MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin paid a brief unannounced visit to the volatile North Caucasus republic of Chechnya on Monday.

The visit came amid growing violence in the region, which saw two Kremlin-led wars with separatists in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The government press service said Putin and Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov discussed the socioeconomic situation in the republic, its high unemployment rate, and several investment projects.

They also laid flowers at the tomb of the regional leader's assassinated father and predecessor.

Rights groups have accused Kadyrov of rights abuses that contributed to a rise in militant violence.