Abdurakhmanov's video blog enjoys growth in popularity due to debates with officials

The popularity of blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov, who criticizes the Chechen authorities, has increased significantly after his public disputes with subordinates of Ramzan Kadyrov. An authorities' attempt to discredit the blogger has resulted in an increase in the number of people viewing videos posted by Tumso Abdurakhmanov, believes Umar Tatiev, the author of kavkaz_leakbez channel on Telegram.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that an online dispute between Djambulat Umarov, Minister for National Policy of Chechnya, and blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov about the Akhmat Kadyrov's calls for jihad forced Ramzan Kadyrov to explain and interpret the statements of his father. Then Djambulat Umarov refused to continue the discussion with Tumso Abdurakhmanov, and Magomed Daudov, the speaker of the Chechen parliament, entered into a debate with the blogger.

Earlier, officials have not entered into such lengthy discussions with bloggers, notes Ruslan Martagov, a Chechen political analyst.

According to him, the Tumso Abdurakhmanov's phenomenon is in the fact that the blogger "expresses the aspirations of the majority" of Chechen residents. "His activities are primarily directed not against the Chechen authorities, but against the Kremlin [which supports the Chechen authorities]. Today, the Chechen society does not understand why those who fought against Russia yesterday have become the Russia's best friends today," suggests Ruslan Martagov.

According to Umar Tatiev, the author of kavkaz_leakbez channel on Telegram, the discussions between officials and Tumso Abdurakhmanov are an attempt to demonstrate willingness for a dialogue. "Ramzan Kadyrov is unequivocally unpopular among the population. And his dictatorship, which at first was sweet to the federal government and people tired of war, began to accumulate the opposite effect: the war was over, the centre was pleased, but 1.3 million people live in a state where they do not know what to expect. Through the dialogue with Tumso Abdurakhmanov, Ramzan Kadyrov shows everyone that he is ready for a dialogue," Umar Tatiev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

The authorities wanted to discredit Tumso Abdurakhmanov, but ultimately influenced unwittingly the growth of his popularity, Umar Tatiev believes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 11, 2019 at 03:42 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.