UAE | Crime
Delimkhanov a Moscow loyalist
The assassination of Sulim Yamadayev has been blamed on Adam Delimkhanov, an influential, but shadowy figure who is fiercely loyal to Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov and, by extension, to Moscow.
- By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:00 April 5, 2009
Dubai: The assassination of Sulim Yamadayev has been blamed on Adam Delimkhanov, an influential, but shadowy figure who is fiercely loyal to Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov and, by extension, to Moscow.
A cousin and close associate of Kadyrov, Delimkhanov is expected to be the president's pick as his successor. The pro-Moscow Chechen is said to be very influential among Chechnya's pro-Moscow circles.
Delimkhanov is Chechnya's representative in the State Duma (lower house of parliament) in Moscow.
Like his cousin, Del-imkhanov shifted his alliance to Moscow after the Russian reinvasion of the republic in 1999, though it is not clear whether he was actively involved in fighting the Russians before, as did his president-cousin.
Delimkhanov was born in 1969 in Chechnya's Nozhai-Yurtsky district, and according to his website, served in the Soviet Red Army in his early twenties.
According to his official biography, Delimkhanov graduated from the Chechen State University in 1994.
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He is believed to be ruthless in eliminating threats to his cousin's legitimacy and rule, and often present them as deaths caused by "resisting arrest".
Yamadayev had said he suspected his own death would be made to look like resistance to arrest.
Delimkhanov is known to have been ruthless in pursuing his enemies and those of Kadyrov.
Reports indicate that he tortured the father of one of his targets by gouging out his eyes to reach the target, and set an example.
What divided Yamadayev and Delimkhanov is Yamadayev's opposition to Kadyrov's rule in Chechnya. Delimkhanov has described Yamadayev and his late brother Ruslan as agents of the West.
Delimkhanov's appointment as deputy head of Chechnya's security committee gave him the autonomy to operate freely.
Delimkhanov's rise in Moscow is seen as part of Kadyrov's affirmation of his power and influence when Dmitry Medvedev was going to take office.
A Putin loyalist, Kadyrov's was said to have been concerned that his influence would wane with Medvedev's arrival.
Unconfirmed reports have stated that Delimkhanov was once the driver of Salman Raduyev, the late Chechen separatist warlord.
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