Ramzan Kadyrov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ramzan Kadyrov
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| Рамзан Кадыров Рамзан КъадиргӀеран |
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Kadyrov in 2023
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| Head of the Chechen Republic | |
| Assumed office 15 February 2007 (17 years ago) |
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| Preceded by | Alu Alkhanov |
| Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic | |
| In office 18 November 2005 – 10 April 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Sergey Abramov |
| Succeeded by | Odes Baysultanov |
| First Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic | |
| In office 10 May 2004 – 18 November 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Eli Isayev |
| Succeeded by | Odes Baysultanov |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov
5 October 1976 Tsentaroy, Checheno-Ingush ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Akhmat-Yurt, Chechnya, Russia) |
| Political party | United Russia |
| Spouses |
Medni Musaevna Kadyrova
(m. 1996)
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| Children | 12 (6 sons (2 adopted), 6 daughters) |
| Parents |
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| Alma mater |
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| Profession |
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| Awards |         |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
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| Branch/service |  National Guard of Russia |
| Years of service | 1999–present |
| Rank | Colonel general |
| Battles/wars | First Chechen War Second Chechen War 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine Wagner Group rebellion |
Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician and current Head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated to the Chechen independence movement, through his father who was the separatist-appointed mufti of Chechnya. He is a colonel general in the Russian military.
Kadyrov is the son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, who switched sides in the Second Chechen War by offering his service to Vladimir Putin's administration in Russia and became Chechen president in 2003. Akhmad Kadyrov was assassinated in May 2004. In February 2007, Ramzan Kadyrov replaced Alu Alkhanov as president, shortly after he had turned 30, which is the minimum age for the post. He was engaged in violent power struggles with Chechen commanders Sulim Yamadayev (d. 2009) and Said-Magomed Kakiyev for overall military authority, and with Alkhanov for political authority. Since November 2015, he has been a member of the Advisory Commission of the State Council of the Russian Federation.
Kadyrov frequently employs totalitarian and repressive tactics in his rule of the Chechen Republic. Over the years, he has come under criticism from international organizations for a wide array of human rights abuses under his government. During his tenure, he has advocated restricting the public lives of women, and led anti-gay purges in the Republic. Kadyrov has been frequently accused of involvement in the kidnapping and assassination of human rights activists, critics, and their relatives, within both Chechnya and other regions of the Russian Federation, as well as abroad, through the political use of police and military forces. He publicly denies these accusations.
Kadyrov has adopted a hypermasculine image in public, frequently posing with guns and military garb or displaying his wealth and opulence. The Kadyrov family has enriched itself considerably during its rule of the Chechen Republic; the Russian Federation dispenses extensive funding to the Chechen government, while the distinction between the Chechen government and Kadyrov is blurry.
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Early life
Kadyrov was born in Tsentaroy, in the Checheno-Ingush ASSR, in the Russian SFSR, part of the Soviet Union. He was the second son in Akhmad and Aimani Kadyrov's family and their youngest child. He had an elder brother named Zelimkhan (1974–31 May 2004), and he has two elder sisters, Zargan (born 1971) and Zulay (born 1972).
The Q’adarġeran neqe, correspondent to the Kadyrov family in Chechen kinship, belongs to the Benoy teip. Although the Benoy were among the wealthiest of the Chechen teips, their prolonged resistance to annexation by the Russian Empire was met with forced resettlement during the last years of the Caucasian War.
Kadyrov strove to gain the respect of his father, Akhmad Kadyrov, who was an imam. He claims that he always emulated his father. Akhmad had supported the call for jihad against Russians during the First Chechen War but switched sides and declared allegiance to Russia in the Second Chechen War. In the early 1990s, as the Soviet Union dissolved, the Chechens launched a bid for independence.
During the First Chechen War, together with his father, he fought against Russian armed forces. After the war, Ramzan was the personal driver and bodyguard of his father Akhmad, who became the separatist mufti of Chechnya. The Kadyrovite militia was formed during the First Chechen War, when Akhmad Kadyrov declared jihad against Russia. The family defected to the Russian side at the beginning of the Second Chechen War in 1999. Since then, Kadyrov led his militia with support from Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), including the provision of service ID cards, becoming the head of the Chechen Presidential Security Service. The militia later became known as the Kadyrovites.
