Vladimir Putin’s ally Ramzan Kadyrov has deployed his three teenage sons to fight in Ukraine.
The warlord – leader of the Chechen Republic, an autonomous territory within Russia – has backed the Kremlin since the war began.
He’s also urged Putin to use ‘low-yield’ nuclear weapons in a series of chilling warnings to the West.
Now, Kadyrov has announced three of his underage sons will be sent to fight with Russian forces.
The autocrat’s boys – Akhmat, Eli, and Adam – are aged 16, 15, and 14 respectively.
Kadyrov’s plan appears to contravene Russian law – where the minimum conscription age is 18 – and is potentially a potential ‘grave violation’ of children’s rights and international humanitarian law, as set out by Unicef.
But the ruthless leader announced on his Telegram channel: ‘I have always believed that the main goal of any father is to instill piety in his sons and teach them to protect the family, the people, and the Motherland.
‘If you want peace, prepare for war. Akhmat, Eli, and Adam are ready to use their skills in the [war] zone.
‘And I’m not kidding. It’s time to show themselves in a real fight, and I only welcome their desire.
‘Soon they will go to the front line and will be on the most difficult sections of the contact line.
‘Their military training began a long time ago, almost from an early age.’
But the warlord will unlikely be phased by the fact his decision to send his sons to war breaks humanitarian law.
For years there has been international outrage at consistent torture and executions under the Kadyrov government.
The Chechen leader has overseen anti-gay purges which have led to kidnappings, imprisonment and even deaths of LGBTQ+ men and women.
In his most recent Telegram rant, Kadyrov addressed the many Chechens who have fled into exile due to his record of repression and human rights abuses in his oil-rich territory in the Trans-Caucasus.
These “Chechen-speaking couch ‘warriors’ who criticise us and sit in front of computers in Europe” should ”move to Ukraine and convince us that you don’t wear skirts or behind them.
“We are convinced that even minors will be able to crush you to dust because you have neither spirit, honour, nor dignity.”
Kadyrov – a devout Muslim – is reported to keep three polygamous wives, and all have been sanctioned by the West.
His senior wife is Medni Kadyrova, believed to be 44, who lives in a “palace” close to Kadyrov’s official residence in Chechen capital Grozny.
His second wife Fatima Khazuyeva, 31, is said to be a former beauty pageant contestant.
She was 14 when she first met him and has her own “palace”, according to independent media The Project, or Proekt.
Some reports say he has a third wife, singer Aminat (Amina) Akhmadova , 36.
None of his wives has commented on his plan to send his sons to war.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].
For more stories like this, check our news page.
