Ramzan Kadyrov
Ramzan Kadyrov, perhaps Russia's most "colorful" (to put it modestly) leader, has announced that he will step down as President of the Chechen Republic once his term expires in April. Even his announcement had a unique "Kadyrov" quality to it -- he referred to himself in the third person:
"My time is past. Every human has a limit. I believe Kadyrov has passed his peak," the Chechen leader said, referring to himself in the third person, in an interview on Saturday.His decision to step down is likely the result of a number of factors. The announcement comes days after he was described as a "threat to Russian security" in a report authored by liberal opposition politician Ilya Yashin. The Chechen leader has also been accused by Russian and western liberals of playing a role in Boris Nemtsov's assassination. Did Moscow decide that he was becoming a liability?
Kadyrov has been the president of Chechnya, a southern Russian republic with a turbulent and violent history, since 2007. Before that he served for two years as republic's prime minister and held several other significant posts related to security and governance before that.
Speaking to NTV television, Kadyrov refused to speculate who could become president of Chechnya after him, saying his team had plenty of strong candidates. He said would not seek a position in the Russian federal government.
It's hard to believe. Kadyrov has played a central role in stomping out Islamic terrorism and bringing stability to Chechnya. He's also cited as a key player in Russia's efforts against terrorist groups in Syria.
In the coming months, we will likely learn more about what motivated Kadyrov to step down. Until then, here's an obligatory Kadyrov Instagram photo:
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