Kadyrov: video of opposition in sniper crosshairs was just a joke and sometimes I get emotional

Acting head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov says a video he posted on his Instagram account depicting two prominent Russian opposition figures in the crosshairs of a sniper rifle was just a joke. Kadyrov says the joke was done “in a figurative way and under no circumstances does it contain direct threats to those addressed [in the video].”

“My diplomatic education was in an everyday battle against Russia's worst enemies, [a battle] which has taken my own family, friends and comrades. Because of this, my words are sometimes emotional, but they are sincere and come from the heart,” added the Chechen leader.

In Putin's annual live Q&A with the Russian people on April 14, the President said that Kadyrov was “a hothead,” and that he needed to understand “extreme actions or making radical statements regarding opponents” were detrimental to Russia's stability.