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."
During the annual "Year in Review" press conference, Russian President Vladimir Putin, responding to a question about support for young families, noted the tradition of early marriages in the North Caucasus. He said he believed this was "right" and suggested "following their example," citing Ramzan Kadyrov's large family.
"There's a good tradition in the Caucasus. They marry their children off at a fairly early age. This is truly right. We should follow their example. I know because Ramzan Kadyrov has a large family, many children, and they marry at a fairly early age. He told me: 'We have this tradition in the Caucasus as a whole.' And that's great," the president shared.
Putin previously said that the state provides significant support to young families, but the main problem is the reluctance of young people to have children early.