Political career
Deputy Prime Minister
After his father, the then President, was assassinated on 9 May 2004, Ramzan was appointed as the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic on 10 May 2004.
When his sister was detained by the Dagestan police in January 2005, Kadyrov and some 150 armed men drove to the Khasavyurt City Police (GOVD) building. According to the city mayor, Kadyrov's men surrounded the GOVD, forcing its duty officers against a wall, and assaulted them, after which they left the building with Zulay Kadyrova, "victoriously shooting in the air."
In August 2005, Kadyrov declared that "Europe's largest mosque" would be built in place of the demolished ruins of Grozny's shattered downtown. He also claimed that Chechnya is the "most peaceful place in Russia" and in a few years it would also be "the wealthiest and the most peaceful" place in the world. He said that the war was already over with only 150 "bandits" remaining (as opposed to the official figures of 700 to 2,000 rebel fighters), and that thanks to his father, 7,000 separatists had already defected to the Russian side since 1999.
He remained the First Deputy Prime Minister until November 2005.
Acting Prime Minister
Following a car accident in November 2005, in which Chechnya's prime minister Sergey Abramov was injured, Kadyrov was appointed as the caretaker prime minister on 18 November 2005. He immediately proceeded to implement elements of Sharia law, such as declaring a ban on gambling and alcohol production.
In February 2006, responding to the publication of the Mohammed cartoons, he accused the Danes of "spying" and being "pro-terrorist". He also banned Danish citizens from entering Chechnya, effectively banning activity of the Danish Refugee Council, the largest non-governmental organisation working in the region. Kadyrov is quoted as saying, "That cartoonist needs to be buried alive." He was eventually pressed to overturn this decision by Moscow, a rare example of federal intervention in Kadyrov's rule in the republic.
Prime Minister
On 1 March 2006, Sergey Abramov resigned from the position of prime minister and told Itar-Tass news agency that he did so "on the condition that Ramzan Kadyrov lead the Chechen government." This was followed by a decree of Kadyrov forcing women to wear headscarves; he also rejected a federal appropriation of the republic's budget, demanding more money, and called for all federal forces but the border guards to be withdrawn.
Kadyrov was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic by Alkhanov on 4 March 2006. Shortly after taking office, Kadyrov approved a project to erect a presidential palace on a 30-acre (120,000 m2) plot by the Sunzha River in ruined downtown Grozny. The project, which was also to include a five-star hotel and recreational facilities, was estimated to cost around 1.5 billion roubles ($54 million USD) to build.
Later, Kadyrov called for refugee camps scattered across Chechnya to be closed down, calling the refugees "international spies who are interested in stoking conflict between Chechnya and Russia, who are seeking to destabilise the situation in our region". Reuters quoted him as saying that "liquidating the refugee camps will allow us to uncover spies who are working for foreign intelligence services". His cousin Odes Baysultanov was appointed to the position of First Deputy Prime Minister by Alkhanov on 6 March 2006 after being unanimously approved by the Chechen Parliament.
On 5 June 2006, Speaker of the Chechen People's Assembly Dukvakha Abdurakhmanov said at a press conference in Moscow that "there is no alternative" to Kadyrov for the presidency; Kadyrov has "exclusive awards in combat, and has made achievements in improving the peaceful life and in human rights protection. Who could replace him at this stage? Nobody," he said. Later that year, Umar Dzhabrailov, Chechnya's representative in the Federation Council and a close ally of Kadyrov's, urged Dukvakha Abdurakhmanov to initiate a measure calling on Kadyrov to become the republic's president, thereby replacing Alu Alkhanov.
The following week, several Russian newspapers reported that a worsening security situation in Chechnya was lessening the likelihood that Kadyrov would replace Alu Alkhanov as the republic's president. Other media, however, reported that Kadyrov continued to strengthen his position at Alkhanov's expense. He was also elected as the Chair of the Chechen Peoples' Assembly in late-October 2006.
