Analysts argue about aim of Kadyrov's words about militants from abroad

Kadyrov's words can be treated as an indirect accusation of unprofessionalism of Russian special services, the experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe. At the same time, Ruslan Kutaev, President of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations, did not rule out that Moscow allowed Kadyrov to make such a statement, and in the future may use his words in connection with the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 13, in the Oktiabrsky District of Grozny, during a CTO, law enforcers killed four alleged militants. According to law enforcers' data, voiced out by Ramzan Kadyrov, the alleged militants arrived from abroad and had planned to commit a series of terror acts in Chechnya.

One should not expect a reaction from the FSB and the Kremlin to Ramzan Kadyrov's statement that militants had entered the territory of Russia, and then Chechnya from abroad; however, his words may cause confusion in Moscow, said Akhmet Yarlykapov, a senior researcher at the Centre for Caucasus Studies at the MGIMO (Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations). In his opinion, Kadyrov's publicly voiced opinion was not coordinated with the country's leadership.

If militants had really come from abroad, in particular from Syria, Kadyrov has the right to demand detailed explanations from special services of how they had managed to "infiltrate" the borders, especially given their closure due to coronavirus, Mr Yarlykapov has added.

Professor Alexei Malashenko, the head of scientific studies at the "Civilizations' Dialogue" Institute, believes that it is impossible to clearly answer the question of whether Kadyrov had coordinated his statement about militants' penetration from abroad. "I don't rule out that Kadyrov may indirectly accuse special services of unprofessionalism," Mr Malashenko told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In his turn, Mr Kutaev believes that Kadyrov's statement had been agreed with the Kremlin, and is aimed at subsequently accusing Azerbaijan of militants' transit via its territory to Russia.

"The statement is part of the multi-move combination. The game is much deeper and long-range. Trump cards will soon follow – statements that some of the militants fighting on the side of Baku in Nagorno-Karabakh had penetrated into Russia," Mr Kutaev is sure.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on October 15, 2020 at 00:43 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.