Ramzan Kadyrovthe current leader of Chechnya, has taken advantage of the mutiny failure of the wagner group to consolidate as chief warlord of the russian president Vladimir Putin. However, the track record of his group, which has earned the title of “TikTok Battalion“for having had more success on social media that on the battlefields, raises questions about how much Putin will be able to benefit from Chechen aid.
Kadyrov’s ties to the Kremlin go back to the second chechen war, when he and his father, then the leader of this Caucasian republic, gave up the fight against Russia to join their cause. Father and son formed a militia known as the Kadyrovtsy, which began to receive backing from the influential Russian security service, the FSB. Since then it has been constantly financed by the Kremlin.
Harold Chambersan analyst of nationalism and security in the North Caucasus, believes in an interview with EL ESPAÑOL that Kadyrov is looking for maintain a close relationship with Putin because the support of Moscow has allowed him keep your group private of mercenaries and consolidate their wealth and political power as leader of Chechnya. Chambers also highlights the existence of a “mutual dependence for regime stabilitybetween the two leaders.
Kadyrovtsy in Kolomna, Moscow Oblast were reportedly located between the Shchurovskii and M5 bridges (Live UA Map says the M5 was purposefully damaged earlier to slow Wagner’s advance)https://t.co/yrCt8M3UZJ pic.twitter.com/VNwiwBJ49P
—Harold Chambers (@chambersharold8) June 24, 2023
However, in recent years, this relationship has been challenged by Yevgeny Prigozhinwhich, with its private militia, the Wagner group, has established itself as a powerful rival for Kadyrov. At times, Wagner has proven to be even more powerful than the Russian army, with a prominent presence in Ukraine, the Middle East and various countries in Africa.
In this way, the recent rebellion of the Wagner group against the Kremlin was a significant opportunity so that Kadyrov will show his loyalty to the Russian leader. The Chechen leader volunteered to back Putin in the fight against Wagner’s rebels immediately after the mutiny broke.
[Los mercenarios del grupo Wagner dejan la lucha en Ucrania pero seguirán combatiendo en África]
On his Telegram channel, where he uses the profile picture of the Russian president, Kadyrov promised that he and his fighters “They would do everything possible to preserve the unity of Russia.”. Shortly after, he posted a video on Telegram showing his troops patrolling dramatically an abandoned bridge, dressed in camouflage uniforms and carrying big machine guns. In the video, one of the fighters exclaims: “We will bury these traitors to the homeland“.
It was later discovered that this display of fidelity turned out to be just a show. Everything was recorded when the rebellion had already ended. As reported Financial Timesthe fighters were never less than 500 or 700 meters away of Wagner’s rebels.
[La UE se divide sobre las “garantías de seguridad” a Ucrania para frenar al Kremlin tras la guerra]
The video of the alleged “fight” against the Wagner Group reminded many people of the videos published at the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war, when Kadyrov was expected to play a leading role in the plan to take kyiv. In those videos, the fighters paraded in military uniforms in the style of music clips. Then the units suffered severe losses and they failed to meet their goal.
These presentations have generated ridicule and criticism by numerous people, who point out that the group appears to be more focused on maintaining an image striking on social networks than in achieving real results on the battlefield.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a forum in Moscow on Thursday.
Reuters
But, as Chambers explained to EL ESPAÑOL, Kadyrov’s extensive use of Telegram has helped him “shape the narrative about his ruleespecially in terms of the effectiveness of the Kadyrovtsy“, which has led to curry favor with Putin. Chambers added that the fact that Putin continue to rely on high-profile operations shows that “keep believing in them as an effective fighting force.
Although Kadyrov may have regained Putin’s trust, it is likely that face difficulties for prove their worth in the long run in the same way that the Wagner group did. While Prigozhin’s forces made significant military gains, such as the capture of the Ukrainian town of Bakhmut, the Kadyrovtsy they do not have a similar history Until now.
[Capturar a la élite militar con la ‘colaboración’ de un alto mando ruso: el plan tras el motín de Prigozhin]
Furthermore, according to Chambers, the Kadyrovs’ militias have less autonomy than those of Prigozhin, and its range is mainly limited to the Gulf States, unlike Wagner, which has a global presence. This makes it unlikely that the Kadyrovtsy will achieve the same successes internationally, so Chambers firmly stated that “the Kadyrovtsy will not be able to replace Wagner“.
