October 12, 2023

Kadyrov: A Medal for My Son


Kadyrov: A Medal for My Son
Ramzan Kadyrov with his son Adam in the background. Eli Dror, Twitter.

The Head of the Chechen State, Ramzan Kadyrov, awarded his son Adam the "Hero of Chechnya" medal. The reason? In a video recorded by his father, the 15-year-old can be seen beating up a prisoner in a pre-trial jail who has been accused of burning a Qu'ran.

On May 22, Nikita Zhuravel allegedly burned a Qu'ran in front of a mosque in Volgograd and was subsequently arrested on charges of insulting the feelings of believers. Volgograd's authorities have also accused Zhuravel of sending a video of his Islamophobic action to the Ukrainian Secret Services. Zhuravel was sent to a detention center in Grozny, Chechnya, where he awaits trial.

In mid-August, Zhuravel reported that Adam Kadyrov, the son of the Chechen Head of State, had attacked him in a detention center. Chechen police refused to charge the 15-year-old for assault. In fact, Ramzan Kadyrov posted a video of the beating on his social media, applauding his son's actions. Shortly after, he awarded his son with the medal "Hero of Chechnya," the highest regional award, for his extrajudicial punishment of the prisoner.

Kadyrov has governed Chechnya since 2007, not long after his father, then president of Chechnya, was assassinated. A close ally of the Russian president, Kadyrov called for the 2024 elections to be canceled due to the war, or to have Vladimir Putin as the only candidate.

 

You Might Also Like

Strangers on a Train
  • July 09, 2023

Strangers on a Train

A Russian journalist recounts a very telling encounter in a train from Tula to Moscow.
Prigozhin's Uprising
  • June 24, 2023

Prigozhin's Uprising

Russia's home-grown mercenaries have taken over Rostov-on-Don and threaten to march on the capital.
War and Beef
  • June 07, 2023

War and Beef

Sculptures of soldiers and tanks made from ground meat are making waves.
Dentist Kadyrov
  • July 04, 2022

Dentist Kadyrov

Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov isn't a dentist. But that didn't stop him from being awarded the Russian Order of Merit for Dentistry.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
A Taste of Russia

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955