Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov may have sent his feared soldiers to support Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine but all he really wants to do is wander through Trafalgar Square, mull over masterpieces in the National Portrait Gallery and read Shakespeare.
In a heartfelt plea to Boris Johnson posted on Telegram, Mr Kadyrov asked for sanctions placed on him by the British government to be removed so that he could one day realise his childhood dream.
"I just want to visit," he wrote. "To walk around London, enjoy the views of the Thames from Tower Bridge, look at Big Ben and Buckingham Palace, wander around Trafalgar Square, to reminisce in Hyde Park and to indulge high-minded thoughts in the National Portrait Gallery."
Other than flying up to Moscow to meet up with Putin, Mr Kadyrov is not a big traveller but he has clearly given the prospect of a trip to London some thought.
"I cherished this dream, held on to it with optimism and waited with trepidation for the day when it would come true," he said. "And there was nothing unrealistic about my dream. I wanted to go to the UK."
Mr Kadyrov also said that he particularly wanted to soak up more British culture.
"Why do you not let the dream come true of a tourist who just wants to plunge into the world of Shakespeare and Sherlock Holmes?" he said.
Mr Kadyrov has ruled over Chechnya in southern Russia since 2007 when he was made president of the region. He took over from his father who had been killed by a bomb in 2004. He is a staunch ally of Putin and has been accused of ruling Chechnya by fear and torture, accusations that he has denied.
In his message on his Telegram channel, which is filled with videos of his fighters parading through Grozny in full combat kit or cheerfully looking ahead to battle in Ukraine, Mr Kadyrov also struck a more menacing note about what he would do if he didn't get his way.
"You're driving me into a corner, and you shouldn't do that," he said. "My anger is terrible, and my revenge is uncontrollable."