Prime minister, self-proclaimed Government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Ахмед Закаев
Brief description
Akhmed Zakayev is the prime minister of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in exile. He has been permanently resident in the United Kingdom since January 2002; he received political asylum in 2003.
Leadership claims
Zakayev’s claims to represent Chechens and head the legitimate government of the region — as the continuation of the separatist state that waged two wars with Russia in 1994-1996 and 1999-2002 — are not universally accepted by the Chechen dissident community.
Attitude to the war in Ukraine
Zakayev has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine in its war with Russia. After Russia’s invasion in February 2022, he declared that Chechens living in Europe were ready to fight for the country. (Kavkaz Realii, 2022). The government of the ChRI then reconstituted the Armed Forces of the ChRI for deployment to the country; the unit was formally subordinated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Reaction of the Chechen authorities
Zakayev is a long-standing target of both the Russian and Chechen authorities, who have repeatedly criticised him and sought his extradition from the UK.
In 2016, the Kadyrov regime forced Zakayev’s relatives to publicly disavow him, in response to which Ramzan Kadyrov announced that they would no longer be subject to collective responsibility for his actions (OpenDemocracy, 2020).
Known associates
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