Political analysts doubt efficiency of US sanctions against Kadyrov

The decision of the US State Department to put the head of Chechnya in the sanctions list is a symbolic measure that demonstrates only the attitude towards him, but is unable to cause any practical influence, the political analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 20, the US State Department announced that sanctions were imposed against Ramzan Kadyrov in connection with human rights violations in Chechnya. The sanctions have also affected Kadyrov's wife Medni and his two daughters, Aishat and Khadizhat.

First of all, the sanctions may relate to a ban on Kadyrov's entry to the USA, which he had hardly planned to do, Mikhail Roschin, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has stated.

"The measure is largely symbolic. As we know, Ramzan Kadyrov would definitely not go to the United States ... He has excellent ties with the Emirates, and America is definitely not his country," Mr Roschin told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In recent years, the USA has introduced sanctions against Russian legal entities and individuals for several dozen times, Yuri Rogulev, Director of the Roosevelt US Research Foundation at the Moscow State University, a Candidate of History.

"Ramzan Kadyrov is not the only one; there are a lot of people in the Russian leadership [on the sanctions lists]. This is a common political step that demonstrates the attitude towards this or that Russian politician. This is a typical approach of the State Department, Congress and the US Government, who treat sanctions as an efficient tool. In reality, they are just symbolic," Mr Rogulev has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 22, 2020 at 06:26 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.