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.
Credit: bbc.com
