Kadyrov makes forced concessions on deportation anniversary

The dissatisfaction of residents of Chechnya with the ban on official mourning events on the anniversary of deportation became so obvious in eight years that the authorities had to reckon with it, believes Ruslan Kutaev, the head of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations. Dmitry Oreshkin, a political analyst, has added that by making concessions to his people, Ramzan Kadyrov improved his authority, while not making the Kremlin angry.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 23, for the first time since 2011, the Chechen authorities officially announced the holding of religious rites in mosques on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the deportation of the Vainakhs, and sanctioned a mourning meeting in Grozny.

By allowing commemorate events for deportation victims, Kadyrov made advances to residents of Chechnya, thus trying to strengthen his influence throughout Northern Caucasus, Dmitry Oreshkin, a political analyst, has stated. "Kadyrov is slowly and carefully strengthening his image of the most influential politician of Northern Caucasus," Mr Oreshkin told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. In his opinion, having lifted the ban, Kadyrov is "gaining points" not only in Chechnya, but also in the entire Northern Caucasus.

On the other hand, Kadyrov is doing this carefully so as not to annoy the Kremlin, he has added.

The authorities of Chechnya have responded to the growth of protest sentiments of republic's residents, Ruslan Kutaev, the head of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, believes. "The main reason was the people's dissatisfaction over the authorities' ban to officially mark the date. Residents have always commemorated deportation victims, but they wanted to do it at the official level. The authorities understood that there was some discontent; and they decided to organize some events," Mr Kutaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 25, 2019 at 09:24 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.