Chechen Republic head Ramzan Kadyrov addresses military personnel while making a statement dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine February 25, 2022 in Grozny, Russia. REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov/File Photo
LONDON, March 30 – Ramzan Kadyrov, the powerful head of Russia’s Chechen Republic, said on Wednesday that Moscow would not make any concessions in its war in Ukraine, deviating from the official line and hinting that the Kremlin’s own negotiator was wrong.
Kadyrov, who has Chechen forces fighting as part of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, said in comments to Telegram that President Vladimir Putin will not simply stop what he started there.
He spoke after Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator, said after Tuesday’s talks with Ukraine that Moscow was taking steps to de-escalate the conflict, including reducing military activity around Kyiv. Continue reading
“We will not make concessions, it was … Medinsky, who made a mistake, made a wrong formulation … And if you believe that he (Putin) will stop what he started, just like us presented today, that’s not true,” said Kadyrov.
Kadyrov, who came to power after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the predominantly Muslim southern Russian region of Chechnya after two brutal wars, has often referred to himself as Putin’s “foot soldier”. Moscow has poured huge sums into rebuilding the region below it.
Although he wields enormous power and is one of the most influential regional leaders in the country, his statements, which contradicted Medinsky by name, were highly unusual on an issue as sensitive as the war.
“Of course, this is a serious problem for Putin,” Tatiana Stanovaya, a political analyst, told Telegram.
Reuters reporting; Adaptation by Guy Faulconbridge and Mark Trevelyan