Russian President Vladimir Putin made a significant visit to Chechnya on Tuesday, marking his first trip to the North Caucasus region since 2011. The visit included a meeting with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a key ally of the Kremlin, who has publicly committed thousands of fighters to support Russias military operations in Ukraine.The visit comes after Putin accepted an invitation from Kadyrov earlier this year, expressing his intention to visit the region. I will do everything possible for this trip to take place, Putin had stated in May.Upon arrival in Grozny, Chechnyas capital, Putin was greeted warmly by Kadyrov. Footage shared by RIA Novosti and Kadyrov himself showed the Russian president shaking hands with the Chechen leader and other officials before embracing Kadyrov with a hug. The two then departed in a limousine, with Kadyrov later announcing on Telegram that a packed program of events had been prepared for Putin. He added, Vladimir Vladimirovich, despite a long working day, is full of energy and ready to visit several places in Chechnya.🚨🇷🇺 BREAKING: President Putin has arrived in Chechnya for the first time since 2011. pic.twitter.com/lFcvjrnYHO— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) August 20, 2024Earlier on Tuesday, Putin visited other regions in the North Caucasus, including Kabardino-Balkaria and North Ossetia. In North Ossetia, he paid homage at the Beslan school, the site of a tragic 2004 siege by Chechen rebels that resulted in the deaths of more than 330 people. Putin knelt at a memorial and met with mothers who lost their children during the siege, drawing a comparison between the Chechen attackers and the Ukrainian forces currently involved in incursions in Russias Kursk region.Putins visit to Chechnya is particularly symbolic, given the regions profound impact on his political career. The second Chechen war, which he launched in 1999 while serving as prime minister, helped solidify his image as a strong leader and boosted his popularity among Russians. Since 2007, Kadyrov, a Putin loyalist, has ruled Chechnya with an iron fist, focusing on quelling any remaining Islamist insurgency and suppressing dissent while also spearheading extensive reconstruction efforts in Grozny.Putins visit began with a solemn tribute at the grave of Kadyrovs father, Akhmat Kadyrov, who was assassinated in 2004. Akhmat Kadyrovs death occurred just a few years before Putin appointed Ramzan Kadyrov as the leader of Chechnya at the age of 30, continuing the close relationship between the Russian president and the Kadyrov family.
