Bearded Chechen Strongman Who Misses His Cat Claps Back at John Oliver: "I'm Tired of Jokes. I Want to Care for Cats in Chechnya"
Last week, Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, a former rebel known as “Putin’s dragon,” lost his cat. “We have begun to seriously worry,” he wrote on Instagram, asking for his country’s help.
Then, over the weekend, John Oliver spent five minutes mocking Kadyrov on Last Week Tonight, provoking a feud.
Noting Kadyrov’s history of human rights’ abuses—an associate of Kadyrov’s is the prime suspect in the brazen assassination of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov just steps from the Kremlin last year—and his fondness for wearing t-shirts being his political sponsor’s visage, Oliver encouraged his viewers to send photographs of cats to the Chechen strongman via social media, asking whether they were his missing cat.
Kadyrov did not find this funny.
“Recently my ‘tiger cat’ has left the house,” Kadyrov wrote in a follow-up post.(His cat is a domestic Bengal cat.) “It happens in spring from time to time. He also needs to meet with friends, mingle and share news. By cat rumors he has in our district a familiar she-cat with which he’s going to start a family. I’m sure that after spring affairs, the cat will return to native walls. Perhaps, he’ll bring his sweet love with him.”
“I receive lots of photos. Some people say that they saw the cat in Vladivostok, Japan, Iceland, New Zealand, and even in the Oval Office of the White House!” Kadyrov wrote in response. “I am grateful to all, but this is NOT my cat.”
Here is the caption to Kadyrov’s post in full:
Recently my “tiger cat” has left the house. It happens in spring from time to time. He also needs to meet with friends, mingle and share news. By cat rumors he has in our district a familiar she-cat with which he’s going to start a family. I’m sure that after spring affairs, the cat will return to native walls. Perhaps, he’ll bring his sweet love with him. I got used to share with my friends in Instagram with all news, including cat issues. And this time I didn’t want to leave as a secret the cat’s adventures. I receive lots of photos. Some people say that they saw the cat in Vladivostok, Japan, Iceland, New Zealand, and even in the Oval Office of the White House! I am grateful to all, but this is NOT my cat. It became known that even the American TV channel “HBO” joined to search. The anchorman comedian - John Oliver asks millions of viewers to look for a cat. I knew long ago that in the USA unevenly breathe to my younger friends. One day horses aren’t allowed to jump, the other - a cat is a real star of a show. Oliver laments a fact that we put on t-shirts with a photo of the President of Russia - Vladimir Putin. Yes, millions of people rejoice t-shirts with the image of the national leader. For this purpose, there is a good motivation. Vladimir Vladimirovich is a wise, courageous, resolute Head, who managed to withstand unfriendly campaign, which is conducted by the USA and its assistants. Thanks to Putin, we have crushed terrorists among whom there were also citizens of the USA, and European citizens. The country directed by Obama under the guise of peacekeeping operations spark new wars and bloody internal conflicts, in which die millions of people. Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria... That’s why there is nothing surprising that Oliver also got a wish to appear publicly in a T-shirt with an image of Putin, but not Obama. #Kadyrov #Russia #Chechnya #USA #HBO#Oliver #findkadyrovscat#Ihavenotseenyourcat#IHAVESEENYOURCAT
That’s some sophisticated pop culture criticism coming from a guy wearing a pinky ring.