Her resplendent white dress says it's her wedding day, but the sadness etched on her face does not. For this teenage bride has been forced to marry an ally of Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov after apparently being threatened with kidnap if she did not comply. Kheda Goilabiyeva, 17, looked despondent and at one point wept during the ceremony in the Chechen capital Grozny as the fearsome Kadyrov watched on from the crowd.
She was asked three times whether she wanted to marry 47-year-old police chief Nazhud Guchigov – who already has another wife – before finally and reluctantly responding yes.
The marriage has provoked outrage in Russia, fuelled by Moscow's child rights commissioner, Pavel Astakhov, who defended the wedding by saying that Caucasian women 'are all shrivelled with wrinkles by the age of 27'. He later apologised for his comments.
In response to the remarks, young women online have started posting selfies on Instagram with the hashtag #WrinkledWoman in which they scrunch up their faces to simulate the appearance of wrinkles. Many of the posts include sarcastic greetings to Astakhov.
Kadyrov, who has ruled Chechnya with an iron fist since being installed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007, was said to have given his personal blessing for the marriage in apparent violation of Russian laws against polygamy.
The procession then carried on to a restaurant, where Kadyrov was present and celebrated with traditional dances.
Guchigov reportedly threatened to kidnap the teen and warned of 'unpleasant consequences' if she or her parents did not consent to marriage, according to Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta.
Several of those in attendance also said that they disapproved, owing to the difference in age between the two.
'I would have killed my daughter before letting her marry like that,' one woman said on condition of anonymity. 'I am against early marriages.'
Announced in late April, the wedding led to an outcry in Russia, with several news reports alleging that the teenager had been forced into the marriage.
Kremlin human rights commissioner Ella Pamfilova had denounced the marriage as medieval and said she hoped that it would not take place. She called for sanctions if it were carried out.
Kheda Goilabiyeva (left) and Chechen police chief Nazhud Guchigov pictured before their controversial marriage
Polygamous: Nazhud Guchigov (right) with his first wife, to whom he is still married, and his son in a picture posted on Instagram
A Chechen police officer poses with Nazhud Guchigov's new wife (left) and his first wife (right)
Kadyrov however said on his Instagram account that 'these publications are only lies! Love has no age'.
Russia's child rights commissioner, Pavel Astakhov, said that the wedding did not violate laws on the minimum age for marriage, but he has not responded to questions regarding polygamy.
Kadyrov, 38, has helped the Kremlin battle an Islamist insurgency in the North Caucasus.
But the former rebel – accused by human rights groups of overseeing torture, extrajudicial executions and corruption – has shown an increased readiness in recent months to challenge Putin's authority.
Ramzan Kadyrov (right) has ruled Chechnya with an iron fist since being installed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007
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