Chechnya: daily life

After two Chechen brothers were named in connection with the Boston Marathon bombings, Reuters photographer Maxim Shemetov took this collection of images titled "Inside Modern Chechnya" showing daily life in the semi-autonomous Russian region known for a centuries-old tradition of defying Moscow’s rule. Shemetov focused on the area in and around the capital of Grozny. -- Lloyd Young ( 28 photos total)

Members of a Chechen dance group pose for photographers at a government-organized event marking Chechen language day in the center of the Chechen capital Grozny on April 25. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters)

An aerial view shows the center of the Chechen capital of Grozny on April 29. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, center, watches as men load up a cannon during a government-organized event marking Chechen language day in the center of the Chechen capital on April 25. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

A police car drives along a street in the center of Grozny on April 22. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Muslim men arrive for Friday prayers at the central mosque in the Chechen capital of Grozny on April 26. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Anzor and Salakhutdin, students at the Russian Islamic University, pray in their flat in Grozny on April 23. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Chechen women chat in a cafe in the center of Grozny on April 23. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

A car drives past horses, standing at the edge of a road, outside the Chechen capital of Grozny on April 24. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Cars drive along the road outside Chiri-Yurt, the village where the Tsarnaev family has it's roots, in Chechnya, Russia on April 29. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

The Heart of Chechnya mosque is seen in the Chechen capital on April 27. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Boys play soccer on the outskirts of Grozny on April 27. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Muslim men wait for Friday prayers in the Heart of Chechnya Mosque in Grozny on April 26. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

An employee of a memorial complex devoted to former Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov signs documents in the Chechen capital on April 26. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Students attend a lesson at the Russian Islamic University in the Chechen capital of Grozny on April 23. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Students attend a lesson in Sharia law at the Russian Islamic University on April 23. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Terek Grozny fans support their team during a soccer match against Amkar Perm at the Akhmad Arena stadium in Grozny on April 27. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Participants in a local mixfight competition wrestle in the ring, with a portrait of former Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov in the background in the village of Goryachevodsk on April 24. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

A young Chechen man looks out of a car in front of a building that bears the slogan: "Ramzan, thank you for Grozny!" in the Chechen capital on April 22. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

A boy walks along the street in Chiri-Yurt, the village where the Tsarnaev family has its roots, in Chechnya, Russia on April 29. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

People wait for a bus outside Chiri-Yurt, the village where the Tsarnaev family has its roots, in Chechnya, Russia. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Guests dance at a wedding in the Chechen capital on April 24. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Women watch dancing at a wedding party in Grozny on April 24(Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Special forces officers stand guard during a government-organized event marking Chechen language day in the center of the Chechen capital of Grozny on April 25. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Members of a youth club supporting former Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov (printed on flag) march along a street during a rally in the center of the Chechen capital of Grozny on April 25. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

A policeman wears a ring showing the Islamic symbol of the star and crescent, in the Chechen village of Itum-Kale April on 29. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

A group of young Chechen men hang out on a street corner in the center of the Chechen capital of Grozny on April 29. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

A Muslim man prays in the Heart of Chechnya Mosque in Grozny on April 26. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #

Girls play on swings in a playground in the Chechen capital of Grozny on April 29. (Maxim Shemetov/Reuters) #