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In this episode Aga sits down with Harold Chambers, an independent political and security analyst specialising in the North Caucasus, to discuss the recent anti-mobilisation protests in this multi-ethnic part of Russia usually known for very low levels of open dissent. Aga and Harold then delve deeper into the mood in Chechnya specifically, and compare how the usual perception of Chechen troops differs from their real performance on the battlefield in Ukraine.

In the final part of the discussion, available exclusively for our patrons, Aga and Harold talk about the notorious head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. What role does he play in Russia's war against Ukraine? Does he have a special relationship with Putin and the Kremlin? What is his endgame? Join our patreon to find out!

The full episode can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/73456918

Follow Harold on Twitter: https://twitter.com/chambersharold8

You can find his weekly updates on North Caucasus in Lossi 36's newsletter: https://lossi36.com/category/format/news/

His recent articles include:

"Mobilization in the North Caucasus" - https://ridl.io/mobilization-in-the-north-caucasus/

"The price of protest in Chechnya" - https://ridl.io/the-price-of-protest-in-chechnya/

"Moving Beyond the Chechen Troika" - https://ridl.io/moving-beyond-the-chechen-troika/

"The Shifting Political Hierarchy in the North Caucasus" - https://www.fpri.org/article/2022/06/the-shifting-political-hierarchy-in-the-north-caucasus/

"The post-Kadyrov mirage" - https://meduza.io/en/feature/2022/09/07/the-post-kadyrov-mirage