Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov released a video of his 15-year-old son beating up a prisoner, saying he's 'proud' of him for showing 'honor' and 'dignity'

• Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday that he's "proud" of his son for beating a prisoner.
• He published a video of Adam Kadyrov, 15, punching, kicking, and slapping a cowering man.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Russia's Chechen Republic, lauded his teenage son on Monday for beating up a prisoner accused of burning the Quran, the holy text of Islam.

Kadyrov published a video of the beatdown on Telegram, writing that he was "proud" of his son's actions.

"He beat him, and he did the right thing," Kadyrov wrote, per a translation by Reuters.

"Without exaggeration, yes, I am proud of Adam's action," he added.

In the video, a young man dressed in khaki is seen kicking and slapping a man in black. The man in black covers his face and recoils as the teenager pulls him from a chair and strikes his head.

In his commentary, Kadyrov said the attacker was his 15-year-old son, Adam Kadyrov, and that the teenager had attained "adult ideals of honor, dignity, and defense of his religion."

The prisoner, 19-year-old Nikita Zhuravel, was arrested in May after being accused of setting fire to a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in the city of Volgograd, according to The Moscow Times.

Zhuravel was then sent to Chechnya to be prosecuted, according to the United States Commission of International Religious Freedom.

Russia's Investigative Committee said Zhuravel confessed to having been paid by Ukraine to burn the holy text, but it's unclear whether his confession was authentic, The Moscow Times reported.

After being detained, he submitted a complaint to Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova in August, saying he was beaten by Kadyrov's son, per independent Russian outlet Meduza.

Moskalkova said there would be an investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, officials in Chechnya praised Kadyrov's son for beating up Zhuravel.

Magomed Daudov, the chairman of the Chechen parliament, wrote on Telegram that the teenager had "acted like a true Muslim, a patriot of his country, and a true Chechen."

Chechen member of parliament Adam Delimkhanov posted a photo of him posing with the younger Kadyrov, and expressed support for his actions.

Calling Zhuravel a "non-human," Delimkhanov praised Kadyrov's son as "distinguished by a sense of justice since childhood."

Chechnya, which has about 1.5 million people, is a predominantly Muslim region in Russia. Desecrating or burning the Quran is seen as deeply offensive.

Kadyrov, who has ruled Chechnya for 16 years and sought to craft a strongman image for himself and his three sons, wrote on Monday that damaging the Islamic holy text was an offense to all of Russia.

Those who disrespect the text are a "sick tumor on the body that must be cauterized," he wrote.

His Telegram post appeared to be popular with his followers. As of Tuesday, it received 16,400 thumbs-up emojis and more than 7,000 other positive reactions.