Medvedev wants Chechen murders solved

The murders of human rights activists in Chechnya continues with latest two deaths, those of Zarema Sadulayeva and her husband, Alik Dzhabrailov earlier this week. Like the earlier deaths of Estimorova and Politkovskaya, they were people who were trying to show the rest of the world about the goings on in Russia and Chechnya.

Yesterday, President Medvedev announced that he wants Ramzan Kadyrov to work harder to solve these murders. While this may sound good and play well in the press, what power or force will Medvedev wield over Kadyrov to truly make this happen? Ramzan's ascent to power and his support from Putin (awarded the Hero of Russia and controller of reconstruction funds in Chechnya) makes it clear that Kadyrov understands he has carte blanche to control Chechnya as he sees fit to keep it from flaring up again. Kadyrov's statements on the murder of Estimorova only help to reinforce this view of him as Moscow's tough guy in the region.

Sarah Mendelson over at Foreign Policy has a great analysis on the situation in Chechnya these days, well worth the read. Sphere: Related Content