Inside Russia’s Imperial Relations: The Social Constitution of Putin-Kadyrov Patronage

Abstract

This article analyses how Moscow has extended its rule over Chechnia since the beginning of this century. Within the larger understanding of this rule as imperial in form, the current distinct contractual relation between the Russian center and Chechnia is substantiated as one based on kinship. I argue that the Putin-Kadyrov relationship is a generic case of a patronage but highlight the local imprint that such relations acquire by tracing how Chechen kinship practices inform this case.