Teen wedding scandal puts Putin in a bind

The groom is approaching 50, a silver-haired boss in the Chechen strongman's feared police force. The bride is 17, a shy beauty reportedly devastated at the idea of wedding a man nearly three times her age.
 
Many Russians expressed outrage over the nuptials, causing a firestorm in the media and putting Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov — a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin — on the defensive. The wedding went forward over the weekend anyway, the bride deathly pale and her voice barely audible as she agreed to marry Nazhud Guchigov, who reportedly was taking her as his second wife as allowed by Islamic, but not Russian, law.
 
Kadyrov's chief of staff played the best man, clutching the bride by the elbow to control her every step, and Kadyrov himself danced a folk dance at the wedding reception.

Kheda Goilabiyeva, second right, stands after her wedding with  Chechen police officer Nazhud Guchigov, in Chechnya's provincial capital Grozny. (AP)
 
The scandal comes amid a tug-of-war between Kadyrov and Russian federal law enforcement, which escalated after the slaying of charismatic Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov. Kadyrov's defiance in shielding Chechen suspects in the killing has aggravated longstanding tensions between him and Russian security agencies. That creates a headache for Putin, left with the delicate task of moderating the conflict to avoid destabilising the region.
 
The tensions are unlikely to spark open hostilities or lead to Kadyrov's removal. But they reflect an apparent effort by the Kremlin to cut the 38-year-old Chechen leader down to size and make him obey the rules — even as Putin continues to stand by Kadyrov.

Kadyrov has enjoyed an exclusive relationship with Putin, who saw him as the linchpin for peace in Chechnya after two devastating separatist wars that killed tens of thousands. In exchange for restoring stability, Putin gave Kadyrov, a former rebel, carte blanche to run the region in the North Caucasus as his personal fiefdom and funded a costly reconstruction.

Chechen regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov,third left, in black jacket and red shirt, applauds during a wedding in Chechnya's provincial capital Grozny, Russia. (AP)
 
The relationship goes beyond Realpolitik. Putin, a macho judo master, and Kadyrov, a gruff red-head with a penchant for boxing, have developed a close personal relationship. Kadyrov has issued a stream of adulatory statements, calling himself Putin's "foot soldier" and launching diatribes at the West and Putin's domestic opponents. And with Kadyrov's apparent blessing, Chechens have poured into eastern Ukraine to fight alongside pro-Russian rebels.
 
Putin's patronage has allowed Kadyrov to effectively shed federal controls. He makes it clear he listens to the president and nobody else. And he has imposed some Islamic rules, overruling federal law, allowing men in Chechnya to take several wives and introducing a tight dress code for women.

Lavish reconstruction projects along with Kadyrov's promotion of Islamic law and his rejection of federal controls have helped swell his popularity, enhancing stability. The Kremlin, in turn, has sheltered the Chechen leader from criticism over killings, abductions, torture and other abuses by his feared security forces.

A 46-year-old Chechen police officer taking a 17-year-old as his second wife in flagrant violation of Russian laws has caused a storm in the Russian media and put the region’s ruler on the defensive. (AP)
 
Federal police and security services have been all but invisible in Chechnya, unable to make a move without Kadyrov's permission. That has worried many, who say the much-touted order in Chechnya hinges on the Putin-Kadyrov relationship and could be upset quickly if it falls apart.
 
"Kadyrov's behavior long has caused irritation," said Grigory Shvedov, editor-in-chief of the Caucasian Knot, an online news portal focusing on the Caucasus.
 
Kadyrov's protective shield started to crack after Nemtsov was gunned down on February 27 just outside the Kremlin, and federal investigators quickly tracked down and arrested five alleged perpetrators, all Chechen. The suspected triggerman was an officer in Kadyrov's police force.
 
The top brass in Russian law-enforcement agencies, who have always detested the Chechen leader, saw Nemtsov's killing as an opportunity to settle scores. But Putin, while calling the slaying a "disgrace" for Russia, awarded Kadyrov with a medal underlining his support.

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