On 6 December 2006, Kadyrov said that he would seek the prosecution of the commanders of federal military units responsible for the death or disappearance of civilians in Chechnya (specifically Major General Aleksandr Studenikin). In addition, Kadyrov said the war in Chechnya was unleashed not by the Chechen people but by the Russian leadership. Kadyrov's comments may have represented his government's increasing unhappiness with certain figures in Moscow, who were said to be blocking his elevation to the post of Chechen president. In 2006, leaked cables from an American diplomat recounted a lavish wedding attended by Kadyrov in Russia's Caucasus region in which guests threw $100 bills at child dancers, and which had nighttime "water-scooter jaunts on the Caspian Sea", and a report that Kadyrov gave the newly married couple a "five-kilo lump of gold".
On 5 February 2007, Kadyrov said he did not aspire to become the Chechen president; however, he criticised Alkhanov. Kadyrov also claimed the war in Chechnya was ultimately finished, with "all informal armed groups eliminated". Alkhanov, for his part, criticised "the cult of personality and idealisation of one person", a clear reference to Kadyrov, whose enormous portraits are prominently displayed in Grozny.
President of the Chechen Republic
On 15 February 2007, Putin signed a decree removing Alkhanov and installing Kadyrov as Chechen's acting president. On 2 March 2007, following Putin's nomination of Kadyrov as Chechen president, the Chechen parliament approved the nomination. In the following days, serious changes took place in the administrative setup of the republic, affecting both the top- and middle-ranking officials. Former deputy prime minister Odes Baysultanov (a cousin of Kadyrov) was elevated to the vacant post of prime minister. Critics allege that Kadyrov is actively building his own "vertical of power" in the republic, and encouraging nepotism by placing men of his own family (Kadyrov) in all the leading and important positions.
A Russian daily, Gazeta, reported that according to a poll conducted by the independent Levada Center, only 33 percent of Russians believe that Kadyrov can be trusted, while 35 percent believed that he cannot. Asked whether they thought Kadyrov could normalise the situation in Chechnya and end the bloodshed there, 31 percent said yes and 38 percent said no.
On 14 March 2007, Kadyrov said that human rights abuses were "a thing of the past" in his republic. On 19 March 2007, Kadyrov vowed to put an end to all remaining guerilla activity in Chechnya within two months. On 5 April 2007, Kadyrov was sworn in as President of Chechnya. He appointed his maternal cousin Odes Baysultanov as the Prime Minister of the republic on 10 April.
After the car-bomb attack on Yunus-bek Yevkurov, president of the neighbouring Republic of Ingushetia on 22 June 2009, Kadyrov claimed that the Kremlin had ordered him to fight insurgents there, and during his subsequent visit to the republic on 24 June pledged ruthless vengeance.
In late December 2009, Kadyrov claimed that remaining rebels were getting financed by "The West"; "I officially declare this: those who destroyed the Soviet Union, those who want to destroy the Russian Federation, they stand behind them". He also suggested that Russia should attack Georgia and Ukraine "It's Russia's private affliction; why should we always suffer if we can eradicate this for good?". In early August 2010, Kadyrov had claimed that there were only 70 Islamist militants left in Chechnya.
In the same month, he proposed changing the title of President of the Chechen Republic to Head of the Chechen Republic. On 12 August, he also called upon presidents of all North Caucasus republics to petition the State Duma to change their titles, stating that there should only be one president in Russia. The Chechen parliament unanimously approved this change on 2 September. However, Speaker of the Chechen Parliament Dukvakha Abdurakhmanov stated on 4 September that the title will be retained until the end of Kadyrov's term in April 2011.
In February 2011, he invited the players of Brazil's 2002 FIFA World Cup winning team to play a match against a Chechen football team led by Kadyrov. The Brazilian team was named as Brazil XI. In addition, Ruud Gullit was hired by Kadyrov to train FC Terek Grozny.
Assassination attempt
An assassination attempt on Kadyrov and a parliament member Adam Delimkhanov was thwarted on 23 October 2009 by the police. Chechen Deputy interior minister Roman Edilov said the police shot dead the driver of a speeding car loaded with a 200-litre tank after firing warning shots shortly before Kadyrov was to arrive at a construction site. The driver of the car was later identified as a militant leader (so-called Urus-Martan emir Beslan Bashtayev).
