Vladimir Putin flew to Grozny on 11 May, where he presented posthumous awards to the widows of pro-Moscow Chechen leader Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov and interim Chechen parliamentary speaker Khussein Isaev. Both men were killed by the bomb that exploded on the morning of 9 May at a Grozny stadium during a ceremony to mark Victory Day. Speaking to his cabinet on 11 May after visiting Grozny, Russian President said that the killing of pro-Moscow Chechen leader Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov is both \"a loss and a lesson for the government,\" RTR, ORT, and RIA-Novosti reported. Putin asked the government to create a special group to remedy quickly economic problems in Chechnya and to design a unified plan for the reconstruction of Grozny. \"I have seen Grozny from a helicopter and it looks horrible,\" Putin said. In 1995-96 and 1999, Russian air and artillery bombardments left much of the city in ruins. (RFE/RL)