More Corruption: Ramzam Kadyrov

The vertical of power is not limited to Moscow. It’s also present in the regions. One in particular is essential for keeping the northern Caucasus alive and well and, chiefly, aligned with Moscow. It was once a breakaway region that Russia finally brought to heel, with widespread destruction, and we have no idea how many died. But it may be as high as 50,000 civilians dead:

Estimates of the number of civilians killed range widely from 20,000 to 100,000[ii], with the latter figure commonly referenced by Chechen sources. Most scholars and human rights organizations generally estimate the number of civilian casualties to be 40,000[iii]; this figure is attributed to the research and scholarship of Chechnya expert John Dunlop, who estimates that the total number of civilian casualties is at least 35,000.[iv] This range is also consistent with post-war publications by the Russian statistics office estimating 30,000 to 40,000[v] civilians killed. The Moscow-based human rights organization, Memorial, which actively documented human rights abuses throughout the war, estimates the number of civilian casualties to be a slightly higher at 50,000.[vi]

It was not in the interest of the Russian Federation to have an accurate count; this is why it’s all over the place. It is believed that 13,000 Russian soldiers died during the conflict as well.