Kill relatives of criminals: Vladimir Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov bats for 'blood vengeance'

RUSSIA: Chechen leader and close Vladimir Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov has called for the prosecution and punishment of the families of criminals who runaway from authorities. According to the Moscow Times, Kadyrov's comments were made during a meeting with Chechen officials on New Year's Eve. During the meeting, Kadyrov reportedly instructed Chechen security forces to maintain “extreme vigilance” during the holiday season which takes place in Russia from January 1-8. An opposition group translated his comments in a Telegram post as saying “A person commits murder and walks away free without punishment, while their relatives begin renouncing them. No renouncements will work until we kill someone from their family and claim the right of blood vengeance."

His comments were also highlighted in a post on X by Anton Gerashchenko, the former deputy minister of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, who put forth his own translation of the speech.