May 15, 2023

Chechnya's Kadyrov Accuses Ukraine, Czech Police of Kidnapping Favorite Stallion For Ransom Ramzan Kadyrov / VK Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov on Monday accused Ukrainian intelligence and Czech police of staging the kidnap for ransom of one of his favorite stallions. Zazu, a 16-year-old English Thoroughbred owned by Kadyrov, was stolen from a stable in the Czech village of Krabčice in March this year. In a Telegram post on Monday, Kadyrov alleged he was approached by Ukrainian intelligence services “through a third party” after the incident, who offered to return the horse to him in exchange for $18,000. “They knew about my attachment to the stallion and they were not wrong. I, of course, agreed [to pay],” Kadyrov wrote in a Telegram post, calling the $18,000 sum “mere pennies.” news Zazu, who was  reportedly acquired by Kadyrov in 2012, has been under arrest alongside Kadyrov’s other European assets since 2014 as part of EU sanctions imposed on the Chechen leader for his alleged role in widespread rights abuses. The sanctions prevented Zazu — once a well-known stallion in the horse-racing world — from competing and left the horse effectively locked in Czech stables alongside several of Kadyrov's other racehorses. “To be honest, I was hoping Zazu would be handed over officially, with sanctions being lifted off him and all that. But…the [Ukrainian] intelligence simply staged his kidnapping…together with the Czech police,” Kadyrov said of the incident Monday. The head of Chechnya also said that the horse is currently being delivered directly to him. “My friends, if you need to get anything delivered from Europe — just ask Ukrainian intelligence [for help],” Kadyrov joked. It was not possible to independently verify Kadyrov's claims.