Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Ramzan Kadyrov in Moscow on Wednesday, just days after the Chechnya governor said in an interview that he hopes to be relieved of his post.
Kadyrov fueled speculation about his future earlier this week when he told the regional outlet Chechnya Segodnya that he wants to step down. “I myself am asking to be relieved of my post. Let my replacement bring their own ideas and vision. I hope my request is fulfilled,” he said.
But in a Telegram post on Tuesday, the Chechen leader appeared to walk back his comments. “No matter how much I ask, only our Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, decides,” he wrote. “I’m a foot soldier! I’m a team player. If I’m ordered, I’ll follow.”
Ahead of Wednesday’s meeting with Putin, a Kommersant correspondent also asked Kadyrov if he planned to resign. “I’ll ask the president today. It will be as he says,” he replied. “But I’m saying it again: it’s not me who decides.”
By all appearances, however, nothing came of the meeting. According to Interfax, Kadyrov reported on the state of Chechnya’s economy, prompting praise from Putin. “As the head of the republic, you can be pleased and proud of the results of the work done in recent years,” the president said.
Kadyrov, who has been Chechnya’s governor since 2007, has made similar remarks about stepping down several times in recent years. As of this writing, there have been no reports from Russian state media confirming that he raised the topic of his resignation during the meeting with Putin on Wednesday.
