Putin's birthday was marked in Chechnya by establishing a youth movement named after him

A youth patriotic club called "Putin" was established in Chechnya. A fountain devoted to the Russian Prime-minister's birthday was also opened in Grozny and horse races passed off in Gudermes. Local observers think that the authorities of the republic are seeking to show their loyalty to the Kremlin once again.

"Ramzan" patriotic club created several years ago, Council of youth organizations of the republic and Chechen department of "Young guard of United Russia" have become constitutors of "Putin" youth club. Inauguration of the new youth patriotic movement was held in the Youth Palace in the capital of Chechnya.

Dukhvaha Abdurahmanov, Speaker of the republican Parliament, and Adam Delimkhanov, deputy of the State Duma of Russia, took part in the celebration. Abdurahmanov and Delimkhanov emphasized in their speeches that it had been thanks to Vladimir Putin that Chechnya "entered upon the path of peace and stability".

Besides, a new fountain in honor of Vladimir Putin in Ahmat Kadyrov avenue in Grozny was opened and in the hippodrome of Gudermes horse races passed off with a prize fund of six million rubles.

There are different opinions on the establishment of a new organization named after Putin and other actions devoted to him. Local observers think that in this way the republican authorities seek to demonstrate their loyalty to the Kremlin while lay people say that it is an attempt to turn Chechen youth into zombies.

However, according to our source, "it does not at all mean that people in Chechnya adore Putin the same way as local authorities who are really totally obliged to him personally do". "With good reason, residents of Chechnya consider Putin, the next after Yeltsin, main person responsible for the second military campaign in the republic. No matter how hard our authorities exert themselves, they will never make people forget the horrors of the first years of "counter-terror operation", innumerable "clean-ups", murders and kidnapping", one of the local experts says.