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{Русская версия}

Ramzan Kadyrov’s rule

By Saipti Gelaev

The recent conflict between the pro-Moscow president of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, and the influential commander of the Russian special unit "Vostok", Sulim Yamadaev, sheds some light on the strengths and weaknesses of Moscow’s current policies in the republic.

June 11, 2008
GROZNY, CHECHNYA

The confrontation between Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov and the Russian “Vostok” (“East”) battalion, headed by one of the famous Yamadaev brothers, Sulim Yamadaev, appears to be coming to an end. According to local observers, the primary reasons behind the resolution of the standoff was the wait-and-see attitude of the Russian Defense Ministry, to which the battalion directly reports, as well as the fact that part of the “Yamadaevtsy” troops sided with the President of Chechnya.

It took the Defense Ministry nearly two months after the conflict between the two sides originally took place (April 14, 2008) to make a statement regarding the situation, clarifying that it would not disband “Vostok.” (The statement came on June 10, 2008)

By the time the statement was made, Sulim Yamadaev, “Vostok” commander, was dismissed from his post under Kadyrov’s pressure. As for the “Vostok” battalion, this special unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) under the Russian Defense Ministry, with nearly 1000 personnel, will now undergo an inspection and personnel reclassification. Only 250 members of the unit will be still staying at the base near Gudermes under the new arrangement.

“The supply of electricity, water and gas to the base was cut off a week ago,” reported a serviceman from the unit who asked not to be identified. “It is next to impossible to leave the territory of the unit. There are mobile checkpoints everywhere. The Kadyrov troops try to catch and beat up our guys, and demand that we quit ‘Vostok’ and thus violate our military oath. We are in a de facto state of siege, and are waiting for the Defense Ministry [of the Russian Federation] to make a decision.”

During the short period of de facto independence of the Chechen Republic in the second half of 1990s, Sulim Yamadaev, then Brigadier-General of the Chechen army, served not only as the commander of the 2nd battalion of the National Guard of Ichkeria, but also as a deputy Head of the Guard. However, at the very start of the second Chechen war Yamadaev, much like Kadyrov’s father, crossed over to the Russian side. He allegedly took over Gudermes, the second largest city in Chechnya, without a struggle. He subsequently became the commander of a battalion of the Russian Federation’s Main Intelligence Directorate special unit GRU, a colonel in the Russian Army, and a Hero of Russia. Nevertheless, Sulim Yamadeav suffered the same fate as other former friends of the head of Chechnya who dared to come out against him.

The open conflict between Ramzan Kadyrov and the allies of his father, the Yamadaev brothers, started in mid-April of 2008 when a group of servicemen from “Vostok,” refused to yield to the Presidential convoy. The “Vostok” detachment was led by Badrudi Yamadaev, Sulim Yamadaev’s younger brother who was recently suspended from command of the battalion. After this incident, Kadyrov’s “administrative resources” were brought down on the Yamadaevs. They were suddenly publicly accused of serious offences, including murders and abductions; the Chechen parliament appealed to the Russian Defense Ministry demanding a dismissal of Sulim Yamadaev from the commanding post of the battalion and the disbandment of the entire “Vostok” unit.

“Criminals, no matter who they are and where they are, should be punished,” Kadyrov declared at a meeting with heads of law enforcement agencies the next day after the incident in Gudermes. “They should be in prison or in another place. There is no room in our republic for persons violating the law,” he summed up pointedly. During the first days of the conflict, the matter did not go beyond the youngest of the Yamadaev brothers. By now, however, Kadyrov included even Sulim Yamadaev in the same group with the criminals and accused him of abductions and murders.

“Ramzan Kadyrov has consistently rid himself of any potential opponents. Movladi Baisarov, former commander of the FSB special group, was killed in the fall of 2006 in Moscow, where he fled after a conflict with Ramzan Kadyrov. Aslambek Yasaev, ex-deputy Interior Minister of Chechnya, left for Moscow several months ago after a failed riot against Ramzan,” said Magomed Kakiev, former commander of the GRU special battalion “Zapad” (“West”), who was recently demoted to an insignificant post of Deputy Military Commissar of the Republic. “Akhmed Khasambekov headed the so-called operational-investigative bureau, the infamous ОРБ-2, until very recently [when he was removed.]” said Aslambek Apaev, expert of the Moscow Helsinki Group in the North Caucasus.