Said-Emi Khizriev, who played a role in organising the attack, was killed by Russian police who tried to arrest him in the Michurin village in Grozny. Khizriev planned and took part in explosions at two gas stations in Gudermes in the spring of the previous year, as well as in an armed attack at a sport club in the city.
Attempts at consolidation of the Chechen nation
As reported by the Caucasian Knot, an independent human rights resource, on 5 February 2009, "in the course of his meeting in Grozny with Ramzan Ampukaev, representative of the Chechen Diaspora in Europe, Ramzan Kadyrov invited former militants, now living in Europe, to come back home":
"Now, the situation in the republic has stabilized, we witness a steady economic growth, and there's no sense for people to leave. And those who are already abroad, can always come back. We'll help them in every possible way," said Mr. Kadyrov. "All sorts of Emirs and former participants of illegal armed formations, who are now in Europe and whose actions were not aggravated by bloody crimes, have two alternatives: either to come back and serve for the welfare of their homeland, or stay there until the end of their days."
Tsentoroy and Chechen Parliament attacks
In 2010, two large scale attacks were carried out by Chechen insurgents, one in Kadyrov's home-village Tsentoroy and the other on Chechen Parliament in Grozny. The assault on Tsentoroy which occurred on 29 August is considered to have "shattered" the image of Kadyrov's unshakeable rule in Chechnya, as it was the first time in six years that his seemingly impregnable village had come under attack.
On 2 September, Kadyrov announced a reward of more than $300,000 for information about each of the insurgency leaders involved in the operation, which Chechen commentators interpreted as an indicator of the government's weakness. Kadyrov also tightened his control over information coming from Tsentoroy by not allowing any of the village's 5,000 inhabitants to leave in the days after the attack. The citizenry were also allegedly under the threat of death not to talk about the siege or the damage inflicted by the rebels.
The attack on the Chechen parliament was carried out by three Chechen rebels on 19 October 2010. Kadyrov, dressed in a parade uniform, attended a meeting that was held a few hours after all the buildings of the parliament were declared cleared by the special forces. During the meeting, he apologised to the politicians who escaped unhurt from the attack. Kadyrov vowed to intensify the fight against militants in the republic, calling them "bandits".
Head of the Chechen Republic
Kadyrov was nominated to a second term as president (now referred to as Head of the Chechen Republic) by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on 28 February 2011 and was unanimously elected for a second term by the Chechen Parliament on 5 March 2011. After his election, he stated that he was going to continue the current course of reviving the republic's economy and society.
On 8 March, he captained a Chechen football team which included current players of FC Terek Grozny, former players of Soviet Union national football team and former German midfielder Lothar Matthaeus in a match against the team Brazil XI which included ex-Brazilian footballers like Romario, Dunga, Bebeto and Cafu. Kadyrov scored twice during the match but his team lost 6–4 to the Brazilian side. Kadyrov said that he had organised the match to show that Chechnya had recovered from years of separatist conflict. He also said that the Brazilians weren't paid to appear but came out of goodwill and in return for a donation to flood victims in Brazil.
Kadyrov was sworn in as head of the republic on 5 April 2011. In November 2012, he visited Azerbaijan to sign intergovernmental agreements. In December 2012, he ordered the closure of the newspaper Kadyrov's Path after one of its reporters asked Putin a question about the violence once focused in Chechnya spreading to other republics and followed it up by asking about the fate of a local radio station. Kadyrov had reportedly taken a disliking to the question asked by the reporter to Putin.
Kadyrov termed former President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych's ouster as a "coup d'état" and a deliberate attempt to exert pressure on Russia through Ukraine, however at the same time placed the blame on Yanukovych for the situation in Ukraine. On 28 February 2014, he affirmed his readiness to dispatch peacekeepers and a consignment of humanitarian aid to Crimea.
After the 2014 Grozny bombing, in which ISIL's hand was suspected, he said that he might block internet in Chechnya as anyone could easily find and listen to a sermon by a jihadist. After Kadyrov went on a tirade against ISIL on Instagram for threatening Russia, ISIL commander Omar al-Shishani put a $5 million bounty on him.
