Putin Ally Posts Video Of Critics As Targets

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov - a key ally of Vladimir Putin - has posted a video showing opposition figures under the sights of a gun.

He published the video featuring former Russian prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov and activist Vladimir Kara-Murza for his 1.6m Instagram followers with the caption: "Kasyanov arrived in Strasbourg for the money for the Russian opposition.

"Those who do not understand, will understand."

The video, which appears to have been secretly recorded, also features Estonian MP Mailis Reps, who said the trio were aware they may have been filmed during their dinner last month.

She told Estonian news website Delfi.ee: "We were sitting in the restaurant when we noticed something funny - there were cameras behind the window.

"The cameras seemed to be taped on to a stick."

She said the group asked security guards at the restaurant to investigate further, but when they went outside the cameras had disappeared.

Mr Kasyanov is chair of Russia's People's Freedom Party and has been an outspoken critic of the Kremlin since Mr Putin dismissed him as prime minister, along with the rest of the cabinet, in 2004.

He was in Strasbourg attending a Council of Europe parliamentary session, where he appealed for an investigation into the murder or another prominent opposition figure Boris Nemtsov, who was gunned down yards from the Kremlin last February.

Mr Kara-Murza, also a leading opposition campaigner, survived a suspected poisoning that left him in a coma after a meal in Moscow in May 2015.

Mr Kasyanov told Sky News' Moscow Correspondent John Sparks: "This is unacceptable. This is not the first time that Kadyrov has taken such steps.

"I consider this a direct threat of murder."

He said it was up to Mr Putin to silence Mr Kadyrov, adding: "It is Vladimir Putin who appointed him to his post (as Chechen leader).

"Vladimir Putin is a guarantor of the constitution. He is head of the law enforcement agencies. He should react to threats like this one.

"This is not just a threat against me. This is a threat against millions of Russians. It is a threat against Russians who think differently."

Mr Kara-Murza said the footage used in Mr Kadyrov's post was filmed by LifeNews, a sensationalist channel known for its ties to Russian security services.

Mr Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin "does not monitor Kadyrov's Instagram account" but would look into the matter.

Chechen strongman Mr Kadyrov has become more public in his criticism of Russian opposition groups in recent months.

In January, he called pro-democracy protesters "enemies of the people".

He was branded "Russia's disgrace" by Siberian politician Konstantin Senchenko, who later apologised and publicly retracted his comments following a conversation with "representatives of the Chechen people".

Mr Kadyrov became head of the Chechen Republic in 2007 at the age of 30, three years after his father Akhmad was assassinated while serving as president.

The younger Kadyrov, who has been accused of involvement in torture and disappearances by human rights groups, is a prolific user of photo-sharing site Instagram.

His posts have included photos with celebrities including Liz Hurley and Gerard Depardieu and pictures of himself posing with tigers and cuddling kittens.