Vladimir Putin’s Second-Biggest Headache

Article excerpt

Russia's war in Ukraine is deteriorating, and Vladimir Putin faces a potential crisis closer to home: the succession in Chechnya after strongman Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov, who has ruled the volatile region with an iron fist for nearly two decades while maintaining nominal loyalty to Moscow, is aging and facing health issues. His departure could destabilize a territory where Russian security depends on Kadyrov's personal control, and where armed groups opposed to Russian rule still operate. For Putin, already stretched managing the Ukrainian conflict, a Chechen succession fight could open a second military and political front that drains resources and complicates his grip on the former Soviet sphere.