Chechen warlord applauds teenage son’s violence as he grooms dynasty for power

Amid rumours of ill health, Chechnya’s strongman leader Ramzan Kadyrov is said to be lining up his children as successors

Many dictators try to cover up their children’s crimes. For Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen warlord, broadcasting his son’s violent behaviour may be a strategy for holding on to power.

In September, Kadyrov reposted a video on the Telegram social network showing Adam, his then 15-year-old son, launching a flurry of kicks and punches to the head of a Russian prisoner who had been transferred to Chechnya after being accused of burning a Qur’an.