Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov congratulated Vladimir Putin on his birthday and stated that the Russian president's name holds "special significance" for the Chechen people. According to Kadyrov, the region will "never forget" the support Putin extended to his father—Chechnya’s first president, Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov—"at a time when the future of the Chechen Republic depended on the decisions being made."
The Russian Ministry of Justice has added Anzor Maskhadov, son of Aslan Maskhadov, President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI), to its register of foreign agents. Novaya Gazeta reported that the younger Maskhadov is a Norwegian citizen.
According to the Ministry of Justice, the basis for Anzor Maskhadov's inclusion on the register was his alleged dissemination of false information about Russian government policies and criticism of the actions of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as his participation in the activities of an organization deemed undesirable in Russia.
As a reminder, on January 27, 1997, Aslan Maskhadov was elected President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, receiving 59.3% of the vote.
The elections were observed by Russian and international missions, and their results were recognized by Russia, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, PACE, and the European Parliament. Russian authorities presented the president-elect with an airplane as a gift.