The orchestrated military rebellion, led by Evgeny Prigozhin, against the central authority in Russia, presents an opportunity for Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, and his military troops to emerge as significant allies and actors in the Kremlin’s domestic and foreign policy landscape.
Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has played a decisive and influential role in assisting the Russian military operations on the ground with his kadyrovtsy and Chechen troops and supporting the Kremlin's ideological confrontation with the West.
Since several Muslim soldiers are fighting in Ukraine among the ranks of the Russian troops, there is considerable debate and propaganda if they can be considered 'mujahideen' who fight in 'the path of Allah' or ‘disbelievers’.
While the Russian military forces are approaching Kyiv, Chechnya is trying to play its diplomatic role in the Gulf Arab countries to support the Russian Federation in the international arena.
The Ukraine conflict has attracted the attention of foreign fighters eager to fight against the Russian troops and the Chechen kadyrovtsy. If the war lasts longer than Moscow planned, there is a severe threat that Ukraine might evolve into a battleground where foreign fighters will promote terrorism and jihadist propaganda.
The Chechen kadyrovtsy might have been deployed in Ukraine to support the Russian troops. This news caused the reaction of the Caucasus Emirate and underlined the important role that Chechnya plays in the Kremlin's foreign policy and military strategy.
The recent terrorist attack in France highlights the security problem and the impact of jihadist propaganda in the Russian language inside the European Union. In fact, Islamic State ideologies and the presence of the North Caucasian diaspora in Europe might threaten EU security.