On 26 May 2015, he announced that he was going to star in a Hollywood thriller titled Whoever Doesn't Understand Will Get It which will be directed by a director of famous Hollywood films and also feature global film-stars. Kadyrov in July 2015 denied that ISIL had any territory in Chechnya and claimed that they never will. On 8 February 2016, he claimed that Chechen special forces had infiltrated ISIL cells.
Kadyrov announced on 27 February 2016 that he would step down at the end of his second term, which was set to expire on 5 April. However, he later decided to run in the elections that were to be held that September. Putin appointed him as the acting head of Chechnya until the elections in a decree signed on 25 March.
Kadyrov launched his reality show titled The Team with the first episode being aired by Channel One on 30 June. People from across Russia were invited by Kadyrov to register for the contest. The winner of the contest will go on to become head of Chechnya's Agency for Strategic Development.
On 18 September 2016, Kadyrov was re-elected with nearly 98% of the vote. Philip Varychenko, a native of Düsseldorf, was chosen as the winner of Kadyrov's reality show on 22 November and was appointed as a government aide. Kadyrov visited Saudi Arabia on 27 November where he met the Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. During the meeting, they discussed Russia–Saudi Arabia relations as well as issues of common interest. He also visited the United Arab Emirates on the same day and met Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The two discussed friendship, cooperation and strengthening ties. During his visits, he praised King Salman of Saudi Arabia for his "leadership of the Muslim world and efforts to combat extremism".
On 28 November, he stated that veterans of American special forces would not be allowed to train security and intelligence personnel at a "tactical city" in Gudermes because "they weren't as good as Russian special forces and there were sanctions against all official structures from the United States." On 29 November, he claimed in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that only a few dozen Chechens were fighting with ISIL, adding that most of them grew up in Western Europe. He also stated that measures taken by Chechen authorities had been successful in bringing back many young recruits before they reached Syria.
During an interview aired on 27 November 2017, Kadyrov stated that he was ready to resign as Head of the Chechen Republic, calling it his "dream" as he found the responsibility to be "too heavy". He announced on 5 December that no Chechen athletes will participate under a neutral flag at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
After an attack on the Church of Archangel Michael in Grozny on 19 May 2018, Kadyrov stated that he had personally overseen the operation to eliminate the attackers. On 26 September, he signed an agreement with Yunus-bek Yevkurov, the Head of Ingushetia, resolving the border dispute between the two Russian republics. The agreement seen as grossly unfair to Ingushestia ignited widespread protests eventually leading to resignation of Yevkurov on 24 June 2019.
Kadyrov was given the rank of major general in July 2020, through an executive order of the Russian President. He added on his blog that he had been transferred from Ministry of Internal Affairs to the National Guard of Russia.
COVID-19 pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Russia, Kadyrov initially in March dismissed the spread of the disease as nothing serious. Later, Chechnya imposed strict measures to curb the spread of coronavirus after it first emerged in the republic.
In April 2020, Kadyrov announced imposition of even stricter measures in Chechnya to curb the spread of the coronavirus. In addition to a night curfew, the government also sealed off all transportation to regions outside the republic. Kadyrov meanwhile also denied that force was being used against those who defied the restrictions. After the Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin criticized heads of Russian regions for overstepping the extent of their powers with the restrictions they imposed, Kadyrov commented that while he did not know if Mishustin referred to Chechnya, goods as well as entry into the republic were not barred. However, entry of non-Chechens into the republic would be banned to curb the spread of the disease.
On 15 May 2020, Kadyrov in a live broadcast on the state-run Grozny TV stated that medical workers protesting over lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) must be sacked after one such protest occurred in Gudermes, claiming the republic had enough PPE. On 20 May, Kadyrov was reportedly flown to Moscow after developing "flu-like symptoms", suspected to be COVID-19. On 26 May however, Kadyrov attended a televised meeting in Grozny for taking steps against the coronavirus. The next day he stated that he had a right to be sick, without confirming if he had fallen ill. He also dismissed reports of using a catheter, stating he had a right to use it to boost his immunity.
