Kadyrov Secretly Builds Huge Private Army. What Putin Feared The Most is Coming True - The Russian Dude

[TexasTowelie]

The fragile alliance between Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov is cracking, and the consequences are enormous for Russia, Chechnya, and the war in Ukraine. For twenty years the Kremlin funded Kadyrov’s rule, armed his militias, and allowed him to build a state within a state in exchange for one thing: silence in the North Caucasus. But the war in Ukraine shattered that balance. As soon as the invasion began, Kadyrov sent fighters and propaganda crews to boost his influence — then abruptly pulled back, claiming Chechnya had “sacrificed too many men.” Instead of punishing him, Moscow kept paying billions to keep the region quiet. That money is no longer going into the war. It’s being used to expand the Kadyrovtsy, a massive private army loyal not to Russia, but to Kadyrov personally.

This is the nightmare scenario the Kremlin never wanted: a heavily funded, well-equipped, fully independent military force operating inside Russia’s borders, answering only to a warlord whose health is declining and whose focus has shifted from loyalty to legacy. As Kadyrov consolidates power, trains elite units, and prepares his successors, Putin is left financing an army he may not be able to control. Analysts warn that Kadyrov’s private forces could secure the republic after his death — or destabilize it. They could enforce loyalty to Moscow — or challenge it. They could protect Russian interests — or trigger the very separatism Putin spent his entire career crushing.

What was once a marriage of convenience is now a dangerous imbalance. Kadyrov’s autonomy grows as Russia weakens. His private army expands while the Russian military suffers losses and shortages. And Putin, already overwhelmed by the war, fears confronting the one man whose rebellion could ignite the Caucasus. The Kremlin publicly pretends everything is stable, but behind the scenes, they know the truth: by funding the Kadyrovtsy, they may have armed the very force that could one day turn against them. The private army Putin created to secure Russia has become the biggest threat to his own power.