How a Chechen celebrates the birth of a son. Chechen children: traditions win over common sense

But despite the patriarchal way of life, the customs here are not as severe as those of other Caucasian peoples.

Children are the wealth of the Chechen family

In Chechnya, large families are held in high esteem. Here, no one thinks about whether parents can have material wealth to have many children. Welfare does not matter, because only a large and friendly family can be happy, in which, according to established tradition, there are at least 7 sons.

Mother is a teacher, father is a role model

The upbringing of children in a Chechen family is carried out by the mother, despite the fact that the dominant role belongs to the father. He is a role model and unquestioned authority. The father does not even talk to his sons and daughters - communication takes place through the mother. The distance is observed to such an extent that in the presence of the head of the family, the children respectfully stand, and do not sit. But Chechen grandmothers take an active part in raising their grandchildren. They spend a lot of time with children, instilling the necessary skills and respect for elders.

Spartan methods in Chechnya? No, love, respect and mercy!

Despite the harsh, at first glance, laws and traditions, very humane pedagogical methods are practiced here. The child is taught to respect elders, to love sisters and brothers, to be humane and merciful. Virtue is one of the most important qualities that are brought up in children from an early age. Toddlers and teenagers are not beaten, they are not forced to do hard work. For them, only the stern look of their father or the cry of an irritated mother is a severe punishment. Chechen children are not characterized by aggression, because they grow up in an atmosphere of love, warmth and respect.

Physical education of Chechen children

Children are not forced to work hard and hard, but physical education in a soft and unobtrusive form is an obligatory stage in the pedagogy of parents. Mother and grandmother teach girls needlework, they can help adults cook, clean, look after the kids. The boys, together with the elders, graze cattle, participate as much as possible in harvesting, and take care of the horses that every family has.

In Chechnya, the centuries-old traditions of their ancestors are sacredly revered; laws that have historically developed over several centuries are still in force here. A special place in the life of every Chechen belongs to the family. But despite the patriarchal way of life, the customs here are not as severe as those of other Caucasian peoples.

Children are the wealth of the family

Mother is a teacher, father is a role model

Spartan methods? No, love, respect and mercy!

Physical education

For the Chechen people, the family always comes first, this is the most important thing in life.

00.05 – 01.00

On the radio station "Echo of Moscow" - Ramzan Kadyrov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya.

The broadcast is hosted by Ashot Nasibov.

A. NASIBOV - Good night, dear listeners. Ashot Nasibov at the Ekho Moskvy microphone. We are starting the next edition of the "School of a Young Father". Our guest today is Ramzan Kadyrov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen government. Ramzan Akhmadovich, can you hear me?

R. KADYROV - Yes, I hear.

A. NASIBOV - Hello. Thank you for being part of our show. Let me remind you, the on-air pager number for dear listeners is 725-66-33. You can ask questions right now. And we are starting a conversation with Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov. Hello. Ramzan Akhmadovich, traditionally, at the beginning of our program, I want to tell you that you have every right not to answer any of my questions or the questions of our listeners, because the topic of our conversation is “raising children in the Chechen way”, the topic of raising children in general is a very personal topic that touches all the most subtle strings of the human soul. Can you hear me well?

R. KADYROV - Yes, I hear.

A. NASIBOV - Let's start with the most general statistical biographical data. How old are you?

R. KADYROV - 29.

A. NASIBOV - How many children do you have?

R. KADYROV - Five.

A. NASIBOV - I was preparing for the broadcast, I read that you have six children. I was surprised too, because I thought there were five. How many boys, how many girls?

R. KADYROV - One boy and four girls.

R. KADYROV - Yes.

A. NASIBOV - Congratulations. The birth of a child, especially a boy, in a family is a very big event. Congratulations.

R. KADYROV - Thank you very much.

A. NASIBOV - What are the names of the children? How old are they?

R. KADYROV - The elder Aykhat, the second Karina, the last Tabara, and Ahmad the younger.

A. NASIBOV - And how much older years?

R. KADYROV - 8, 5, 4 and 3 and 2 months.

A. NASIBOV - When your son was born, I know that you especially wanted a son, were you very happy? Honestly.

R. KADYROV - I was glad, because it adds blood, a Chechen family must have a son. I am very happy because I have a successor.

