Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov says his teenage sons took part in combat in Ukraine

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said Thursday that three of his teenage sons visited the front line in Ukraine. The oldest of the three boys is 16 and the youngest is 14.

“Akhmat, Eli, and Adam got right up close to the enemy’s positions and provided fire cover for advancing fighters,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram. He claimed the boys contacted “Chechen-speaking shaitans [evil spirits] who are fighting on the Ukrainian side and suggested they come to the front line and show their commitment to European values in battle.”

Kadyrov first said he planned to send his children to the front line in Ukraine on October 3. “The time has come to prove themselves in real combat,” he wrote. He also claimed that his children started their military training “at a very young age.”

Meduza cannot always promptly verify or refute claims made by officials during wartime.