Will the real Ramzan Kadyrov please stand up? Or at least provide an official passport? As some may already know, the great pacifier of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov has his own blog. Or is this his blog, “No, I’m Kadyrov“?
Whichever one is the real Ramzan, his move to share his thoughts inevitably signifies that blogging, and those by politicians and tyrants in particular, has indeed jumped the shark. Who’s next Kim Jong-il? (You know if the Dear Leader had a blog you would read it. I know I would.)
And what did Mr. Kadyrov have to say in his first post?
Here we will meet with you on my blog. There are a great number of blogs that claim to be me. Rest assured, not a single one of them, with exception of the official site of the President of the Chechen Republic, are associated with me. I would really like for you and I to become friends, talk often, and share opinions about current events. I am a sociable, extremely candid man. I hope you share these qualities. I wish you all the best! Your Ramzan.
Not the most lyrical of texts. In fact, it sounds like ol’Ramzan is looking for a date. Especially if you consider the picture occupying the passage. He looks all suave in his track suit. Or check out the one for his avatar where he’s smiling seductively as he rests his chin on his wrist. Sexy.
If you think being Ramzan is hard, try being Ramzan the blogger. Already three days old, and the blog is not without controversy. First, there were the reports that the blog’s comments section was closed, casting doubt as to whether Kadyrov was the “sociable, extremely candid” guy he claimed. But these turned out to be false. But be careful, Ramzan is making a list of commentors’ IP addresses.
Then just when Kadyrov thought he had a clear path to becoming a star of the blogsphere, his second post, “My city, Grozny” was accused of plagiarism, According to the Moscow News,
But that hasn’t stopped the virtual sniggers as his second post, headlined “My city, Grozny”, flickered briefly into life then faded into the void amid allegations of plagiarism.
Kadyrov described getting into his car after the noon prayers and taking a short road trip around Grozny, praising the hard-working residents who are making his city the most beautiful in the region.
All good, touching stuff – but rather familiar to followers of Adam Delimkhanov’s blog, where the state Duma deputy describes an early-afternoon motor jaunt around Moscow and talking about the hard-working Chechen immigrants who are making his city the most beautiful in the region.
Kadyrov’s own site no longer carries his adapted text, though Yandex still carries a cached copy of the text, which can be compared with Delimkhanov’s efforts.
No need to hunt through Yandex. Thanks to my trusty Feeddemon, I have a copy of the post from Kadyrov’s RSS feed. Ramzan’s text (plagarized passages in bold):
В последнее время много пишут о Грозном. Авторы подчеркивают, что он стал одним из красивых городов. Три года назад мы заявили, что возродим город. И назвали сроки. Многие не верили. Думали, что устанем, надеялись, что нам надоест работать днем и ночью. Народ Чеченской Республики доказал, что любит свой край, свою столицу. Сегодня после полуденной молитвы я за рулем «Приоры» проехал по улицам Сунженская, Тбилисская, Назарбаева, Гурина, Садовой. Здесь трудятся тысячи жителей Чечни. За последние шесть дней Грозный, благодаря их труду, просто преобразился. И я со всей ответственностью утверждаю, что этот город будет не одним из красивых в регионе, а самым красивым, уютным и безопасным.
Recently, many people have written about Grozny. The authors emphasize how it became one of the most beautiful cities. Three years ago we declared that we will revitalize the city. And we designated a date. Many didn’t believe us. They thought that we would tire, hoping that we wouldn’t bother working day and night. The people of the Chechen Republic have proved that they love their region and their capital. Today after prayers I drove down the streets of Sunzhensk, Tbilisi, Nazarbarv, Gurin, and Sadovoi in my Priord. Here thousands of citizens of Chechnya work. For the last six days, Grozny has undergone a sea change thanks to their labor. And I proclaim with all responsibility that this city will be one of the pleasant in the region and the most beautiful, comfortable, and safe.
Now compare to Delimkhanov’s post, “Moscow, my city”:
Сегодня после полуденной молитвы я за рулем «Калины» проехал по улицам Москвы: Арбату, Новому Арбату, Красной площади, Садовой. Здесь трудятся тысячи жителей Чечни. За последние шесть дней Москва, благодаря их труду, просто преобразилась. И я со всей ответственностью утверждаю, что этот город будет не одним из красивых в регионе, а самым красивым, уютным и безопасным.
Today after prayers I drove down the streets of Moscow Arbat, New Arbat, Red Square, and Sadovoi in my Kalin. Here thousands of citizens of Chechnya work. For the last six days, Moscow, has undergone a sea change thanks to their labor. And I proclaim with all responsibility that this city will be one of the pleasant in the region and the most beautiful, comfortable, and safe.
Oh, and let us not forget that, as the Moscow News also notes, Kadyrov doesn’t own a car.
The car story aroused further suspicion among regular followers of Kadyrov. The Chechen president officially has no vehicle, and didn’t declare ownership of one among his accounts, gzt.ru reported.
Nice work Ramzan, or, I should say the people who write his blog for him.