A. NASIBOV - How did you celebrate? How long did you celebrate?

R. KADYROV - We didn't start. I think we shouldn't celebrate. He just arrived home yesterday, he was in the hospital, then the plane. He flew home yesterday. Now let's celebrate.

A. NASIBOV - Did he just fly home for the first time?

R. KADYROV - Yes.

A. NASIBOV - So you haven't seen your son at home all these two months?

R. KADYROV - He was in an apartment in Moscow. He came home to Chechnya yesterday for the first time.

A. NASIBOV - But how will you celebrate, tell us?

R. KADYROV - My friend, elder brother Adam, he will organize, and I will be present. Friends determine this in Chechnya.

A. NASIBOV - And when you were born, how did you celebrate?

R. KADYROV - As it happens in Chechnya, they danced, had fun, shot, walked. I think that they celebrated it all over Chechnya and showed it everywhere.

A. NASIBOV - When your daughters were born, didn't you celebrate like that?

R. KADYROV - When the daughters appeared, it was not like that.

A. NASIBOV - Are your children all from the same wife?

R. KADYROV - Yes, of course. I have a one and only beloved wife.

A. NASIBOV - How did she react to the appearance of her son?

R. KADYROV - Of course, I'm glad. For her, this is happiness, because we love each other, if we had not had a son, I had to live on ... for complete happiness, we needed a son. And we have it. Our family is happy.

A. NASIBOV - How do you feel about polygamy? I know that some...

R. KADYROV - In Chechnya, this is necessary, because we have a war, we have more women than men.

A. NASIBOV - To what extent?

R. KADYROV - By 9%. And another 18% also spoke. According to the latest data, I personally conducted statistics, I was told that there are 9% more women than men in our country. It is absolutely necessary, because it is very important for the Chechen people. According to Sharia, this allows, therefore, everyone who can support must have 4 wives. I welcome it.

A. NASIBOV - And you are not going to fix this norm by law?

R. KADYROV - No. It is every person who decides how to live. He is the owner, he determines, we will not interfere in personal life, I'm sure.

A. NASIBOV - Tell us what customs you have for children in the family. For example, are children required to stand in the presence of adults, in the presence of their father, or are they allowed to sit? When guests arrive, can the girls show themselves in the room where the guests are, or is it better for them not to do this? What are the customs?

R. KADYROV - I can tell you how I was brought up, how I spent my life. I never sat down in the presence of my father and never spoke, when asked, I answered. Further. I tried not to go into the room where my parents are together. Until the last years, my father and I never communicated in the presence of my grandfather. I don't remember my father praising or caressing me. It's exactly the same in our family. In the presence of my father, I never spoke to my wife and children. We were brought up that way. And this education will continue.

A. NASIBOV - So you continue these traditions?

R. KADYROV - Yes. This is from our ancestors.

A. NASIBOV - Tell me, what are the features of the upbringing of girls and the upbringing of boys in Chechen families, in particular, in your family? From the experience of your father raising you.

R. KADYROV - A woman is a housewife. Her duties include raising children, cooking, receiving guests. Traditionally, in our family, women did not study at universities and institutes. I have two sisters, they are married, they live normally, they have their own families. They finished school. After school they were brought up in our tradition. They are married to very respected people, they live normally. We have the first duty of a boy to be the son of his people, relatives, relatives, fellow villagers, always live peacefully with all the locals, always be the defender of his people.

A. NASIBOV - When your son was born, what gifts did he receive, what gifts did you receive, what were the most expensive gifts?

R. KADYROV - The most precious gifts for me are congratulations from my friends. And I don’t consider the rest gifts, they just pay attention to me. For me, the most important thing is that they say that he should be like his grandfather and grow up like that, this is the biggest gift for me.

