Dispute of officials versus Tumso results in posting of new video about Akhmat Kadyrov

On March 19, the Chechen TV showed a video with Akhmat Kadyrov, filmed in 1999, in which he criticized the situation in the republic and the invasion of militants in Dagestan. The TV's initiative is intended to strengthen the image of Ramzan Kadyrov's father, shaken after the statements of the blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov, residents of the republic say.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 11, the Chechen state TV posted a 1998 video, which confirmed Tumso's rightness about Akhmat's appeals for jihad, said Ruslan Kutaev, the head of the International Committee on the Problems of Northern Caucasus.

"The material once again proves that since 1996, the first president of the Chechen Republic, Akhmat-Hadji Kadyrov, despite the mortal danger, had consistently defended the interests of the Chechen nation," says the website of the Chechen State TV and Radio Company (known as ChGTRK).

"The authorities, apparently, are hurt by the fact that many people fail to perceive Akhmat Kadyrov as the nation's saviour," said Kheda, a resident of the republic.

"Tumso has fairly spoiled the light image of Akhmat Kadyrov; and now Chechen authorities are frantically trying to repair it," said Dokka, a resident of Grozny.