An expert in the Caucasus affairs, the director of French High School for Social Sciences, Giorgi Mamulia, said the decision of the Russian chief Medvedev to create a so-called "North Caucasus District" testifies that "it is increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to control this raging region". Mamulia said it in an interview with the Georgian news agency "Pirweli".

  Mamulia noted that "this decision, of course, points to a confusion that currently exists in the Kremlin on issues regarding the North Caucasus".

  The expert says that this step once again shows that Putin's centralized policy in the form of strengthening of "power hierarchy" (one of the main components of it was the maximum possible enlargement of "federal districts" that was supposed to contribute to the russification of "non-Russian regions") completely collapsed under the attacks of the Mujahideen of the Caucasus Emirate.

  That fact was recognized by Russian authorities who reported that in 2009 the number of so-called "terrorist acts" increased by 30 % as compared with the previous year. At the same time, the plan of the "kadyrization" of the North Caucasus failed

  Kadyrov who enjoys unlimited personal funding from Putin was unable to break the resistance of the Caucasian Mujahideen who expanded their operations to other regions of the Northern Caucasus.

  "These circumstance and that fact that the Kremlin has not now so much money as before the crisis in 2008 forced it to change policy", Mamulia said.

  The expert is convinced that the new initiative would not change anything in the North Caucasus.  

  "Apparently, the Russian authorities copied the institution of imperial governor-generals that existed in the Caucasus in the 19th century and early 20th century in the Czarist Russia".

  The comments of Russian experts close to the Kremlin testify that for establishing law and order in the North Caucasus it is necessary that all power is concentrated in the hands of a non-native who will have no ties with the heads of local clans.

  This policy is also reflected in Medvedev's speech where he stressed that Khloponin whom he moved from Siberia to a new position in the Caucasus should also control money flows as well as local authorities.

  Medvedev forgot that the Russian Empire of Romanovs was built on the principles of autocracy and unitarism, and there were no national republics in this empire that was ruled by representatives of non-Russian peoples", the expert said.

  Mamulia has also predicts the collapse of a so-called "power hierarchy" and notes that "based on this fact, we can assume that the new Kremlin "reform" would gradually turn into a "power dualism" in the North Caucasus that would finally destroy the "power hierarchy".

  "Khloponin who was transferred from Siberia to the North Caucasus has absolutely no idea about the situation in the region, he would resist local rulers that are hardly eager to give up their privileges, especially as far as the redistribution of money flows and personnel questions are concerned.

  It is also interesting that the "capital" of the new "district" is not Vladikavkaz with traditionally pro-Russian Ossetians but Pyatigorsk, a city located far away from Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan. This fact also shows that it is now more difficult for the Kremlin to control this boiling region", the expert said.

Source:  Kavkaz Center