October 3rd 2022
Ramzan Kadyrov: Chechen leader vows to send teenage sons to frontline
by bbc news
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov says his three sons, aged 14, 15 and 16, will soon travel to the Ukraine front line to fight with Russian forces.
Kadyrov is a strong ally of Vladimir Putin, although has recently criticised Russian military leadership.
On social media, he wrote that a father should teach his sons how to protect their family, people and fatherland.
Russia has signed a UN treaty aimed at preventing children under the age of 18 from taking direct part in hostilities.
Using children under the age of 15 to participate in hostilities is considered a war crime by the International Criminal Court. However Russia does not recognise its jurisdiction.
In a long post on the Telegram messaging app, Kadyrov said his sons' military training began when they were much younger, and the time had come for them to experience a real battle.
He also took aim at those "empty-worded" people who claimed the Chechen leader's loved-ones were not taking part in the military operation in Ukraine.
The post was accompanied by a slickly-produced video of his sons firing various weapons at a training ground.
Kadyrov has ruled the southern Russian republic since 2007, when he was named the region's president by Vladimir Putin.
It has been a period of relative stability in Chechnya, which fought unsuccessfully for independence for a decade.
But Kadyrov has been criticised for ruling with an iron fist, and allowing human rights violations to flourish.
Kadyrov is a fierce supporter of Vladimir Putin, and Chechen forces have been fighting in Ukraine since the start of the war.
He also called for Russia to take more drastic measures against Ukraine, including the use of a tactical nuclear weapon. The Kremlin responded that decisions like that should not be made emotionally.
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