Caucasian experts surprised by Kadyrov’s speech with threats of blood feud

When commenting on the Ramzan Kadyrov’s statement about his readiness to declare blood feud against Suleiman Kerimov, Bekkhan Barakhoev, and Rizvan Kurbanov, Caucasian experts have noted that blood feud is not declared because of business conflicts and that the Vainakh traditions do not contain such a concept as a threat to declare blood feud.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that when speaking about the conflict around the “Wildberries” Company, the leader of Chechnya mentioned Senator from Dagestan Suleiman Kerimov and Russian State Duma members Bekkhan Barakhoev and Rizvan Kurbanov. Ramzan Kadyrov called them on to prove their non-involvement in an order to assassinate the leader of Chechnya himself and warned them of his readiness to declare blood feud.

The Ramzan Kadyrov’s statement concerning Suleiman Kerimov, Bekkhan Barakhoev, and Rizvan Kurbanov is a threat to declare blood feud, believes Shamil Albakov*, the deputy chair of the Committee of the Peoples of the Caucasus. He has noted that this is an innovation voiced by the leader of Chechnya.

This is an unprecedented case when the leader of a region threatens blood feud to a senator and a Russian State Duma member from another region, the analyst has added.

It is quite possible that the information about the planning of the Ramzan Kadyrov’s assassination is true. Ramzan Kadyrov wanted to protect Vladislav Bakalchuk, but the other side resisted. The best defence is an attack, and Ramzan Kadyrov mentioned an attempt to order his assassination, the analyst notes. “But the worst thing is that there is no attempt to resolve the problem in a peaceful way,” the expert emphasized.

The traditions of the Chechen and Ingush peoples do not contain such a concept as a threat to declare blood feud, the Russian Caucasian expert has explained.

Svetlana Gannushkina*, the chair of the “Civic Assistance” Committee*, has also voiced the opinion that the Ramzan Kadyrov’s statement means a threat to declare blood feud. “The very declaration of blood feud looks wild in the modern world, but it is even wilder that such a threat comes from the leader of a Russian region,” Svetlana Gannushkina* noted.

Blood feud is not declared for the desire to murder someone, but only for a murder itself, notes a human rights defender from the “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD)**.

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.

**As reported on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the reason for including on March 1, 2024, the unregistered “Memorial” Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD) into the register of foreign agents was the spread of “inaccurate information aimed at creating a negative image of the Russian Federation, as well as the Russian Armed Forces.”