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Putin moves to fill vacuum in Chechnya

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, MAY 10. The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, moved quickly to fill a power vacuum in Chechnya created by the assassination of its President, Akhmad Kadyrov, even as the slain Chechen leader was buried in his home village.

Mr. Kadyrov's son, Ramzan, was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya, on Monday. The bomb that killed Kadyrov ripped through a stadium stand in Grozny during celebrations marking World War II Victory Day on Sunday. The head of Chechnya's State Council, Hussein Isayev, also died in the attack, while Russia's top military commander in the region, Colonel-General Valery Baranov, was seriously wounded.

Mr. Ramzan, who was responsible for the President's security, had created a powerful military force that was beginning to replace Russian troops in chasing Chechen rebels. Mr. Putin met Mr. Ramzan in the Kremlin within hours of his father's death to convey condolences, in a sign that the Kremlin counted on Kadyrov's clan to facilitate a smooth transfer of power in Chechnya. Mr. Ramzan's appointment may also indicate that Moscow wants him to step in his father's shoes.

On Sunday, Mr. Putin appointed Chechnya's Prime Minister, Sergei Abramov, to head the republic on an interim basis till elections are held within four months. But the 32-year-old former banker is no contender for Chechnya's presidency, if only because he is an ethnic Russian. No one has claimed responsibility for the assassination of Kadyrov, but Russian officials blamed it on Chechen rebels.

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