“If the family loses the support of the Kremlin, many suppressed grievances could come to the surface again,” warns Aslan at TVP-World. “There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of families waiting for a moment to settle old scores.” Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya with a hard hand since 2007 and has violently suppressed any attempts by rivals to gain power. This earned him the nickname “Putin’s Bloodhound.”
According to the expert, for Putin Chechnya remains a cornerstone of his government strategy, which is based on personalized rule. “This system was extremely useful for the Kremlin.” But what once brought stability may now cause trouble for Putin: “A poorly managed transition could test not only regional stability, but also the limits of Putin’s overall control strategy,” Aslan concluded.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, the Kremlin’s considerations already extend beyond the Kadyrov clan. Accordingly, the Chechen Prime Minister Magomed Daudov and the commander of the “Akhmat” special unit, Apti Alaudinov, are also said to be in discussions to succeed Kadyrov at the head of Chechnya.
Apti Alaudinov is considered the man of Moscow. The major general is omnipresent on Russian talk shows and one of the most important war propagandists in the Ukraine war. His career in the Russian Ministry of Defense and the title of “Hero of Russia” make him a bridge figure between the Chechen elite and the Moscow power apparatus. Alaudinov fell out of favor in Chechnya around 2019 because he was seen as too closely tied to Moscow and possibly plotting against Kadyrov’s clan. He then moved to the Russian capital.
