Chechen schoolgirl receives iPhone from Kadyrov for laudatory verse about Putin

On November 5, the Chechen authorities announced a third-form pupil to be the winner of the contest for the best poem about Vladimir Putin; the girl advised the critics of the president "spit out saliva." Some local residents criticized the children's involvement in a political contest.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the republic, had announced a contest for the best poem about Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of the National Unity Day. The idea of the contest appeared after Kadyrov was presented with a new iPhone X.

"The head of the republic has accepted the gift, noting that on the occasion of the National Unity Day he announced a contest for the best poem about the head of our state Vladimir Putin, and that the winner will receive the above phone," the spokesman of the Ministry for Youth Affairs of Chechnya has stated.

Within the next 24 hours over 3000 poems were sent to the contest. "They wrote and sent videos from almost all regions of our country and even from the CIS member states. In total, more than 3000 people took part in the contest; the winner is a third-form schoolgirl from the village of Beno-Yurt of the Nadterechny District became," the spokesman has announced.

The head of Chechnya posted a video clip in his Instagram showing the winner of the contest reciting at the awarding ceremony: "You can spit out saliva, But this won't change the essence. I'm not ashamed for my country, And for our president Putin!"

Some residents of Chechnya have criticized the idea of the contest organized by the authorities. "It was not a contest for the best poem, but a fight for the iPhone and a demonstration of love for Kadyrov first and foremost. The worst thing is that children were involved in it," a teacher of the school in Grozny named Madina told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent today.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.