LAND OF TYRANNY
Inside bizarre Russian fiefdom Chechnya run by Putin’s ‘war dog’ where jet was blasted by trigger-happy cosplay soldiers
Read on to learn about the horrific atrocities caused by the Chechen authorities
THE bizarre fiefdom of Chechnya has long been controlled by warlord and top Vladimir Putin crony Ramzan Kadyrov and his trigger-happy cosplay soldiers.
Disturbed chief Kadyrov, 48, has ruled over the twisted Russian republic since 2007 with his reign now coming under fire again since the deadly Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash took place on his doorstep.
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The Christmas Day disaster left 38 dead after the packed passenger plane lost control and smashed into a fireball as it hit the ground.
Reports have been swirling in the days since saying it was shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft missile believed to have been fired from Grozny - the capital of Chechnya.
This has led many to point the finger at Kadyrov for his potential involvement in the fatal festive tragedy.
Vlad's personal war dog is yet to speak on the crash but footage has reportedly caught the puffy colonel-general speaking to his nephew about “clearing the skies” around the city.
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In a widely condemned move Kadyrov even decided to gift his brainwashed subordinate a medal honouring his duties in Chechnya just after the plane had crashed.
Head of the region’s security council, Khamzat Kadyrov, was given the award in a distasteful and public ceremony this week.
Khamzat's role on Christmas was reportedly to detect and repel Ukrainian drones through the defence systems.
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Grozny has become a key target for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in recent months with aerial attacks.
Earlier this month, a giant fireball explosion hit a special forces barracks in the region - causing a fire to break out.
Putin’s bloated ‘war dog’ Kadyrov addresses ill-health rumours and reveals mystery object during meeting with sickly tyrant
This has led some to speculate that the plane could have been hit as a result of a poorly planned order or a foolish error.
This belief stems from the idea of Chechen officials being no more than trigger-happy cosplay soldiers looking to impress their true leader in Vlad.
Kadyrov's troops are said to have led the invasion of Ukraine back in 2022 as they helped the Russian military illegally seize land across the border.
But the gun-touting foot soldiers were later seen parading around in their uniforms and bushy beards acting like they were in a playground opposed to a battlefield.
A staggering number of TikTok posts were uploaded in the days after the invasion showing Chechen's sword fighting with each other, firing at traffic lights and even posing for pictures with ruins.
Critics soon described the men as an army of "TikTok warriors" due to the lack of real fighting being done.
Their tough and aggressive attitude was soon overshadowed by their presence online with many labelling the Chechen army as a mockery of Putin's well oiled military machine.
The Security Service of Ukraine once said in a Telegram post back at the start of the conflict: “Instead of fighting with Ukrainian defenders, these ‘Putin’s foot soldiers’ are heroically fighting with pine trees."
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The units sent by Kadyrov quickly felt the true extent of war as their troops faced rapid losses in Ukraine.
Ever since the faltering start, Kadyrov has tripled the size of his special squad, according to a new investigation by media outlet Proekt.
They claim that nine new Russian paramilitary units have been established since the start of the war through Kadyrov.
The Chechen army has even been seen testing out new war weapons in Ukraine including a flashy but as of yet ineffective Tesla "Cyberbeast".
The motor is the brainchild of kingpin Kadyrov after he stuck a mounted machine gun on the back of it earlier this year.
Inside the disturbing Ramzan Kadyrov regime
The 5ft 8in Chechen leader has dedicated himself and his republic almost completely to impressing Vlad since he took power in 2007.
The pair of tyrants are often seen grinning with each other with each one seemingly trying to out-do the other with barbaric acts of destruction.
Putin's war atrocities in Ukraine are heavily documented from senseless bombings to ruthless massacres.
But war dog Kadyrov has been accused of a number of horrifying crimes himself from torture and murder to anti-gay purges.
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Human Rights Watch once said: "If you are detained in Chechnya, you face a real and immediate risk of torture.
"And there is little chance that your torturer will be held accountable."
Amnesty International have also filed multiple reports on Chechnya and Kadyrov accusing them of organising and allowing for kidnapping and severe assault.
In 2009, Kadyrov made a damming statement as he rejoiced over the idea of honour killings.
He approved the deaths of seven women after claiming they had committed adultery.
He was sanctioned in the UK as far back as 2014 due to his ties with Putin.
The US also hit him with their own sanctions in 2017 after officials accused him of heading "an administration involved in disappearances and extrajudicial killings".
The short bearded leader has clutched on to power in a lawless Chechnya since taking over in 2007.
He has ruled with an iron fist ever since with his close political alliance with Putin keeping him in charge despite their clear differences.
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Kadyrov has managed to amass an estimated fortune of up to £150million but much of this is spent on lavish items designed to be showed off online.
He has long been touted as the social media leader for his extensive use of TikTok and Instagram - before he was banned altogether.
At his peak, his social media persona had over three million followers.
Many of his posts revolved around his gym lifestyle where he would lift weights for the camera or train in mixed martial arts and boxing.
He would also proudly post snaps with the rich and wealthy who he would meet on his endless global trips.
Most recently, he was proudly boasting about turning a Tesla Cybertruck into a modified war weapon equipped with a mounted machine gun.
The warlord pledged to send the monstrous motor across to Russians on the battlefield and even renamed it the ";Cyberbeast".
Experts even told The Sun Online his obscene wealth is simply down to blood money.
It was also mainly Chechens who were blamed for committing brutal human rights violations in Bucha in the early days of the invasion.
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The horrifying history of Kadyrov and his regime has meant they are the ideal sidekick to Putin's Russia.
He has even been described as the son Putin has never had in the past.
Who is Ramzan Kadyrov?
VLADIMIR Putin's Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov has been a staunch supporter of the war in Ukraine.
The former separatist rebel fought against the Russians in the First Chechen War, only to change sides and join Moscow in the second conflict in 1999.
Human rights groups say he personally oversees the torture of political opponents in secret dungeons and runs death squads known as "Kadyrovites".
Ramzan Kadyrov was born in Chechnya in 1976, and like many men of his generation has lived a life largely defined by two brutal wars that ripped through the republic in the 1990s and 2000s.
In the first Chechen war of 1994 to 1996, he fought alongside his father, Akhmad Kadyrov, for the Chechen separatist cause.
But in 1999, after Mr Putin launched the second Chechen war to restore Russian control over the break away republic, the Kadyrovs changed sides.
Akhmad was subsequently installed as the pro-Russian president of the republic.
When he was assassinated in 2004, the baton of pro-Russian leadership passed to his stocky son.
The tracksuit wearing bodybuilder was not an obvious politician after being backed by Putin, he quickly become one of the most powerful men in Russia.
But as he has grown more powerful, he has become an increasingly divisive figure in Russian politics.
To supporters, he is a Russian patriot who has brought peace to a war ravaged region, presided over unprecedented post-war recovery and reconstruction.
To his enemies he is a turn-coat rebel who has turned Chechnya into his personal fiefdom where Russian law doesn’t apply, and who has used terror and murder to crush not only the separatist Islamist insurgency, but political rivals, human rights activists, and domestic dissenters.
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