After Russian federal troops withdraw from Chechnya, Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov and his forces will be responsible for maintaining order in the republic.
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Vladimir Putin Leaves Chechnya to Ramzan Kadyrov
// The Russian presidents signs a decree to pull out federal troops from the restive republic
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to pull out federal troops from Chechnya in 2007 and 2008. After Russian soldiers have left, forces controlled by Ramzan Kadyrov will be the only ones to guard Chechnya.
Vladimir Putin’s decree will withdraw divisions of the Defense and Interior Ministers from Chechnya in 2007-2008. Only 7,000-strong brigade of interior troops and a 15,000-strong brigade of the Defense Ministry are to remain in the republic. 3,000 border guards will also stay. The number of the deployed soldiers will be halved; only 20,000 people of the Chechen Interior Ministry as well as South and North interior battalions will be left.
Vasily Panchenko, a spokesperson for the Russian interior troops command, told Kommersant that that the military in Chechnya are to stay in their quarters as local Interior Ministry will be fully in charge of maintaining order in the region.
It is of note that that president’s decree was made public after Vladimir Putin met Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov. The Kremlin made it clear that the upcoming withdrawal is primarily an achievement of the prime minister, not of President Alu Alkhanov.
The decree is crucial for Ramzan Kadyrov. After the soldiers have withdrawn from Chechnya, only the local Interior Ministry and South and North battalions, loyal to Kadyrov, will be left to guard the region.
Ramzan Kadyrov is convinced that the regional Interior Ministry is able to control the situation in Chechnya on its own. “The decree showed Vladimir Putin’s evaluation of the job that Chechen forces do. The republic’s interior ministry will keep on fighting crime as effectively as it has done so far,” he said.
The Russian military command is of the same opinion. After the notorious warlord Shamil Basayev was killed, there are no well-organized groups of militants left in Chechnya, the Russian interior troops command state.
Ramzan Kadyrov will soon have all police and military tools in his hands. Kadyrov Jnr. has political trumps as well. The Chechen prime minister, in fact, wields ultimate power in the republic as he heads the local branch of the United Russian party which controls the Chechen parliament.
To become an absolute ruler of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov has only to bolster his influence with an economic component, i.e. secure control over the republic’s oil resources. The prime minister’s late father, Akhamat Kadyrov also sought to run Grozneftegaz, currently managed by Rosneft. Should Kadyrov Jnr. succeed in his endeavors, he will become an absolute favorite in the next presidential election.
Musa Muradov
All the Article in Russian as of Aug. 10, 2006
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