Chechen warlord ‘proud’ of son over video of him beating prisoner | World News
A key Putin ally has spoken of his ‘pride’ after footage emerged of his son attacking a Ukrainian prisoner.
Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya and father of 14 children, made the statements on Monday.
He posted the comments on Telegram along with a video in which a young man in khakis, whom the warlord claims is his son Adam, is seen to punch and kick another man before wrestling him to the ground and beating his head.
Kadyrov added he was releasing the video to confirm the incident, first reported last month, really had taken place.
He said: ‘He beat him, and he did the right thing. Without exaggeration, yes, I am proud of Adam’s actions.’
He went on to say he felt the clip showed his son exhibiting ‘adult ideals of honour, dignity, and defence of his religion.’
The victim in the video is reportedly Nikita Zhuravel, a 19-year-old Ukrainian, who has been accused of burning the Koran.
He is understood to have since complained about the attack to Russia’s human rights ombudsman.
However, the recent clip has also led to speculation that the Chechen warlord may no longer be in control of his social media accounts.
Ukrainian military intelligence recently claimed Kadyrov is in fact in a coma after falling critically ill.
It comes amid unconfirmed reports earlier this month saying kidney specialists had been sent from Moscow to the regional capital of Grozny to treat the 46-year-old.
Andrei Yusov, spokesperson for Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence, recently said: ‘Indeed, there is information that the war criminal Kadyrov is in a serious condition.
‘We can confirm that he has had a severe relapse and has been in critical condition for several days.’
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