[arderkrag]

The Kremlin installed 30-year-old Ramzan Kadyrov as Chechnya's president to crush a decade-old separatist insurgency, but some observers say he has turned the region into a private fiefdom where Russian laws are flouted.

All seriousness of this topic disappeared for me upon reading this statement. Now, I just have this hilarious image of a little guy standing in a tinpot country that he's turned into his own playground...

Kinda like the president of the UAE.

[Tailgunner Joe]

Funny you should mention the UAE. Russian President Putin just visited the UAE, and was presented with their highest award, the Zayed Order, by the King. Putin offered to sell them billions of dollars worth of air defenses and the use of the Russian GLONASS satellite navigation system for military purposes.