Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has announced that he will send his 14-, 15- and 16-year-old sons to fight in Russia's war in Ukraine.
Ramzan Kadyrov, a staunch ally of Vladimir Putin, on his social media page; A father said that his children should be taught how to protect their family, people and fatherland.
Russia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Non-Involvement of Children Under the Age of 18 in War.
In addition, the International Criminal Court considers the direct involvement of children under the age of 15 in war as a war crime.
The leader of Chechnya said in his long article that the children have been doing military training at a young age, and said that the time will come when they will be tested on the front line.
In his Telegram post, Ramzan Kadyrov attached a video showing the children shooting various weapons.
Kadyrov has been in charge of the southern part of Russia since his appointment by President Vladimir Putin in 2007.
Chechen forces have been fighting on Moscow's side since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, with Kadyrov urging Russia to take tougher action against Ukraine, including nuclear weapons.
The Chechen leader made the comments after it was announced that Russian forces had withdrawn from a key Ukrainian city.
The Ukrainian army's capture of the city of Leyman in the Donetsk region is said to be the key to the liberation of other areas held by the Russian army.
This city has been serving as a logistics center for the Russian army.
Last week, Russia announced that it had annexed the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson, claiming that it had held a referendum.
But Ukraine and its Western allies strongly rejected the referendum as a sham.