Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's defiant response to the attack on a police station in Chechnya suggests that he may be concerned about the stability of his authoritarian rule. This is stated in the report of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

Kadyrov claimed that Chechen authorities killed two unidentified men who were trying to carry out an attack in Gudermes in Chechnya on the night of March 28, and Russian sources expanded on video footage that allegedly shows two men shooting at a local police station..

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The Kadyrov Special Forces University is located in Gudermes, although it is not known if the attack was connected to this institution.. Kadyrov released footage showing himself, his 15-year-old son, and an entourage of Chechen officials and security forces visiting the site of the attack and inspecting the mutilated bodies of the attackers..

“It is likely that Kadyrov should have carried out this demonstrative body survey in order to enhance his image as a strong man and signal to the Chechens that any form of internal resistance to his rule would be eliminated,” the ISW report says.. “The fact that Kadyrov’s response to the attack was so immediate and brutal shows that he is concerned about the potential for internal resistance in Chechnya that could undermine his authoritarian rule over the autonomous republic.”.

ISW analysts also noted that Kadyrov recently met with President Vladimir Putin on March 13 and speculated that this was probably to increase the relevance of Chechnya in the Russian political and military sphere.. The ISW assessed that Putin could use Kadyrov's fears of falling out of favor to press him to increase the role of Chechen fighters at the front in Ukraine..

Kadyrov likely sees any signs of internal instability in Chechnya as a threat to Putin's continued commitment.

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Recall that Kadyrov recently announced plans to create his own VAT and recruits militants of the so-called "