Moscow, the rise to power of Kadyrov's Chechens
In addition to the head of the Republic of Chechnya, Duma deputy Adam Delimkhanov stands out. Nicknamed the 'commander of the TikTok' armies. After Putin's defeats in Ukraine, Kadyrov positioned himself to gain a central role in Moscow. The power games in the Kremlin have begun.
Moscow (AsiaNews) - During the Russian retreat from many occupied locations in Ukraine, Adam Delimkhanov , representative of the republic of Chechnya in the Russian State Duma, continued to make headlines. The 'most dangerous deputy of Russia', as defined by many newspapers, is also called the 'commander of the TikTok armies' of the 'kadyrovtsy', the Chechen warriors engaged in the Ukrainian war.
More than military manoeuvres, the politician devotes himself to propaganda poses with weapons in his fist, which are broadcast on social networks. Delimkhanov, Chechen President Kadyrov's right-hand man and his possible replacement in the event of the leader's promotion to the top ranks of Russian politics, is also implicated in an endless series of scandals, some of them quite scabrous, including assassinations and political crimes.
The popular Chechen deputy likes to be portrayed alongside other soldiers, also called 'the TikTok fighters' due to the frequency of their presence on social networks, even more so than on the battlefield. Slydstvo.info journalists determined that most of the propaganda shots of Delimkhanov and his warriors come from the occupied city of Mariupol, and from a single neighbourhood, close to the Russian border, within a radius of no more than one kilometre.
In this 'occupied zone', demonstration tours are organised for journalists, showing 'the strength and grandeur of the Chechen armies', which are keen to be extolled as the spearhead of the Russian occupation of Ukraine, at least in terms of image. Delimkhanov was also awarded the 'Golden Star' honour and the title of Hero of Russia by Putin, even though he is deployed with the Rosgvardija (the presidential guard), which for the most part is in charge of guarding the occupied territory.
Kadyrov's loyalist is always absent from the Moscow Duma, yet in June he was elevated from a simple deputy to first deputy chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Security and Anti-Corruption. In 15 years in the Duma, Delimkhanov has put his signature on a total of 19 legislative projects, most of them unsuccessful, and was also given the title of 'taciturn deputy' when he never spoke in the assembly or joined any parliamentary initiative in 2017.
A distant relative of President Kadyrov, Delimkhanov is a veteran of the Chechen war of the 1990s, as a member of the group led by legendary commander Salman Raduev. In 1999, on the eve of the Russian army's arrival in the self-proclaimed independent 'Ičkerija', he switched in time to the side of Akhmat Kadyrov, father of the current president, becoming a member of Chechnya's security services along with Ramzan, who succeeded his parent after his sudden and mysterious death in an assassination attempt at the Grozny stadium.
In 2006, the future Chechen Duma deputy was suspected of the murder in the centre of Moscow of an FSB (internal secret service) colonel from his country, the commander of the 'Ardents' brigade Mavladi Baysarov, who was in conflict with Ramzan Kadyrov. Another Chechen politician, Beslan Gantamirov, testified that Baysarov had been killed with a gun belonging to Delimkhanov.
Ramzan was appointed acting president after the death of his father, and since then his loyalist has represented the Caucasian republic in the Duma. Many also link to his name the assassination of Putin's main opposition politician, former premier Boris Nemtsov, who was killed on the Bolšoj Bridge in front of the Kremlin in 2015.
Since 2009, Delimkhanov has been considered "the successor" of the Chechen president, who is trying hard to move to Moscow, especially after the Kherson debacle, backed by the other Russian war hawk Evgenij Prigožin, head of the Wagner mercenary company. The recent retreat from Kherson could trigger the time for the changing of the guard in the Kremlin, to make way for the leaders of extreme war propaganda, the generals and soldiers of TikTok.
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07/02/2022
07/09/2017 11:54
