Analysts identify law enforcers' role in removal of checkpoints in Northern Caucasus

The decision on the proposal voiced by Ramzan Kadyrov concerning the removal of checkpoints in the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) cannot be made without the involvement of ministers of the power block, military experts believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 23, Ramzan Kadyrov met Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who agreed with the need to remove checkpoints on the roads of the North-Caucasian Federal District. The statement about the removal of the road checkpoints was made amid the increased access control in Chechnya on the border with Dagestan.

Sergey Goncharov, the president of the International Association of Veterans of the "Alpha" Anti-Terrorist Division, voiced his skepticism concerning the idea to remove the checkpoints on the roads of Northern Caucasus. According to him, the removal of the road checkpoints can intensify terrorist danger.

The removal of the road checkpoints is a demonstration of the Moscow's strength, showing that the federal centre does not need to restrain the North-Caucasian republics by force, believes Gennady Gudkov, Reserve Colonel of the Russian FSB. Nevertheless, according to him, not all officials of the federal centre trust Ramzan Kadyrov: some of the top-ranking officials treat the leader of Chechnya as a hidden threat.

Earlier, human rights defenders and lawyers have suggested that procedures of registrations and searches at the road checkpoints in Northern Caucasus violate the right of people to move freely and impede the development of ties between the republics.