directly proven (for instance, the Skripal case, annexation of Crimea), but this doesn’t mean that Putin has stopped lying. And Kadyrov is closely following in his footsteps because neither of both men have any conscience. This means they don’t care at all what anyone thinks of them. Can the laws of any foreign state touch them? No. Therefore, it is clear that foreign intelligence services have no reason to kill Chechen bloggers. Second – Kadyrov said that

 “any reasonable person must understand that anyone who engages with intelligence services will end up being disposed of”.

Seems like an innocent phrase, but it actually hides a deeper story. Is Kadyrov the president or an intelligence officer? I think he is the president. Then how does he know how intelligence services operate? Two explanations are possible – either he watches too many movies, or he speaks from experience. And if he is speaking from experience, everything becomes much clearer. I wonder what would Kadyrov’s reply be to the question – why would foreign intelligence services want to carry out assassinations in Chechnya? From time to time, we hear on media that human rights activists or Kadyrov’s critics have been found dead in Chechnya and that Kadyrov is the one who ordered these killings. We, again, have two possible explanations and none of them flatter Kadyrov – either he is unable to ensure safety in Chechnya and allows foreign intelligence services to roam Chechnya and Russia freely, or the rumors are true and he is responsible for assassinating his critics in Chechnya and abroad. There is no third possibility. If we read about Kadyrov’s actions over a longer period of time, as well as the stories of people who have been able to flee Chechnya, there is no room for doubt that Kadyrov is taking part in eliminating his – and Putin’s – critics.

 Zintis Znotiņš