In his latest post on Telegram, Putin-loyal Kadyrov – who ruled Chechnya with an iron fist for 15 years – notes that he found out that another regional leader had been in his post for 27 years, so he “decided to break that record”.
“I have absolutely no right to just quit. The people have entrusted me with the leadership of the region and it is my sacred duty to live up to that trust,” he writes, according to US-backed Radio Free Europe.
On Saturday, an apparently pleased Kadyrov said in a video post that he realized he had been in his post for a long time and that he “deserved a long, indefinite vacation.”
According to Radio Free Europe, the announcement sparked speculation that the Chechen leader actually wanted something from Russian President Vladimir Putin. It is clear that the two have now spoken to each other. Russian news agency Interfax reports that Putin called Kadyrov on Tuesday to “congratulate him and all Chechens” on the sub-republic’s 100th anniversary.
Chechnya is an autonomous Russian republic. Russian and international human rights organizations have for years accused Ramzan Kadyrov of being behind gross abuses against his population, including kidnappings, torture, extrajudicial executions and persecution of homosexuals.