Ahead of his record-breaking victory in the September elections, Ramzan Kadyrov reinvigorated his feud with Akhmed Zakayev, a former Ichkerian commander and current head of the separatist government-in-exile. The feud was last active in January, when Zakayev called the Caucasus Emirate leader Aslan Byutukayev a “national hero” after he was killed in a Chechen special operation. Kadyrov recommenced the feud when he said his father, Akhmat, saved the life of Aslan Maskhadov, the former Ichkerian President. Attacking his old rival is neither surprising nor productive for Kadyrov. Zakayev is essentially powerless; he does not even target Kadyrovite violence or corruption, unlike other opposition groups. So, what explains this course of action?
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