Ramzan Kadyrov: From a regional leader to the main “foot soldier” of Putin
By Dragana Trifkovic
The head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov has been playing an important role in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Since the beginning of the “special military operation” he has been not only one of the key actors at the military front calling himself the “infantryman of Putin”, but also one of the key sources of information regarding the events on the ground, sharing multiple videos and messages on his Telegram account.
While some focus on the inter-elite conflicts he is involved in and his looks, evaluating the costs of his outfits, Ramzan Kadyrov social media are being followed by over than 2 million people and he is interacting with his audience on a daily basis, sharing videos from his commanders, appealing to Ukrainian officials and troops and talking about his role and the role of his people in the military conflict.