One day in Chechnya 🇷🇺

Filmed prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine The Russian Federation comprises 87 federal subjects, of which 21 are known as “republics. Adygea and Dagestan are two such republics which we have visited together on this journey. Generally, these regions are dominated by non-Russian ethnic groups, and the title of “republic” supposedly accords them a greater degree of autonomy. In the 90s, this used to be the case. However, since Putin has come to power, he has methodically centralised Russia and almost entirely stripped these republics of their independence. National languages lost their primacy in local affairs, budgets were devolved to Moscow, and the title of “republic” became a masquerade for creeping Russification. There is one exception. The Chechen Republic has long been a thorn in Moscow’s side. A fiercely independent people, the Chechens have clashed with the Russian state several times, most notably in the two Chechen wars of the 90s which brought great destruction and torment to the local population. The post-war Kadyrov leadership was installed by the central Moscow government to placate the region. However, the guarantee of a peaceful Chechnya came at a great cost to the Kremlin. Ramzan Kadyrov has created in Chechnya a personalist regime which has turned out to be just as brutal and authoritative as Putin’s. He runs Chechnya as an independent state within Russia, uses his power to secure disproportionate concessions from Moscow, and, in many ways, has played Putin at his own game. To conclude our journey in Russia, we have a day to spend in Chechnya’s capital, Grozny. A day is far too little to do justice to this land, so rich with tradition and contradiction. But a day is all we have. Let us see, then, what it has to offer the day-tripper in the Russian hinterland. Instagram:   / joemorgan1