TSENTEROI, CHECHNYA, RUSSIA - NOVEMBER 2005: Ramzan Kadyrov proudly displays his shooting skills at a firing range in his village of Tsentoroi in front of members of his private army. Officially his army are known as the anti-terrorism squad, but everyone refers to its soldiers as Kadyrovtsy - "Kadyrov's guys". Ramzan was born 5 October 1976 in Tsenteroi, Chechnya, and was made Prime Minister of Chechnya in the beginning of March 2006 and leader of a powerful Chechen militia known as kadyrovtsy. He is the son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, who was assassinated in May 2004. He has the backing of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and was awarded the Hero of Russia medal, the highest honorary title of the Russian Federation. As the head of the Chechen Presidential Security Service, Kadyrov has often been accused of being brutal, ruthless and antidemocratic; according to media and human rights groups, he was personally implicated in several instances of torture and murder. It is also rumoured that he owns a private prison in his stronghold village of Tsenteroi, where he uses inmates as a punching bags. Kadyrov is known for keeping a pet lion cub, given to him as a gift after the birth of his first son, as well as a tiger and a number of a fighting dogs, and also used to own a wolf and a bear. He has only a few classes of elementary education finished; despite his lack of education, Kadyrov is a honorary member of the Russian Academy of Sciences. (Photo by Kadyrov Press Office/Getty Images)