A. NASIBOV - Do guests often come to your house?

R. KADYROV - It's not life without guests!

A. NASIBOV - Your wife is now raising five children, probably still has to help cook, set the table. Is she doing it alone, or is someone helping her?

R. KADYROV - They help too. But when guests arrive, friends, she must set the table, because it is traditional, this is a manifestation of respect for the guests, she must do this, and she does this and will do it to the end.

A. NASIBOV - Serey asks the question on the air pager: “Is it true that schools for raising children existed in Chechnya for a long time?” As far as I understand, not just any educational schools, but schools for raising children.

R. KADYROV - I have never heard of it. The upbringing is done by the father and mother, grandfather, grandmother, uncle - and that's it. We have regular schools.

A. NASIBOV - You said that there are some rules for the behavior of children in the family, you named them, that sons never sit down in the presence of their father, in the presence of their parents, what other rules exist, in your family in particular?

R. KADYROV - If you list the rules, it's long. For me, the most important thing is: first the Almighty, then there was the father. I did everything to please my father, so that he would say, Ramzan - good boy. For me, the greatest happiness was to please my father and do everything he taught me. He taught me to help do good, to learn, to always work for the good of the people. This is what I did. We had a special relationship. He forgave me a lot. We lived in the yard, I never showed him that I was more than he slept, I always got up before him, went to bed later so that he would not see that I was sleeping. When I got married, we still had a rule - not to show your father for a month, until he sees you by chance. My mother and I had a separate relationship. Everything that I wanted to tell my father, I conveyed through my mother. It's like a translator.

A. NASIBOV - Were you afraid, or is it just accepted?

R. KADYROV - I was not afraid, it was respect. Our mother has always been a negotiator. When it happened, her father scolded her, and that's it, but we were far from that.

A. NASIBOV - Did your father ever get angry with you?

R. KADYROV - Always. I don't remember when he didn't scold me. He always scolded and raised me.

A. NASIBOV - And why did you scold?

R. KADYROV - No way, just saying how to do it. Strictly brought up. He not only me, he scolded everyone: relatives, nephews, cousins - he always brought up strictly.

A. NASIBOV - But at least sometimes he praised?

R. KADYROV - I don't remember, he never praised me to my face. It would be a great happiness for me if he praised me at least once and told me. He told friends, comrades (they passed on), he respected me most of all and appreciated my actions. But he never showed it to me, we never had it, he never told me to my face.

A. NASIBOV - Let me remind you that the Ekho Moskvy radio station is operating. We continue the Young Father's School program, talking on the phone with Ramzan Kadyrov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen government. I remind you of the on-air pager number for listeners 725-66-33. And I will move on to the questions received before our broadcast on the Internet. Let me remind you that we are limited to the topic of raising children, in this case, the topic of raising children in the Chechen way. And here are a few questions received before the broadcast on the Internet. Patimat from Moscow asks: “Why do Chechen girls who have lived in Moscow for a long time have to marry only Chechens, while Chechens can marry Russians?” What do you think?

R. KADYROV - This is our tradition. We have history. We have never had a Chechen woman marry another. Not accepted by us. We accepted Sharia, we accepted Islam. This is part of our traditions, customs, so we converted to Islam. Although Chechen women marry Arabs - I am against this, in our village there are many Russian women who have married men. We have many of these.

A. NASIBOV - And your daughters will only marry Chechens, right?

R. KADYROV - Yes.

A. NASIBOV - And if, at the call of their hearts, they suddenly meet a young man of some other nationality, what will you do?

R. KADYROV - This will never happen in our family.

A. NASIBOV - I understand. Irina Ilyina asks how one should behave according to the Nokhchi code, what are these rules of conduct?

R. KADYROV - Nokhchi means everything. All I have that I can be proud of is that I am a Chechen. This courage, to be faithful, honest, decent, to help the needy, the poor, to always seek peace - all this is included in the word "Nokhchi".

