Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has made a high-profile statement accusing several MPs from neighbouring regions of planning an assassination attempt on his life. According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Kadyrov threatened the organisers with “blood revenge” if they could not prove their innocence, Reuters reported.
“There are witnesses, there are people who were approached with a request to organise the assassination attempt, and they told how much they were offered for carrying out this order,” Kadyrov said.
According to TASS, he named three members of the Russian parliament who, in his opinion, were involved in the plot: two from Dagestan and one from Ingushetia.
“If they do not prove the opposite, I will officially declare blood revenge,” Kadyrov threatened.
Blood vengeance is a traditional practice in Chechnya, where it is believed that an enemy or a close relative must be punished by death to restore justice.
Escalation of inter-regional conflicts
Chechnya borders Dagestan and Ingushetia, and Kadyrov has made territorial claims to both regions in the past. His harsh statements could further escalate inter-regional tensions in the North Caucasus.
Formerly a rebel who fought for Chechnya’s independence, Kadyrov has become one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s most loyal allies since changing his position. He took over as leader of Chechnya in 2007, three years after his father’s assassination.
A new scandal amid economic intrigue
The allegations came shortly after Kadyrov intervened in another high-profile scandal, the divorce of Tatyana Bakalchuk, Russia’s richest woman, from her husband, Vladislav. Bakalchuk accused that the merger of her company Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, with another firm was in fact a raider takeover.
Kadyrov said that this process is controlled by brothers Levan and Robert Mirzoyan, as well as other influential businessmen from the Caucasus.
Although no direct link between the two incidents has yet been established, Kadyrov’s involvement in the corporate conflict was surprising, especially given that the Kremlin had authorised the Wildberries merger.
On 18 September, an armed clash between Vladyslav Bakalchuk and the company’s security guards took place at the Wildberries office, resulting in injuries. According to Russian media, Bakalchuk was accompanied by fighters from Kadyrov’s entourage.
These developments highlight the growing political and economic tensions in Russia, where influential figures are often involved in conflicts of various kinds.
