The Untouchable: How Kadyrov Maintains His Tight Grip On Chechnya

Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Chechnya, has been overwhelmingly reelected for another term in voting held across Russia on September 17-19. The result came as a surprise to no one, as the election was widely seen as merely symbolic and he faced no real challenger. Kadyrov's long reign in Chechnya has come at a grave cost to human rights and civil liberties in the southern Russian republic. Yet many accusations of abuse go unacknowledged and uninvestigated. What makes Kadyrov's rule so unique in Russia? And how does the Chechen leader continue to act with such impunity?