A. NASIBOV - Alexei Olenik from Moscow asks how religious education is organized in Chechen families, and if a child early age begins to show religious intolerance, does the father react in any way?

R. KADYROV - First of all, the father and mother must explain to the child that he is a Muslim. There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet. They must know. And also tolerance, that's for sure. The Chechens do not have a single person who did not believe. Everyone has it, only the Chechens don't. Chechens are all Muslims.

A. NASIBOV - Excuse me, I misheard, did you say that everyone has something?

R. KADYROV - All believers have people who have changed their faith.

A. NASIBOV - What about people who have switched from one faith to another? Clear.

R. KADYROV - And the Chechens don't have that.

A. NASIBOV - Did you give your wife anything for the birth of your son?

R. KADYROV - I gave the gift that I like the most.

A. NASIBOV - Which one?

R. KADYROV - Love!

A. NASIBOV - Well, the most worthy gift! Tell me, for the sons in your family, what were the most the best gifts? I would like to ask at what age did you yourself begin to handle weapons, when you were given the first time to see what a real military weapon is?

R. KADYROV - Since the age of 15 I have been carrying weapons ...

A. NASIBOV - The call failed. We'll try to reconnect now. Let me remind you that the guest of the Young Father School is Ramzan Kadyrov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen government. We are talking on the phone and now we will try to restore the telephone connection again. In the meantime, let's listen to some music.

A. NASIBOV - We have restored telephone contact with Ramzan Kadyrov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen government. We continue our conversation. Why did I ask a question about weapons. I have a rifle hanging on the wall at home - this is my father’s military trophy since the Great Patriotic War, my father brought the German Mauser rifle from the war, and as a child I stroked this rifle, took it apart, cleaned it, looked at it, pulled out the bolt, applied it, I just that was interesting.

R. KADYROV - The Chechens always have weapons, always have been and always will be. We always, as I remember, my father always had a weapon. From the age of 14-15 I already carried a pistol. Since I have been with my father: either I was a driver, then I was a security guard, then I was an assistant - and I always have a weapon with me. Although I wish my sons, nephews, my people that we live without weapons. We are striving for this and will do everything to remove weapons from the Chechen Republic, to exchange them for a pen, a ball and something else. Because the trouble of the Chechen people is that they are warlike people. Enough, we are tired of fighting, let others fight, although I do not want anyone to fight. I wish to live peacefully. We want the world to become the main thing for the Chechens.

A. NASIBOV - Another question from Irina Ilyina, received via the Internet before the program: “What is the difference between raising children in Beno teip and other Chechen clans? How do you feel about the popularity of Chechen boys among Russian girls, what is the reason for this?

R. KADYROV - With regard to this, our upbringing is absolutely the same, it is no different. Our upbringing is Chechen. I didn't understand the second question.

A. NASIBOV - The second question: how do you feel about the popularity of Chechen boys among Russian girls? What caused it?

R. KADYROV - Fine. How else? I welcome.

A. NASIBOV - That's good. Question received from Alexander from France: “Do you think that legal and illegal gang groups in Chechnya are educating the new generation in toughness or cruelty?” How hardened is the new young generation now in Chechnya? (I'll rephrase the question.)

R. KADYROV - We have no illegal, no legal ones, we have a single leadership team and people in the republic - that's all. We educate as we were taught by our ancestors. If we have a current of Wahhabism, we will destroy them and we will destroy them. Those who do not want to live peacefully on the territory of the Chechen Republic have no place. If he comes, he will voluntarily lay down his arms and it will be, as our ancestors taught, when there was no law: the old people gathered, passed a verdict, we lived by this verdict for a year until the old people gathered again. We will live the same way. We have the most beautiful good traditions, customs, and we will live by these customs. We have nothing illegal in Chechnya. It was all, but I want it not to happen again. We will live peacefully. We don't have!

A. NASIBOV - Are you a master of sports in boxing?

R. KADYROV - Yes. There is such.

A. NASIBOV - What role does sport play in the upbringing of children in your family and in the upbringing of the future generation of Chechen children?

