Ramzan Kadyrov's 18-year-old daughter has opened her own erotic boutique in Chechnya

The father of a dozen children, Ramzan Kadyrov is no stranger to sex. But in the predominantly Muslim republic he’s led for more than a decade, sex remains a taboo subject, and Kadyrov poses as a pillar of traditional Muslim values. More than once, he has condemned sex education in schools and advocated the need for women to behave conservatively in public.

In Chechnya, husbands and wives generally don’t touch each other in the presence of other people, spouses don’t address each other by name when they have company, and some men won’t even speak to their wives when parents are present, believing it reveals too much intimacy.

This reluctance to talk openly about physical love is what makes Grozny’s new erotic boutique so remarkable, but it wouldn’t be half as astonishing were it not for the woman who’s apparently behind the effort: Aishat Kadyrova, Ramzan’s 18-year-old daughter.

According to a report by the BBC’s Russian-language service, “Lady A” offers erotic lingerie and intimate accessories, and unsurprisingly it only advertises among a select group of people in Chechnya. The store reportedly sells well-known European and American lingerie brands, as well as edible massage creams, vaginal gels, whips, and more. On a private Instagram account (@Ladya_boutique), the store describes itself as “a boudoir of your secrets and lacy splendor,” and promotes the motto is “Be bold. It’ll be just between us.”

The revelation that Aishat Kadyrova owns the boutique appeared on Instagram, where she was tagged by several people after a fashion event in early November, congratulating her on opening the store.

Representatives from Firdaws, which owns the shopping mall that houses Lady A, refused to speak to the BBC. Aishat Kadyrova is the head of the Firdaws fashion house, which was founded by her mother, Medni Kadyrova (Kadyrov’s wife). In an interview, her mother once described Muslim fashion as “traditions, grace, and modesty.”

Moscow Memorial Mosque imam Shamil Alyautdinov told the BBC that the decision to open the boutique is a “brave and long-term step” that could help married couples improve their intimate lives. “In families, a lot of us are shy, supposedly out of piety, but really it’s out of stupidity. So I say way to go, Aishat. She did a brave thing. This doesn’t contradict religion, if it’s used to promote the harmony of intimate relations within families,” the imam said.