Ramzan Kadyrov, the eccentric ruler of Chechnya, has released a preview of what he says is an action movie titled He Who Doesn’t Understand Will Understand Soon. “After protracted negotiations,” Kadyrov says, he accepted the starring role in the film, which is being directed by an unnamed “Hollywood director.” Kadyrov also promises cameos by several “world famous stars.”
The 15-second video clip, posted on Instagram on May 25, features Kadyrov running through the mud, surrounded by Nissan jeeps painted in military camouflage, as he fires a large automatic weapon into the air. There is no apparent plot.
Kadyrov’s “blockbuster” sneak peek came hours after Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s organization Open Russia released a much anticipated documentary film about human rights abuses in Chechnya and the rampant corruption of the Kadyrov regime. In the past, Kadyrov has called Khodorkovsky his “personal enemy.”
Political analyst Stanislav Belkovsky told Open Russia that Kadyrov’s Instagram post is likely an “indirect threat” against the documentary film’s crew. According to Belkovsky, “there’s obviously no Hollywood movie here.”