Practice of apologies to Kadyrov still relevant for Chechnya

The Chechen leadership has failed to spread the practice of public apologies to Ramzan Kadyrov over Ingushetia; however, inside Chechnya, this practice remains efficient; and the authorities are not going to abandon it, the political analysts, interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot", believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the apology practice failed in Ingushetia. The Ingushes' reaction to visits of Ramzan Kadyrov to Ingush protest leaders has forced the head of Chechnya to abandon the tactics of pressure on his critics.

An attempt to extend this practice to the territory of Ingushetia is a fait accompli, but Kadyrov's entourage has already realized the rashness of this step, says Mikhail Roschin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

"Ingushes made it clear that nobody should break into them: they have their own republic; and there is no place there for those methods of pressure on residents practiced in Chechnya. It is worth noting that Kadyrov quickly understood it. But I see no reason why Chechnya could completely abandon this practice," Mr Roschin told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his version, the leadership of Chechnya is "already accustomed" to this method of pressure on unwanted people; and this practice seems efficient in the eyes of Kadyrov's retinue.

The format of public apologies strengthened Ramzan Kadyrov's image; and from the viewpoint of Chechen leadership, there are no grounds for rejecting this practice, Vadim Mukhanov, a political analyst and a senior scientist at the Centre for Caucasian Studies at the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations (known as MGIMO), believes.

"Firstly, all public apologies [earlier] were personal in nature; and, secondly, in one way or another they concerned Chechens. The Ingush story is a different case. Today, we can say that it's not a full stop, but a comma: Kadyrov is now worried not about public apologies, but about the land issue," Mr Mukhanov told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 7, 2018 at 02:17 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.