The Untouchable: How Kadyrov Maintains His Tight Grip On Chechnya

Ramzan #Kadyrov, the strongman leader of #Chechnya, has been reelected with over 90% of the vote. The result came as a surprise to no one, as the election was widely seen as merely symbolic and he faced no real challenger. But 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? *** For more explainers, graphics and videos, visit: https://www.rferl.org/Multimedia​ or follow us on: Facebook   / ​   Twitter   / rferl​   Instagram   / ​   We report the news in 22 countries without a free press. Our journalists are a unique source of information from the front lines. https://www.rferl.org/