A notorious Russian warlord ally of Vladimir Putin ordered a teen’s body to be displayed in a town square after he was shot dead by police. Ramzan Kadyrov, the twisted president of the Chechen Republic who famously equipped a Tesla Cybertruck with a machine gun, ordered officials display Eskerhan Khumashev’s corpse in the centre of Achkhoy-Martan.
The 17-year-old was shot dead when he allegedly attacked traffic police with a knife at a checkpoint, killing one officer. In response, Kadyrov decided to make an example of the youngster by ordering his corpse to be removed from a morgue and grotesquely paraded in public.
The body was hoisted in a public square in Achkhoy-Martan, the administrative centre of Chechnya’s Achkhoy-Martanovsky District, after having been initially displayed outside another official building. State officials were herded to attend the square in an act intended to shame the dead teen and his family, which critics called “medieval savagery”.
A video of the shocking scene shows a body lying on the ground as hundreds looked on, with a woman seen wiping away tears in the video. The boy was killed on the spot when he attacked a police post several miles away. One of two wounded officers died later in hospital.
At least six male relatives of the teenager have been detained by Kadyrov’s forces, and the Chechen warlord may now send them to fight for Putin in the war. An enraged Kadyrov sensationally claimed Ukraine was behind the attack on the police, without citing any evidence.
He claimed: “The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Russian National Guard, together with the FSB, must expel from the territory of the [Chechnya] republic the fathers and brothers of those who are behind this.
“Their property must be confiscated. If after this they do not stop working for Ukraine, which finances them, then other relatives must be expelled as well.”
The teenager’s attack – seen on video – was directed by certain people in Turkey and a Ukrainian citizen, alleged Kadyrov, 48, a close Putin ally. Prominent Russian journalist Ksenia Sobchak – rumoured to be Putin’s goddaughter – suggested Kadyrov had flouted the country’s laws by displaying the body.
She said: “Does Ramzan Kadyrov’s regime currently comply with Russian laws? I’m just asking, in case it doesn’t.”
The attack comes as Kadyrov’s relations with Putin are said to be strained.
The Chechen strongman is reported to be terminally ill – and wants his son Adam, aged 17, one of his 15 children, to replace him.
Putin is said to have refused this – and aims to appoint a loyalist from outside Kadyrov’s clan.
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