LONDON (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's spokesman refused to comment on Tuesday on the beating of a prisoner by the teenaged son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, an incident that drew condemnation even from some pro-Kremlin hardliners.
Kadyrov said on Monday he was proud of his son Adam, 15, for the attack on Nikita Zhuravel, a Russian man accused of burning the Koran, and posted a video of the beating.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at the start of his daily briefing that he would not be commenting on the incident.
"Without exaggeration, yes, I am proud of Adam's action," wrote Kadyrov, who styles himself as a ruthless Putin ally.
But the beating of a defenceless ethnic Russian prisoner in custody by Kadyrov's own son - and the fact that Kadyrov saw it as a source of pride - are potentially embarrassing for the Kremlin.
Persons:
Vladimir Putin's, Ramzan Kadyrov, Kadyrov, Adam, Nikita Zhuravel, Dmitry Peskov, Putin, Kadyrov's, Zhuravel, Abbas Gallyamov, Mark Trevelyan
Organizations:
Kremlin
Locations:
Chechnya, Russia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Ukraine, Volgograd, Russian