Russian Opposition Demands Probe into Chechen Leader over 'Sniper' Video

A Russian opposition party on Wednesday demanded a formal investigation into Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov after he posted a video of its leader in the cross hairs of a sniper scope.

A video posted Monday on Kadyrov's popular Instagram page showed former prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, the Parnas party leader, along with his deputy targeted in the sights of a sniper rifle.

"Today we submitted a request to the Russian security services (the FSB) asking them to open a criminal investigation into Ramzan Kadyrov for threatening the life of a public figure," Parnas lawyer Vadim Prokhorov told AFP.

The party submitted a similar request to the powerful Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, Prokhorov said.

Another opposition party Yabloko has also written to investigators and President Vladimir Putin calling for Kadyrov to be prosecuted for "extremism."

The footage used in Kadyrov's post was filmed by LifeNews, a sensationalist television channel known for its close links to security services.

It was shot last month in the French city of Strasbourg as Kasyanov and his deputy Vladimir Kara-Murza went to meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), including one dedicated to slain Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov.

Kadyrov wrote on Instagram that Kasyanov had gone to France to raise money for the Russian opposition.

Instagram deleted the video, prompting an indignant response from Kadyrov who claimed this was a breach of free speech.

Kasyanov, who served as prime minister from 2000 to 2004, said President Vladimir Putin should be held accountable for Kadyrov's threatening video.

Kara-Murza told AFP he and Kasyanov considered Kadyrov's Instagram post a "direct incitement to murder."

"This is a genuine threat," said Prokhorov, recalling Nemtsov's assassination just steps from the Kremlin in February 2015.

Kadyrov, a former insurgent who is now devoted to Putin and rules his North Caucasus region with an iron grip, has threatened Kremlin critics on several occasions in the past.

Last month, the Chechen leader penned a lengthy diatribe against Putin's critics in pro-Kremlin daily Izvestiya, calling them a "gang of jackals" who "dream of destroying our state."

The remarks caused uproar public criticism of Kadyrov, prompting Chechen authorities to organise a mass rally in support of their leader.