Ramzan Kadyrov, the tyrant of Chechnya, has posted a video claiming to show his three sons, aged 14, 15, and 16, fighting against Ukraine.
Kadyrov, a close supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, released a video of young boys reportedly tossing explosives near the border.
Kadyrov asserted that Akhmat, 16, Eli, 15, and Adam, 14, “made their way close to the enemy positions and supplied cover fire for the advancing fighters” during the Ukrainian counterattack.
Three lads wearing camouflage clothing and dark glasses are shown on video firing grenades and machine gun rounds into what appears to be an empty field. According to Kadyrov, this was the front lines.
The video was released days after Kadyrov said he would deploy his sons to fight in Ukraine.
Kadyrov posted a video of the young boys firing missiles in a shooting range and said on Telegram, “I can only welcome this desire.”
Soon, they will be sent to the front line and the most treacherous areas of the contact line.
They are prepared to demonstrate their proficiency in the area of the special military operation.
Kadyrov has been one of the most outspoken advocates for additional military intervention in Ukraine, and his troops are notoriously cruel.
Earlier this month, the Kremlin ridiculed Kadyrov’s words in which he urged Putin to deploy low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine in response to Russia’s faltering military operation.
Kadyrov, a former warlord who now heads the predominantly Muslim territory of Chechnya, has been one of Putin’s most ardent allies.
Putin installed him in charge in 2007 to establish authority over a region that had fought brutal conflicts for independence from Moscow in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Since February 24, when Russian tanks crossed the border, the Chechen leader has repeatedly demanded that the Russian defense ministry contribute extra forces to the battle and that Chechen men of fighting age volunteer to fight for Russian objectives in Ukraine.
Kadyrov is also notorious for forcing his boys to experience difficulties at a young age.
In 2016, when they were 10, 9, and 8 years old, he entered them into a full-contact mixed martial arts match. The fights’ video footage went viral and sparked significant criticism, particularly from MMA veteran Fedor Emelianenko of Russia.
In response to Russia’s recent string of defeats, the Chechen commander grabbed headlines earlier this month when he urged Putin to deploy ‘low-yield nuclear weapons’ in Ukraine.
“I do not know what the Defense Ministry reports to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief [Putin], but in my opinion, we need to take more serious actions, including martial law in the border regions and the use of low-yield nuclear weapons,” he stated.
Kadyrov grumbled that Putin’s forces had failed to defeat the alleged “Satanists and fascists” in Ukraine, and he made no secret of his intention to detonate nuclear weapons on Ukrainian land.
He also criticized the commander of the Russian soldiers operating in the region, Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, calling him “mediocre.”
However, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov attempted to discredit Kadyrov’s impassioned remarks this morning.
This is a really emotional time. Monday, Peskov told reporters on a conference call that regional governors had the freedom to express their opinions.
However, even in difficult times, emotions should be kept out of any evaluation. Therefore, we try to adhere to objective, balanced judgements.
The sole justification for the use of nuclear weapons in our country is established in the applicable doctrine.
The Kremlin spokesman praised the Chechen leader’s “heroic efforts” to the military campaign in Ukraine.
Putin warned the West last month that he was not bluffing when he stated that Russia was prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend its territory.
The United States created a ‘precedent’ by dropping nuclear bombs on Japan at the end of World War II, he stated on Friday.