Putin ally is threat to Russian national security, says Kremlin critic

Russian opposition figure Ilya Yashin presents his report, titled 'National Security Threat' and dedicated to current situation in Chechnya and its leader Ramzan Kadyrov, in Moscow, Russia, February 23, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The hardline leader appointed by President Vladimir Putin to maintain order in the turbulent Chechen region has created his own caliphate that may one day unleash an Islamic State-style jihad against Russia, according to opponents of the Kremlin.

Ilya Yashin, a prominent figure in the People's Freedom Party or PARNAS, said the Kremlin-backed leader of largely Muslim Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, had flouted Russian laws and amassed military power while his fighters carried out terrorist attacks against opponents in Russia and abroad.