The leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced on Monday that he has appointed his 20-year-old son, Akhmat Kadyrov, as the acting deputy prime minister of the republic.
Akhmat Kadyrov will continue in his role as the minister of physical culture and sports, a position he took on in 2024 when he was just 18 years old. Additionally, he has been serving as the minister for youth affairs in the region since winter 2024.
Kadyrov also revealed that Akhmed Dudayev, who serves as Chechnya’s minister of national policy, external relations, press, and information, was appointed as acting deputy prime minister as well.
This is not the first instance of Ramzan Kadyrov promoting his children to official positions. His younger son, Adam Kadyrov, aged 18, has taken on more than seven official posts over the last two years. He was first appointed as his father’s security chief in 2023, the same year he gained attention for assaulting a teenage prisoner accused of desecrating the Quran.
Having held power in Chechnya with considerable autonomy since 2007 in exchange for loyalty to the Kremlin, Ramzan Kadyrov, 49, has been the subject of scrutiny from exiled media, which have documented his family’s extravagant lifestyle featuring luxury vehicles, expensive watches, and lavish weddings.
Akhmat Kadyrov’s recent promotion coincides with renewed speculation surrounding his father’s health.
In 2024, the exiled news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that Kadyrov is suffering from a serious illness, potentially pancreatic necrosis, while Kremlin public relations experts were allegedly working to keep his health condition under wraps.
Last week, the outlet mentioned that Kadyrov was urgently hospitalized in Moscow shortly before the annual State Council meeting, which is chaired by President Vladimir Putin on December 25, citing an anonymous source close to the Chechen leader.
“They barely managed to revive him in Moscow, after which he returned home and has not been seen in public since,” stated Novaya Gazeta’s source.
Ramzan Kadyrov has dismissed these health concerns.
On Saturday, Kadyrov’s official Telegram channel shared video footage of him attending the opening of an Islamic educational institution. In the video, Kadyrov was seen using a walking stick and did not speak.
