"Vienna is essentially a Russian-owned process concocted in parallel with the Russian military intervention in Syria's war. This has changed equations at multiple levels, with Russian air strikes going hand in hand with Russian diplomatic strikes. We are in the era of US capitulation to the Islamic Republic of Iran and complacency towards its militias fighting alongside the Assad regime, all while the Obama administration claims it wants to see Assad step down." - De Mistura Bets On Russia's Need To Withdraw Its Forces From Syria | Putin Lives in Fear of Another Chechen War
Putin Lives in Fear of Another Chechen War : Experts offer several explanations for the harassment of the opposition by Kadyrov and his inner circle. According to one explanation, Chechnya’s economic crisis is driving its leadership to prove its loyalty to the Kremlin. But this argument overlooks Kadyrov’s wild card: a massive personal army that is loyal to Kadyrov alone. In these circumstances, Moscow’s support and influence is increasingly irrelevant in Chechnya. If federal authorities attempt to arrest Kadyrov, a third Chechen War will break out—a conflict that the Kremlin can ill afford. Putin has become a prisoner of his own creation. Another argument, and one that is closer to the truth, states that Kadyrov is trying to see how much he can get away with. He acts and waits to see what the Kremlin’s reaction will be, or more precisely whether the Kremlin will react at all. Kadyrov is testing Putin, making sure that his own power is truly uncontested. De Mistura Bets On
