Kadyrov's mobilization initiative fits into trend of criticism of Shoigu

By means of his statements about the need for self-mobilization, Kadyrov is trying to try on the functions of the Minister of Defence and once again show his loyalty to Putin, but "he runs ahead of the locomotive," the experts, Dmitry Oreshkin and Alexei Malashenko, have suggested.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 11, Ramzan Kadyrov accused the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) of making mistakes in the Kharkov Region, but on September 14, on the contrary, he praised the course of the military operation in Ukraine. Then he said that Russian governors should declare self-mobilization in the regions to send troops to Ukraine.

Kadyrov's initiative is a continuation of the campaign against Sergei Shoigu, the head of the MoD, Dmitry Oreshkin, a political analyst, is sure. "Kadyrov has impudently climbed into a wrong field and proposed starting regional calls, ignoring the vertical of power, and now he has already issued a decree on conscription in Chechnya," Mr Oreshkin has stated.

"Kadyrov offers to start an alternative draft, since federal authorities would not announce a general mobilization. He is once again running ahead of the locomotive, and trying to become the first," Alexei Malashenko, an expert on the Caucasus, believes.

Four governors have spoken out in support of Kadyrov, including the head of the Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov. He said that he fully supports the initiative of his "friend and brother," the "360" TV Channel reports.

Amid Kadyrov's statement about the draft, screenshots of his decree on the conscription in Chechnya have appeared in social networks, the "Grozny-Inform" News Agency wrote on September 14.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 16, 2022 at 11:50 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.