Ramzan Kadyrov: Putin's key Chechen ally

Once again the name of the Chechen leader - Ramzan Kadyrov - has cropped up in connection with a high-profile murder in Russia.

The authoritarian head of Chechnya has spoken out about the assassination of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, defending one of the Chechens now charged over the shooting.

Zaur Dadayev was a Russian Interior Ministry officer who served with distinction, Mr Kadyrov wrote on Instagram.

He was "sincerely devoted to Russia, ready to give his life for the motherland," Mr Kadyrov said, vowing to find out why Mr Dadayev had been dismissed from the ministry forces.

The suspect was also a devout Muslim who had been angered by the Charlie Hebdo cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, he said.

Mr Nemtsov was among the many liberals who defended Charlie Hebdo's cartoons, following an attack on the magazine's offices by Islamist gunmen in Paris in January which left 12 people dead.

A day after Mr Kadyrov's praise for Zaur Dadayev, the Chechen leader was given a top award by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Source: [link to www.bbc.com]