R. KADYROV - We, Chechen men, show our character by sport. We have more opportunities to show character. And we have more success. We have the best boxers. This is not a secret, there are certain points that we must cross out, this will definitely happen. We have the best athletes. Our people are the most beautiful and strongest. Our athletes, I think, will do everything so that in 5 years Russia will be represented entirely by Chechens.

A. NASIBOV - Everything?

R. KADYROV - Yes, in all sports. We will support the sport, because it suits us the most, we show character. The Chechen people are strong and courageous.

A. NASIBOV - Do you continue to play sports yourself? Do you have a barbell at home, do you swing?

R. KADYROV - Yes, we have in the house gym. But more I play football now. Running is helpful.

A. NASIBOV - Tell me, do your girls go to school now? The eldest is 8 years old. Is this the most ordinary school in the village of Tsentoroi?

R. KADYROV - This is the most ordinary school, we have completely overhauled it, we have a large gymnasium at our school, and there is a swimming pool, there is a computer class. I brought teachers from Krasnodar, Rostov. We have a school named after Akhmad Kadyrov, who renamed it by his presidential decree. And we have the most best school throughout Russia, in the village of Tsentoroy.

A. NASIBOV - And where are the teachers from?

R. KADYROV - Our teachers are Russians from Rostov and Krasnodar. We also teach English. I even want to introduce French next year. We have computer classes. We have, I can even say, a special school in the village. Here, I will also say, everyone wears the same uniform so that they do not dress differently. We have school uniform. Boys - in suits, ties, girls wear aprons, as expected. We have the same uniform at school.

A. NASIBOV - Do boys and girls study together?

R. KADYROV - Yes, they study together.

A. NASIBOV - Aykhat, as far as I understand, is 8 years old?

R. KADYROV - Yes.

A. NASIBOV - What class does she go to?

R. KADYROV - She is already in the 3rd.

A. NASIBOV - What are the successes?

R. KADYROV - She is an excellent student at school. While they praise her there. She has a good memory, remembers. True, I don’t go there, my wife says that everyone says that she is a good student.

A. NASIBOV - Did you yourself ever check the diary for her?

R. KADYROV - A diary is rare. So I check, she shows her grades. I rarely go home, when I have time, she shows. And for that I commend her. She already says that my father will come and say that Aykhat is doing well. This is happiness for her.

A. NASIBOV - How much time do you manage to spend with your children?

R. KADYROV - I spend my free time with my family.

A. NASIBOV - How much is free time: a day a week, a day a month? How much it?

R. KADYROV - It happens in different ways. I don't want to lie now. After the death of my father, I always try to come to the village in my free time, spend time with my family, with my nephews, with everyone.

A. NASIBOV - Let me remind you that Ramzan Kadyrov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya, is answering the questions of the Echo of Moscow program "School of a Young Father", our conversation is on the phone. Karim asks the question: “Do you smoke? And how do you feel about smoking among young people? I'll add more, what is the attitude in Chechnya to the distribution of drugs?

R. KADYROV - I have never smoked, never drank, never will. I don't have a single friend who smokes and drinks. When I was at school, we had the most exemplary class at school. Nobody smoked or drank. In our village, young guys do not smoke or drink. We don't even sell vodka. I always set a condition: train, play sports, send to study. In our village, young guys growing up do not smoke. And I do not advise.

A. NASIBOV - You patronize the Terek football club. How do you feel about football, how do your loved ones feel? Why Terek, why not some other club or some other sport?

R. KADYROV - I am both the president of the club of the Chechen Republic Boxing Federation and the president of the Terek club, because this team has existed for a long time, thanks to the Minister of Sports Alkhanov. As president of the club, I will say that football is our national sport, because our football shows the world that we are ordinary people that we are not bandits, not terrorists, this is also a political issue, so I support and will support our football, although we are under pressure in the football league, but we will prove that thanks to the Chechen character we will always be the first.

