Chechnyan leader Ramzan Kadyrov says he’s ready to resign but it’s not the first time

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced on Monday that he is ready to step down – a move largely perceived as a publicly trick.

Kadyrov said in a rare interview aired Monday morning that it is his “dream” to step down because he finds the responsibility of leading the Russian region to be too heavy.

Kremlin-backed Kadyrov, a former rebel who switched his loyalties to Moscow, has been the dominant figure in Chechnya since the 2004 assassination of his father, President Akhmad Kadyrov.

Kadyrov Jnr has previously spoken about wanting to resign but never followed through. His public statements have been widely seen as part of a power play with the Kremlin for privileges and extra funding for his region which relies on subsidies from the federal budget.

“It is my dream,” Kadyrov said in the interview on the Rossiya 24 channel, asked if he would be willing to step down at some point. “It’s very hard to be a leader and bear the responsibility for the people, for the republic in the face of God, the country’s leaders.”

Kadyrov has enforced strict Islamic rules in Chechnya, relying on his feared security forces to stifle any dissent.