Russian invasion of Ukraine
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During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kadyrov was reported to have been taking part in Russian operations outside Kyiv. In a video he posted on Telegram, he called on Ukrainian forces to surrender "or you will be finished". Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin had no information about whether Kadyrov was in Ukraine. The Telegraph reported that on two occasions when Kadyrov had said he was in Ukraine, he was proven not to be. In one instance, he said he was in Mariupol at a petrol station and published a photo, but the pump in the background, Rosneft's Pulsar brand, does not operate in Ukraine. On another occasion, Kadyrov posted a video suggested he was meeting troops in Mariupol, but he hosted a Russian official in Grozny on the same day.
On 28 March 2022, President Putin promoted Kadyrov to the rank of lieutenant general.
On 26 May 2022, Kadyrov threatened Poland. He was apparently upset by the Polish supply of weapons to Ukraine.
On 10 September 2022, Kadyrov, upset by the withdrawal of Russian troops in Izium, called for the declaration of martial law and full military mobilization in Russia. On 22 September 2022, Kadyrov said that the 2022 Russian mobilization would not be implemented in the Chechen Republic.
On 1 October 2022, Kadyrov called on Russia to use low-yield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, in response to Russia losing the important Ukrainian town of Lyman. Two days later, he announced he was deploying three underage sons, aged 14, 15, and 16, as child soldiers to the front line in Ukraine, a possible war crime.
On 5 October 2022, Kadyrov announced that President Putin had promoted him from lieutenant general to the rank of colonel general.
On 5 March 2023, it was reported by Microsoft News that Kadyrov was in a "serious condition" and that unspecified sources said he was poisoned by the GRU, according to the Kazakh journalist Azamat Martyanov, Kadyrov is terminally unwell and has made several trips to the United Arab Emirates to meet doctors there who are treating him. In February a close ally of Kadyrov, General Apti Alaudinov was reportedly poisoned by a letter laced with toxin.
In August 2023, Kadyrov had reportedly praised the legacy of deceased Wagner Group leader Prigozhin. Russian opposition leader, Dmitry Gudkov then warned that Kadyrov might suffer the same fate as Prigozhin.
On September 15, Chechen opposition group NIYSO reported that Kadyrov had fallen into a coma. A day later on September 16, 2023, Obozrevatel quoted the spokesman of Ukraine's Security Service, Andriy Yusov, in stating that Kadyrov's "existing diseases have worsened and caused such a serious condition", the claims reported that Kadyrov kidneys were failing. Kadyrov's telegram responded by posting a seven second video of Kadyrov walking outside on September 17, although the date the video was filmed is impossible to determine, it appears the video was filmed in Grozny. On September 28, 2023 Kadyrov met with Vladimir Putin in a sit down meeting at the Kremlin. Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters the meeting with Kadyrov took place and a video of the meeting was released by the Kremlin.
Nicknames
In Chechen society, Ramzan Kadyrov is widely known under the nickname "Lyulya". There are claims that this is Kadyrov's childhood nickname.
Chechen economic recovery and reconstruction
In 2006, the production of Chechnya's industry increased by 11.9%. In 2007, the rate of growth was 26.4%.
In February 2010, head of the British delegation of the Human Rights Group Lord Judd, formerly "bitterly critical of the Russian authorities for the situation in Chechnya", pointed out a striking change for the better in the Russian North Caucasus republic. Judd said that changes which occurred since his visit as a member of PACE delegation in 2000 were "so overwhelming that sometimes you forget about what happened here until quite recently".
According to a 2016 report by Russian opposition leader Ilya Yashin, Kadyrov collected enormous wealth, primarily through theft of federal subsidies for Chechnya. Between 2001 and 2014 Chechnya has received over 464 billion roubles in subsidies, grants and donations with federal subsidies accounting for 80% of the republic's budget (and this does not include funds allocated for infrastructure managed at federal level such as roads). However, the administration of Chechnya is being criticized for spending public funds for their personal benefit—in 2010 Dmitry Medvedev noted that "federal funds often do not reach people; we know where they disappear; it is obvious-they are being stolen".
For example, the fleet of official vehicles in Chechnya accounts for half of all official vehicles in all Northern Caucasus republics. Public funds are being funnelled through Akhmad Kadyrov Foundation, which—while being registered as a charity—has never produced or published any financial reports as required by Russian law.
