‘I Do Not Want Independence’

In 2004, Chechnya’s president, Ahkmad Kadyrov, the face of the Kremlin Chechenization project, was assassinated and his son Ramzan took power. Ramzan went much further than his father: human-rights groups have accused him of ordering torture, abductions, and killings, both inside Chechnya and on dissidents abroad. At the same time he has brought a brutal peace to his troubled republic, introducing morality police and strict Islamic dress codes. Kadyrov spoke to NEWSWEEK’s Anna Nemtsova at his heavily fortified residence in Gudermes:

Chechen religious figures see you as their imam, their spiritual leader. Who finances the revival of Islam in Chechnya?

Me, my friends, people we know—we all put together money. Businessmen help. Moscow gives us some money for muftis’ salaries. This is necessary for Chechnya, as without Islamic teachers we would never have managed to bring order here. Our military units would never be able ...