Many locals share the opinion of human rights activists. “Earlier, when there was no confrontation between them, Ramzan Kadyrov and his circle for some reason did not have any complaints either about the Yamadaevs or the “Vostok” battalion. Moreover, they [the ‘Vostok’ battalion] were supported, provided with vehicles and other favors. Sulim Yamadaev was among the first to support Ramzan’s slain father – Akhmat Kadyrov, by switching to the Russian side at the very start of the Second Chechen war”, - says Aziz Tavsultanov, local citizen of the republic. –However, “once they quarreled, a heap of materials emerged, implicating the Yamadaevs and “Vostok” in murders, abductions, and torture. Was Ramzan not aware of what this gang was doing before?”

“Now, for some reason, no one remembers who the Yamadaevs were. During the times of Djohar Dudaev [President of de-facto independent Chechnya in early 1990s] these “Heroes of Russia” were famous for looting trains that passed through Gudermes. It was then that they started up a gang and after the end of the first war in the republic in 1996 they began their engagement in abductions and ransom. Aren’t they aware of it in Moscow? As soon as these gangsters crossed over to the “federals”, they were welcomed with favors; they gained commissions and became Heroes of Russia. This is a shame for Russia.”

A staff member of a local non-governmental organization who wished to remain anonymous, said: “The situation with ‘Vostok’ is similar to what happened to the ‘Gorets’ (‘Mountaineer’) FSB special unit two years ago. When Movladi Baisarov, head of the unit, openly came out against Ramzan, the ‘Kadyrovtsy’ blocked the ‘Gorets’ base for several months, after which a portion of mountaineers joined the units under Kadyrov’s control, while others dispersed. Baisarov himself was gunned down in Moscow. Moreover, one of Movladi Baisarov’s killers, Adam Delimkhanov, was elected in 2007 to serve as a member of the Russian State Duma. Unlike Baisarov, Kadyrov’s men may not kill the Yamadaevs, but there will certainly be no life for them in Chechnya.”

It is now clear that the attack against the Yamadaevs and “Vostok” has been in preparation for a long time. Several months prior to the beginning of open conflict, Magomed Khambiev, member of Chechen parliament – and a former commander of the National Guard of Ichkeria and then Yamadaev’s direct commander – spoke on Chechen TV and accused the Yamadaev brothers and the “Vostok” battalion of destabilizing the situation in Chechnya and of abductions and murders in the Vedeno region of the republic.

After the April conflict, Sulim Yamadaev responded in an interview on the radio station “Echo Moskvy” that Kadyrov concealed the truth about the real situation in Chechnya from the federal center. In addition he referred to the Chechen Interior Ministry officers as “former shaitans” (“devils” - militants fighting against Russian troops) that “may flop over to their friends” (i.e. to separatists) at any time. After that, the Yamadaevs began to set up a special station at the “Vostok” base that would broadcast programs about the real state of things in Chechnya. It looks like the brothers failed to implement this idea and to properly involve the leadership of the Russian Defense Ministry in the confrontation with Kadyrov.

In conclusion, in the standoff with the special “Vostok” battalion – Ramzan Kadyrov again demonstrated his power and ability to dispose of any enemy. He actually managed to remove additional opponents despite the fact that the “Vostok” battalion reports not to the local Chechen authorities, but to the Joint Staff of the Defense Ministry of Russia. Yamadaev may be transferred to another position and replaced by a person more loyal to Kadyrov.

"The [‘Vostok’ and ‘Zapad’] battalions are certain to be kept. They perform tasks not only within the framework of the Joint Group of Forces in the North Caucasus, but also peacekeeping tasks in South Ossetia and Abkhazia," said Lt. Gen. Vladimir Shamanov, head of the Armed Forces combat training directorate.

The local population regards the confrontation between Kadyrov and the Yamadaevs in extremely negative light, although most people tend to side with the acting head of the republic rather than his opponents. «I am not Ramzan Kadyrov’s supporter. Moreover, I cannot accept his management approach, but at this moment I am fully and completely on his side,” said Mokhmad-Beshir Isaev, resident of the republic. “After all, Ramzan has done and is doing a lot for the recovery of the republic. What good have the Yamadaevs done? Under Dudaev these “robber-barons” looted trains, and then, under the pretext of fighting against wahhabism and extremism, openly terrorized peaceful citizens, turned into marauders, murderers and torturers. They cannot do anything else.”

Kadyrov’s victory over “Vostok” confirms that power in Chechnya is fully concentrated in the hands of one person – the acting head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov and his inner circle. In contrast to the tenures of former Chechen leaders- Dudaev, Maskhadov or Ramzan’s father Akhmat Kadyrov – there is no threat of the internal opposition, and apparently this situation seems to suit Moscow at this point in time.

Saipti Gelaev, pen name of an independent journalist from Grozny

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