Analysts see no change of Chechen ruling system in Chalayevs' appointment

The appointment of the Chalaev brothers as heads of Chechen ROVDs (District Interior Divisions) is not connected solely to the fact that they belong to the same teip (Family clan) as Kadyrov, the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 13, 2019, Ramzan Kadyrov presented new ROVD heads: Iskhak Chalaev was appointed to head the Gudermes ROVD; and his brother, Murad Chalaev, – the Nozhai-Yurt ROVD.

The belonging to the same teip does not mean close relations among people; and, when choosing his personnel, Kadyrov is guided by family ties and close acquaintance, Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, believes.

According to his version, among members of the Benoy teip there are "not many people loyal to Kadyrov"; therefore, it is not correct to say that the appointment of the Chalaev brothers was dictated by their belonging to the same teip. Kadyrov chooses his retinue for other reasons, Mr Kutaev believes.

Mikhail Roschin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) believes that the new appointment is dictated by "Kadyrov's confidence in the loyalty of Chalaev brothers." "The districts are not easy, especially the Gudermes one, where traditionally people who are loyal to the Kadyrov family live. It is clear that Kadyrov cannot do without tracing those, who heads the Chechen police ... But this has nothing to do with teips. I would not overestimate this resource. In this case, it was more important that the head of Chechnya and the republic's government trust these people. This fits into Kadyrov's appointment system," Mr Roschin has concluded.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on December 17, 2019 at 06:23 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.