Kadyrov Orders Drivers To Clean Their Cars Regularly

Chechnya's Ramzan Kadyrov is the meddling type of strongman and there is nothing he won't speak out about. In the past he's taken firm stands on the state of the Russian republic's roads and amount of litter on the ground.

Now he's taking an interest in the state of people's cars.

At a recent meeting with Chechen traffic police, Kadyrov said that all drivers should wash their cars regularly to ensure that vehicles entering Grozny are aesthetically pleasing to look at.

That requirement is likely to create problems for residents of rural areas where roads turn to rivers of mud in the spring.

Kadyrov, who seems to believe in the virtues of micromanagement, also threatened to hold traffic police responsible for car thefts, the incidences of which he said must be reduced to zero.

-- Aslan Doukaev