Cover Osteuropa 11-12/2024

In Osteuropa 11-12/2024

Conflicting Worldviews
Debates about Rearmament and Russia’s War

Martin Schulze Wessel


Deutsche Fassung

Abstract

The president of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, bases his rule on fear and terror. He employs violence in a targeted manner to elimi-nate opponents, nip dissent in the bud, and consolidate his rule. After the Second Chechen War, he emerged victorious from the power struggle be-tween various military combat forces. Since then, he has systematically per-secuted human rights activists, journalists, civic organizations, and the LGBTQ+ community. He is accused of numerous human rights violations such as torture, abductions, and extrajudicial killings. He does not stop at the bor-ders of the autonomous republic, but takes action against critics and oppo-nents throughout Russia and even abroad. The Kremlin tolerates Kadyrov’s tyranny and thus allows the limits of authoritarian rule in Russia to be expand-ed further.

(Osteuropa 11-12/2024, pp. 35–43)