These violations are ignored by Russian Ministry of Justice, which in many cases has enforced them very strictly against other charities. The foundation operates a building company that services most of the publicly procured infrastructure projects in the republic and also collects a fee from all working citizens of Chechnya, ranging from 10 to 30% of their earnings, raising 3–4 billion roubles per year this way. Kadyrov himself declares annual income of 4.84 million roubles (2015), which is inconsistent with his lavish life-style, luxury vehicles, watches, race horses and mansions.
In 2020, Proekt.media published an in-depth analysis of business operations of Kadyrov and Adam Delimkhanov who are allegedly running multi-million dollar businesses in Moscow through a proxy provided by businessman Pavel Krotov.
Personal life
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Kadyrov graduated with a degree in law from the Makhachkala Institute of Business and Law in 2004. In 2006, he defended his thesis at Dagestan State Technical University to obtain a Candidate of Sciences degree in economics. In 2015, he defended his thesis at Dagestan State University to obtain a Doctor of Sciences degree in economics.
Kadyrov has adopted a macho image where he frequently poses with guns and military garb, and associates with mixed martial artists. In 2022, he was pictured in military garb and $1,580 Prada Monolith boots. The New Yorker says that Kadyrov has adopted various personalities over the years: "the merciless warrior in fatigues who leads special operations to kill anti-government rebels; the jolly Caucasus baron who spars with Mike Tyson and shows off his private zoo; the family man and observant Muslim who has banned alcohol, ordered that women wear headscarves in public buildings, and boasts that his six-year-old son has memorized the Koran."
In 1996, Kadyrov married Medni Musaevna Kadyrova. The couple are parents of twelve children. Two sons, Adam and Eli, have earned the title of hafiz, while three daughters, Aishat, Khadizhat and Khutmat, have earned the title of hafiza. Khutmat and another daughter, Ashura, performed together with the nasheed singer Mishary Rashid Alafasy in 2015. Khadizhat was recognised as the most gifted student in Chechnya in 2016 and qualified for participation in the pan-Russian contest "Student of the Year 2016" on 20 February 2016.
Medni launched her 'Firdaws' fashion line in March 2012 in Dubai. Aishat presented her own fashion collection in March 2017 and took over her mother's fashion enterprise, Firdaws. She was appointed the first deputy culture minister of Chechnya in September 2020 by her father.
According to a 2021 investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, Kadyrov has a second wife, Fatima Khazuyeva. Kadyrov reportedly met Khazuyeva when she was fourteen years old at a 2006 beauty pageant. He reportedly also has a third wife, a singer and dancer named Aminat Akhmadova.
Kadyrov enjoys boxing and is the owner of Fight Club Akhmat, a professional sports club that focuses on boxing and mixed martial arts.
Wealth
The Russian Federation funnels money to the Kadyrov family; the distinction between the Chechen government and Kadyrov are blurred. In 2015, Chechnya received around 57 billion roubles a year from Moscow (about £550m). The family obtains money through the Akhmad Kadyrov Fund, a non-transparent foundation which describes itself as a charity and is headed by Kadyrov's mother, Ayman. In 2011, the foundation funded Kadyrov's lavish 35-year birthday party, which featured celebrities such as Seal, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Vanessa-Mae and Hilary Swank. When journalist Marianna Maksimovskaya asked him where the money for the live-televised celebration was coming from, he reportedly laughed and said "Allah gives it to us", before adding: "I don't know, it comes from somewhere." Journalists have been targeted by Kadyrov's regime for reporting on his opulence.
Kadyrov is a noted collector of sports cars. He owns a Lamborghini Reventón, one of only 20 sold. He is also known for his extensive collection of Chechen daggers. Kadyrov has been linked to the ownership of a private jet.
Kadyrov's family members own luxurious real estate in Moscow. Two of his wives own property valued at $8 million in total, which is more than twice Kadyrov's declared salary since 2008.
In November 2023, Ramzan Kadyrov appointed his 15-year-old son Adam as head of his father's security department.
See also
In Spanish: Ramzán Kadírov para niños
- Politics of Chechnya
