Chechen Leader Accuses Russian Lawmakers of Plotting His Assassination

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, has claimed that Russian legislators from neighboring regions have conspired to orchestrate his murder. He also threatened a "blood feud" unless they can convince him otherwise; the claim was reported by the state news agency, TASS. Kadyrov, an ally of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, made these accusations in his native language during a Chechen security officials' meeting, the video of which was uploaded on his personal Telegram channel on Wednesday.

TASS translated Kadyrov's allegations as, "There are witnesses, there are people from whom they tried to commission, whom they asked how much they would take for the order." He reportedly named three Russian lawmakers — two from Dagestan and one from Ingushetia — as the masterminds behind the alleged assassination plot. Kadyrov further warned, "If they do not prove otherwise, I will officially declare a blood feud."

In Chechnya, blood feuds are a long-standing tradition of seeking retaliation by taking the life of an enemy or male kin. However, Reuters could not confirm the accuracy of TASS’s translation of Kadyrov’s comments.

Chechnya shares a border with Dagestan and Ingushetia. In the past, Kadyrov has staked a claim to parts of their territories. After starting as a Chechen independence fighter combatting Russian forces during the region's attempt to secede in the 90s, Kadyrov pledged his allegiance to Moscow. He took up Chechnya’s leadership role in 2007, following his father's assassination three years earlier.

Kadyrov has enjoyed a high degree of freedom in ruling Chechnya—courtesy of Putin—in return for ensuring stability in the region. He has emerged as a significant figure in political and military circles, even supplying troops for Russia's war in Ukraine, according to Reuters.