A new factory in the war ravaged southern Russia republic of Chechnya assembled its first cars this week according to the Chechen government.
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Reuters said the announcement was a boost for the Kremlin which wants to present the region as rejuvenated.
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, who drives himself around the region in a 4×4 Porsche and owns a Ferrari, will receive the first VAZ-21074 car – a small, boxy Lada model reminiscent of the Soviet era, the statement on the Chechen government’s website said.
Reuters said that over the past few years, workmen have repaved Chechnya’s roads and reconstructed the capital Grozny, once described by the United Nations as the most destroyed city in the world.
The factory in Grozny is a deal with the AvtoVAZ carmaker and the statement said it would boost production from Thursday’s initial two cars to 20 a day and provide around 10,000 jobs — badly needed in Chechnya where unemployment is around 75%, Reuters noted.
