The Head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, released a statement condemning the unknown assailant behind the attack on Fedor Emelianenko's daughter.
The statement, which appeared in the form of a press release on the Chechen government website, revealed Kadyrov's interest in "severe punishment" for the perpetrator because they were attempting to incite "ethnic hatred."
"This is an outrageous incident that needs to be investigated thoroughly and those responsible be punished to the fullest extent of the law. And the judge should not only consider the beating, but also the provocative actions clearly aimed to incite ethnic hatred.
"Hard to believe that the aim was only to put a beating, causing physical pain before robbery. With high probability we can say that the task was to cause a public outcry."
Back on October 12, MK reported that the daughter of a "famous heavyweight" had been hospitalized after being assaulted on her way home from school in Moscow the previous day. BloodyElbow was able to confirm that it was Emelianenko's 16-year-old daughter who was the victim of the attack. Fedor's press secretary confirmed the news two days later.
The attack occurred several days after Emelianenko condemned the child MMA fights that Kadyrov hosted during his World Fighting Championships of Akhmat (WFCA) event last week. The event saw all three of the Chechen strongman's son's (11-year-old Akhmad, 9-year-old Zelimkhan, and 8-year-old Adam) complete and win their fights without any form of protective gear. Fedor explained on a since-deleted post on Instagram that "what happened in Grozny is unacceptable and cannot be justified."
The criticism from Fedor, who serves as the President of the Russian MMA Union, prompted an avalanche of abusive responses from the members of the Akhmat Fight Club (owned and funded by Kadyrov himself), including WSOF flyweight champion Magomed Bibulatov and UFC lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov, stood in favor of the child fights hosted in Grozny, Chechnya. Even notorious State Duma member Adam Delimkhanov threatened that Fedor will be "held responsible for his words against Kadyrov's children."
Kadyrov later requested that his followers remove their posts directed at Emelianenko because the heavyweight "likely realized his mistake." Fedor's comments are no longer available on his social media accounts.
On October 13, Pavel Milovanov, the Head of the Ministry of Internal Affair (MIA) Administration for Inquiry in Moscow, revealed that the police had partially identified the assailant using surveillance tapes and that Emelianenko's daughter testified that the attacker had "Slavic features."
Kadyrov's statement was released less than 24 hours following the Ministry of Internal Affairs' announcement.
"The perpetrator must be found at any cost," the Chechen leader added in the same statement. "In Moscow, surveillance cameras scan every square meter. [Attacker] can and should be sought out. We are also working towards this and are ready to provide maximum assistance.
"People who pose a threat to children must be isolated and not roam the streets leading to schools."
For those interested in more information on Kadyrov and the political implications behind his child MMA stunt, read Karim Zidan's feature here.