Conflicts

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has declared a vendetta against three politicians from the North Caucasus region, raising fears in Russia of an impending multi-ethnic conflict.

This region, located in southern Russia, borders Georgia and Azerbaijan. It is home to various ethnic groups, though the majority of the population is Muslim, as in Chechnya, Dagestan, and Ingushetia.

Relations between Chechnya and Dagestan have deteriorated over the years, particularly due to a border dispute.

In a local TV appearance, Ramzan Kadyrov named the politicians with whom he has a feud. "I officially declare a vendetta against Bekhan Barakhoyev, Suleiman Kerimov, and Rizvan Kurbanov," he said.

The Chechen leader has accused the three politicians of plotting to assassinate him and of taking control of Russia’s largest online retailer, Wildberries, at the expense of Vladislav Bakalchuk’s estranged wife.

According to Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine's Interior Ministry, the conflict between Ramzan Kadyrov and Suleiman Kerimov is the most "serious" in the past decade.

"There is a serious discussion in Russia that it could lead to a war between Chechens and Dagestanis. A note from the Dagestan Interior Ministry said the blood conflict that the Chechen leader outlined today and accusations of organising his assassination are seriously destabilising the situation in the North Caucasus," he wrote on X.

(QG - Source : Daily Express / Picture: © Unsplash)