A. NASIBOV - Alexander from Yekaterinburg sent the following question: "Is it true that Chechens never beat their wives?"

R. KADYROV - True, of course. And what kind of man am I if I hit a woman? You need to educate your wife, not beat her. We have very good customs, traditions, I have never beaten my wife.

A. NASIBOV - And what does it mean to "educate a wife"?

R. KADYROV - Explain how she should behave, that's all. If you don't understand, you need to get divorced. But I do not welcome it, I do not recognize it.

A. NASIBOV - Zinaida Prokofievna sent the following message: she wishes you good health, firstly; secondly, he asks: “If you had a girl again, would you continue to seek a boy, or not?”

R. KADYROV - I have a son. The main thing is that Allah will give. The main thing is that the child is healthy, this is the most important thing.

A. NASIBOV - Man with interesting name Pusya is interested in: “Do you like animals, especially cats?”

R. KADYROV - I don't like cats. I have a tiger, a lion, wolves, dogs. Animal nerves soothe. I love animals, of course. Unfortunately no cats. But it will. Tomorrow I will find a good cat.

A. NASIBOV - You said you have a tiger, you have a lion. Who else?

R. KADYROV - I have a wolf, I have a bear.

A. NASIBOV - Where do you keep them?

R. KADYROV - In the village of Tsentoroi.

A. NASIBOV - Is there such a zoo there?

R. KADYROV - No, not a zoo. I keep at home. When the zoo is opened in Grozny, I will transfer them all there.

A. NASIBOV - Did they give you a lion, a tiger, or did you find them somewhere, bought them?

R. KADYROV - They gave it to me. The lion was given to me by my friend from Shali, and the tiger was given to me by my named uncle Gamzatov from Khasavyurt. And the wolf was presented by my regiment commander.

A. NASIBOV - I wonder how they brought the tiger and lion?

R. KADYROV - They specially filled out the documents, put me in a car and brought me. And I have a small tiger. 5 - 6 months for a tiger, and a lion for 4 months. They run, do not bite, play with children.

A. NASIBOV - Do you allow children to visit these animals?

R. KADYROV - Yes, they play with them. They love children, they don't touch children. These animals are very smart. When they are offended, they are evil, but they love people.

A. NASIBOV - Tell me, are your children restricted in their movements? I understand that when it comes to 8 year olds, 5 year olds...

R. KADYROV - Absolutely. My children play, they go to the neighbors, as usual. They visit their relatives...

A. NASIBOV - That is, they calmly walk around the village, right?

R. KADYROV - Absolutely calm. I declare to you, Tsentoroi is the center of the world!

A. NASIBOV - Well, are you ready to listen to one or two phone calls?

R. KADYROV - Let's go.

A. NASIBOV - Let me remind you, the phone number of the on-air studio is 783-90-25. Try calling the Ekho Moskvy studio now. Let me remind you that we are talking with Ramzan Kadyrov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen government. The topic of our conversation is "education in the Chechen way." I appeal to listeners with a request to limit their questions to this particular topic and speak more concisely. Do we have our first call? There is. We listen to you. Some interference on the line. Let's try to take another call, because it's impossible, we can't hear anything. Still have a call? 783-90-25.

LISTENER - Hello. My name is Andrey. I have a question. How is the hierarchy regulated in Chechnya? I know that there are people who transfer the right to raise a child only to the grandmother, and there are those who give it to the parents. So, how is this settled? What should a grandmother do, and what should parents do in raising a child?

A. NASIBOV - That is, the relationship between parents and grandmother in raising a child?

LISTENER - Yes.

A. NASIBOV - Ramzan Akhmadovich, did you hear the question? Do grandmothers play a role in raising children in Chechnya?

R. KADYROV - Of course they do. The grandmother brings up more, because she does nothing. It was my grandmother who raised me and is raising my children, because she knows more than anyone else. My grandmother is 84 years old. She is completely healthy and walks. It happens when at her age people lose their minds, but she is very smart, and she brings up not only my children. She has grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and she educates them all. Our wisest grandparents. My grandfather is a very respected person. It is a great happiness for me that my grandfather and grandmother are raising my children. They raised me.

