That is, the jihadist peace of the supremacy of the Sharia — aided and abetted by the Russians. I suspect their support of this man may prove short-sighted. “Chechnya’s gun-toting strongman,” from BBC News, with thanks to Null:
This is Tsentoroy, the home village and headquarters of Ramzan Kadyrov, the most powerful man in today’s Chechnya.
He is the republic’s acting prime minister – and its de facto ruler….
As the car pulls up outside the army base, Mr Kadyrov whistles into the night. From this moment, his soldiers only have 40 seconds to get ready for action.
Thirty seconds later, they are already standing to attention, lined up and armed to the teeth.
“Look at them,” says Mr Kadyrov. “American uniforms, Russian weapons, Islamic beliefs and a Chechen spirit. They are invincible.”…
This army – and Mr Kadyrov himself – is what the Kremlin is counting on to establish peace and stability in the troubled republic.
They are a living example of Moscow’s “Chechenisation” policy – they, not the Russian federal forces, run today’s Chechnya.
“We have made Chechnya the safest place in Russia, soon it’ll be the safest place in the world – people will be coming here on holiday.
“We’ve just got a few more devils to kill and that’ll be it. We want peace. And if anyone doesn’t want to live in peace with us, we’ll make them,” promises Mr Kadyrov.
Torture claims
But human rights groups are less optimistic.
“Ramzan does not stabilise the situation in Chechnya. He himself motivates supporters of the rebels by his activities,” says Grigory Shvedov, a journalist and human rights activist.
“The personal security forces of Ramzan are the main group involved in torturing and abducting people – people are arrested and then no-one can find out where they have been or where their bodies are,” he says.
Mr Kadyrov himself categorically denies these accusations, while the Kremlin seems to ignore them.
Back at his home in Tsentoroy, Mr Kadyrov treats us to some tea and biscuits. On the wall opposite is a huge photograph of our host, taken at the Kremlin.
The picture shows him waiting patiently as President Vladimir Putin attaches the Hero of Russia medal to his jacket.
Kadyrov’s lion
“Do you want to see my pet lion? The one I received as a present when my baby son was born?” Mr Kadyrov asks us suddenly.
The pet lion shows it has a tough character, too
We rush outside, into the enormous front yard. And there, in the corner, hiding behind a white Caucasian sheepdog, sits a lion cub. It looks confused – and rather scared.
But when Mr Kadyrov reaches out to pat it, the cub growls and bares its teeth, making sure the message is clear.
“One day I’ll teach it who the master is,” he says as he looks at his pet.
“This lion will either kill me – or learn to be obedient.”
Words non-Muslims in Kadyrov’s vicinity would be well-advised to remember.