THE guns are the most conspicuous things,more even than the bullet holes that scar the buildings like so much architectural acne.On November 27th,when Chechnya held parliamentary elections,the weapons often outnumbered the voters: guns brandished by the Russian troops who slouch at checkpoints;guns wielded by the uniformed Chechen police;and,at the polling stations,guns carried by the mainly young,jumpy men from the local militias-the most numerous,and the most feared,of which are the kadyrovtsy,or henchmen of Ramzan Kadyrov,the warlord son of a Chechen president who was blown up last year.
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