Paul Goble
Staunton, Mar. 6 -- Ramzan Kadyrov's effort to fully control the information space in his republic has failed because nearly 100 percent of Chechens now have Internet access and increasingly are turning to opposition bloggers who use social media in general and telegram channels in particular to bring news and information to the Chechen people.
The most prominent of these are Tumso Abdurakhmanov, Islam Blokiyev, and Khasan Khalitov, who have been harassed and forced to flee abroad but who continue to reach significant shares of the 1.5 million people who remain in Kadyrov's Chechnya (kavkazr.com/a/vakuum-obektivnoy-informatsii-pochemu-oppozitsionnye-blogery-populyarny-v-chechne/33335427.html).
Abdurakhmanov who now lives in Sweden has more than 500,000 YouTube subscribers and 35,000 regular telegram channel readers. Blokhiyev has over 100,000 YouTube subscribers and more than 13.000 telegram channel followers. And Khalitov has 13,000 telegram channel readers.
In addition, there are two opposition Chechen movements which use the Internet to reach the people, NIYSO and 1ADAT, which have large numbers of followers as well. According to the Kavkazr report, all have gained audience as Putin's war in Ukraine has proceeded, forcing Kadyrov to work ever harder to try to control the media space in Chechnya.
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