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.
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.
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.
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
