Karimov's share in gold mines could pass to Ramzan Kadyrov, but only...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to mediate between the Russian government and the opposition that has seized power in Syria, Novaya Gazeta reported, citing its sources.

According to journalists, during their last meeting in Moscow, they discussed the possibility of the Chechen leader activating "all official and unofficial" ties in the Middle East. There has been no official confirmation of this meeting. Kadyrov wrote on his channel that on December 9 he had gone to the Kremlin to attend the ceremony of awarding the Heroes of Russia with the "Gold Star" medals.

"Now Moscow must urgently resolve the emerging problem with its military bases in Syria. If Kadyrov does this, he may receive Wildberries as a reward," the publication's source says.

They also said the issue of transferring Dagestan Senator Suleiman Karimov's stake in a gold mining business to Kadyrov could be "considered." Karimov and the Chechen leader had previously clashed.

"Indirectly, the possible offer of mediation is also confirmed by Ramzan Kadyrov himself. He made three statements on the topic of Syria last week," writes Novaya Gazeta Evropa.

In particular, he proposed removing Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham from the list of terrorist organizations and "establishing the work of a bipartisan contact group capable of establishing initial contacts."