June 18,2008:
Russia pacified Chechnya over the
last seven years by using an old technique. They played "divide and conquer."
After using massive force on the rebellious Chechens for three years, and
demonstrating that they could keep killing indefinitely, they offered some of
the clans a chance to switch sides. Several clans were interested, but only one
would get the top job of running the province (technically a republic within
the Russian confederation). Akhmad Kadyrov, a religious, as well as a clan,
leader was selected, and he was elected president of the Republic in 2003.
Kadyrov promptly favored kin, and family friends, with top government jobs. But
while Kadyrov was able to shut down most
of the separatist and religious violence, he was not able to pacify all the
clans and rebellious individuals. The Russians anticipated that, and the army
recruited "contract soldiers" from the other pro-Russian clans (that felt
screwed by the Kadyrov monopoly on government goodies). The army took these
men, who were paid about three times what a policeman got, plus bonuses for
special jobs (including some tasks that could be called war crimes), and formed
them into the Zapad (West) and Vostok (East) battalions. These units were part
of the Russian 42nd Motorized Rifle Division, which comprised the bulk of
Russian military force in the north Caucasus. Both battalions actually reported
to the local GRU (Russian military intelligence) commander. When these two
battalions were not chasing down bad guys in the Caucasus, they were assigned
to peacekeeping duties (in Lebanon and Georgia). For centuries, Chechens have
served as mercenaries, often as part of the bodyguard for Middle Eastern
aristocrats. They are still highly as soldiers, and when you pay them enough,
they will remain loyal.
There was
one problem with these two battalions. When they were in Chechnya, they often
got into fights (using everything from fists to machine-guns) with members of
the Kadyrov clan (and clans allied with the Kadyrovs). The Vostok battalion was
a particular problem because that outfit was run by the Yamadaev brothers, and
the Yamadaevs were bitter enemies of the Kadyrovs. This has presented the
Russians with a problem, because over the last few months the violence between
the Yamadaevs and Kadyrovs has been escalating. The Russians don't want to lose
the services of either clan, but they don't want to continue subsidizing
another civil war in Chechnya. The situation is further complicated by the fact
that the local army commanders back the Yamadaevs, while government officials
back in Moscow back the Kadyrovs. For the moment, the Russians are trying to
keep gunmen from both clans away from each other. Thus the peacekeeping
assignments for some of the Yamadaevs of the Vostok battalion, and more
counter-terror operations for the local security forces controlled by the
Kadyrovs.
As a
practical matter, all the pro-Russian clans are guilty of criminal, and often
quite brutal, behavior. This is a rough neighborhood, has been for thousands of
years, and the Russians don't make it any less so by going native.