Putin puts pressure on Kadyrov to increase number of Chechens in war with Ukraine - ISW
Ramzan Kadyrov continues to make efforts to preserve the importance of Chechnya in the political and military spheres of the Russian Federation
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) states in the daily report.
The Institute recalled that Kadyrov met with Putin on March 13 to discuss Chechnya's socioeconomic achievements in 2022. Kadyrov also used the meeting to aloud the success of Chechen fighters in Ukraine and emphasized that Chechen fighters are fulfilling Putin’s orders and “aim to act to the bitter end,” to which Putin responded by acknowledging the role of Chechen fighters and thanking Kadyrov.
Analysts note that Kadyrov was visibly nervous during the meeting, potentially indicating that he felt considerable pressure to present Chechnya, himself, and his troops to Putin in a positive and productive light.
Currently, Chechen troops are playing a minimal role on the frontline and appear to be mainly conducting offensive operations near Bilohorivka, Luhansk region, as well as performing law enforcement tasks in the rear areas of occupied Ukraine.
Kadyrov may be afraid of losing favor with Putin because he has very little to show in terms of Chechen combat gains.
"Kadyrov likely hoped to correct and bolster his reputation over the course of this meeting. Putin, in turn, likely hopes to pressure Kadyrov into increasing the role of Chechen fighters in combat operations due to continued losses to both the Wagner Group and conventional Russian forces in ongoing offensive operations in Ukraine," the report says.
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In the same report, ISW analysts said that the Kremlin considers Prigozhin's "presidential ambitions" to be a threat to the Putin regime.
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In early March, it was reported that Putin met with Kadyrov's 17-year-old son.
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