Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov will be sending his three teenage sons – 14, 15 and 16 years old, respectively – to the front lines of the Ukraine-Russia War, he said in a Telegram message on Monday.
Kadyrov, who is known as a controversial figure, recently suggested the use of low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Kadyrov, 45, has ruled the southern Russian republic since 2007 – amid the height of the Chechen independence movement, which Kadyrov has been credited with silencing. He has been criticized for his regime's strict rule and human rights violations.
Eighth month of the Russia-Ukraine War
As the Russia-Ukraine War enters its eighth month, several new developments threaten to escalate tensions even further. Russia held what the West has hailed as “sham” referendums in four disputed territories in Western Ukraine – all four of which opted to join the Russian Federation and were formally annexed last week.
Amid the heightened tensions, Vladimir Putin warned of nuclear retaliation should Western powers continue to back Ukraine – an escalation repeated by Kadyrov, who went as far as to accuse Moscow of being too “soft” in Ukraine.