A. NASIBOV - How old is your grandfather?

R. KADYROV - 86.

A. NASIBOV - How many grandchildren do your grandparents have?

R. KADYROV - We have dozens! They tell me, they say 50 - 60.

A. NASIBOV - Already 50 - 60?! Let me remind you, the direct phone number to the Ekho Moskvy studio is 783-90-25. Let's try to take another phone call. Goodnight. Hello. You are very hard to hear. Can not hear. Let's try another phone call. 783-09-25. Goodnight. You are on the air.

LISTENER - Good night.

A. NASIBOV - What is your name? Where are you from?

LISTENER - My name is Olga Konstantinovna. I am from Moscow. I am very glad to welcome Ramzan Akhmadovich on the air. I consider him my countryman, because in my youth I worked for 7 years in the Caucasus in Dagestan, and my relatives lived in Grozny. I, a young girl of 19-20 years old, walked the streets of Grozny quite freely. Then I still felt the system of raising children and teenagers, which is very strong, based on religious traditions. I myself am a Christian. But it was there, in the Caucasus, in Dagestan, in Grozny, in Chechnya, that I noticed this protecting power of faith and therefore I thank the Muslim people, although I was born in Christianity and believe in Christ, my faith was conceived precisely from the examples of education in Chechen and Dagestan families.

A. NASIBOV - Thank you Olga Konstantinovna, but maybe you have a question for Ramzan Akhmadovich? They hung up. We again lost contact with Ramzan Kadyrov, the first vice-premier of the Chechen government. We will try to restore again. I ask the director Nikolai Kotov to restore the connection, dial the phone number, and for now we will listen to some music.

A. NASIBOV - We have established a telephone connection with Ramzan Kadyrov. We continue our conversation. Here some questions came to the on-air pager, in particular. Alexey Alekseevich asks such a question, what do you do if a woman is cheating? Is there a concept of treason in Chechen families?

R. KADYROV - I don't even want to touch on this topic. This is even an insulting question. I do not want to answer.

A. NASIBOV - That's it, we remove the question. "What do your kids think about the rock festival that was recently organized?" - Edik asks a question. Did you take your children to this rock festival that was recently?

R. KADYROV – Not only my children were there, the whole village of Tsentoroi was there: nephews, cousins, everyone was there, and my children were too. They rejoiced, welcomed, even said that more such events were needed.

A. NASIBOV - By your order, gambling halls in Grozny and other cities, in Gudermes, etc. were closed.

R. KADYROV - Completely in the republic.

A. NASIBOV - Who was more fond of the game: young people or people of age?

R. KADYROV – Precisely, aged people, elderly people, middle-aged people. The gambling business brought to the point that there were a lot of applications. There was even blood feud. It happened that they received compensation and repaid the debt in full. Father, mother are sick, there is some other problem, and their son played with this money. I simply invited all entrepreneurs and said that let's come up with another business, we will open computer classes, we will teach children there, and the parents themselves will pay you money, and you will receive it. They absolutely agreed. I explained to them if your son was in debt and would sell a car or an apartment, if people came to you and asked you to pay for your son, as you look at it. And they understood. I didn't make a decree, an order, I just said that we should close it. People even thanked, prayed, cried. A whole delegation of women thanked us for shutting down this gambling business. And as long as we exist, it will never be, because if it were my will, I am sure that the majority of Russian citizens support me, I would completely close the gambling business in Russia. I advise the leadership of Russia and the parliament (State Duma) to pass a law on the closure of the gambling business, because in Russia most of the crimes are due to this gambling business.

A. NASIBOV - Chechnya has the highest unemployment rate in general among all Russian regions. As far as I remember, there are about 340,000 unemployed there, which is about 60% of the able-bodied population. Right, what are the numbers?

