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

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

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.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, 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