(Moscow) The leader of the Russian region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced on Monday that he would send three of his sons, teenagers, to fight in Ukraine, where he asked for the use of nuclear weapons.
Posted at 7:15 a.m.
Mr. Kadyrov and his militias, the “kadyrovtsy”, have been accused of numerous abuses in Chechnya. His men were also deployed alongside the Russian army in Ukraine.
In a post on Telegram, he said his children Akhmat, Eli and Adam, ages 16, 15 and 14 respectively, had been “for a long time” undergoing military training to learn how to use “different weapons”.
“The time has come (for them) to shine in a real battle, I can only salute their determination. Soon they will go to the front line and find themselves in the most difficult areas of the line of contact,” continued Ramzan Kadyrov.
The Chechen leader has 14 children, according to his official website, but Russian media say he may have more.
“I have always thought that the main mission of a father was to teach his sons piety and to teach them to defend their family, their people and their country. Who wants peace prepares for war ! “, he wrote again on Monday.
Familiar with outrageous statements, Ramzan Kadyrov called on Saturday for the use of “low-power nuclear weapons” in Ukraine, while the Russian army is experiencing difficulties and had to withdraw from the strategic town of Lyman.
“In my opinion, more drastic measures must be taken, up to the declaration of martial law in the border areas and the use of low-power nuclear weapons,” he said on Telegram.
He also criticized the Russian colonel general in charge of operations around Lyman, Alexandre Lapin, judging that he had not provided “the communications” and the “necessary ammunition” to the soldiers engaged in the defense of this city from the eastern Ukraine.
For its part, the Kremlin ruled on Monday that Mr. Kadyrov’s call for the use of low-power nuclear weapons had been made out of emotion.
“In difficult times, however, emotions must be excluded from any assessment (of the situation). We prefer to make measured and objective assessments,” said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
However, he praised “the heroic contribution” of Mr. Kadyrov in the armed offensive in Ukraine, where hundreds or even thousands of Chechens have been sent to fight.
In recent weeks, the Kremlin has raised the threat of the use of atomic weapons in Ukraine.
On Friday, President Vladimir Putin claimed that the United States had set a “precedent” by using atomic weapons against Japan in 1945.