R. KADYROV - Yes.

A. NASIBOV - How to keep young people busy, how to give them the opportunity to earn a normal income and live a normal life so that it doesn't go awry?

R. KADYROV - Yes, indeed, they used to say that our first issue was security, but now our first issue is unemployment. People all say that. We have this problem, we are doing everything to ensure that we do not have unemployment in the republic. I think that in 2006 we will fully engage in the restoration work of the city. We have those who invest in business, there will also be jobs where young people will be employed. We do everything, although it does not work right away. I think that in two years we will have better indicators in Russia, not that we will not have unemployment at all, but we will have enough jobs. Why are we like this? Because everything is destroyed here, the entire infrastructure is destroyed in the Chechen Republic. We are restoring slowly, usually we are restoring from scratch and will continue to restore. The President of the country, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, is helping us with this. It will be even better for us than in other regions, because our people are hardworking, and they will do everything to restore what was destroyed.

A. NASIBOV - I understand. Shall we hear another phone call? 783-90-25 is the phone number of the live broadcast in the Ekho Moskvy studio. Ask questions to Ramzan Kadyrov, First Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya. We listen to you.

LISTENER - Good evening. How did it happen that the noble Chechen broke Kristina Orbakaite's nose?

A. NASIBOV - In my opinion, the question is not the topic. We are talking about raising children. Let's try another phone call. 783-90-25 - live phone. We listen to you.

LISTENER - Good night.

A. NASIBOV - Good night. What is your name? Where are you from?

LISTENER - My name is Alexei, I'm calling from Moscow. I would like to ask the distinguished Mr. Deputy Prime Minister about what kind of assistance is actually provided, if any, by the international community? In particular, I am interested in the United Nations and its programs.

A. NASIBOV - Do you mean Chechen children or whom?

LISTENER - Children, including. Of course, I am also interested in other areas.

A. NASIBOV - In other words, what kind of assistance is provided to Chechnya by international programs, including through the UN? Did I understand you correctly?

LISTENER - Yes.

A. NASIBOV - Let's address this question to our interlocutor. Did you hear the question?

R. KADYROV - I didn't hear the question.

A. NASIBOV - The question is what kind of assistance do international organizations, in particular the UNO (United Nations) provide to Chechnya, in particular to Chechen children?

R. KADYROV - I won't say that they help children a lot, we don't have anything like that. But there are certain moments when they supposedly help. I think that these organizations are more concerned with personal interests than with Chechen youth. We don't have that to show that they help.

A. NASIBOV - Perhaps my last question for today. Your son came to your home in the village of Tsentoroi yesterday for the first time. How will you celebrate now, what will you do now?

R. KADYROV - My son went to my grandfather's house for the first time.

A. NASIBOV - Who brought it? wife or you?

R. KADYROV - My sister. And he was there for an hour and a half. Now he is in his room. How we celebrate the birth of a son is determined by friends. I will ask and I will answer you tomorrow. I am unable to answer this question today.

A. NASIBOV - You will set the table, understand?

R. KADYROV - I am unable to answer you, because friends decide.

A. NASIBOV - How many friends are expected for the celebration?

R. KADYROV - In Chechnya, I have friends all over Chechnya, and all Chechens and non-Chechens who live on Russian territory - all friends, except for Wahhabis. My only enemies are Wahhabis and international terrorists. I call them devils. The rest are all my friends and comrades. I invite everyone to visit!

A. NASIBOV - I would like to thank Ramzan Kadyrov, First Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen government, for talking on the phone as part of the Young Father's School program aired on the Ekho Moskvy radio station. I thank you for the story on the topic of education in Chechen. Sorry, dear listeners, if we could not ask all the questions from you. Thank you very much, Ramzan Akhmadovich.

R. KADYROV – Thank you very much, too.

Children are the wealth of the family

Mother is a teacher, father is a role model

Spartan methods? No, love, respect and mercy!

Physical education

For the Chechen people, the family always comes first, this is the most important thing in life.