| As Russia grapples with terrorism and instability in Chechnya, a powerful ruler-in-waiting is forcing President Vladimir Putin's hand: the 28-year-old son of a slain Chechen president who commands a feared militia and an oil-fueled business empire. Ramzan Kadyrov leads 2,000 to 4,000 well-armed troops, who battle rebels but operate independently of Moscow. And he has ties to businessmen involved in the widespread corruption that saps money sent from Moscow intended to reconstruct Chechnya after years of war — one reason he may not be keen on ending the conflict. It was widely speculated that Kadyrov, who has a boyish, chubby face and wears a trimmed beard, would succeed his father. But he said he wouldn't participate in the race because he didn't meet the minimum age of 30 for president set by the Chechen constitution. That doesn't mean his influence has waned in any way without his father in power. "It's impossible to do something important in Chechnya without consultations with Kadyrov," said Alexei Malashenko, an expert on Chechnya at the Carnegie Moscow Center. |