Chechnya's Kadyrov Appoints 20-Year-Old Son as Acting Deputy Prime Minister

Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic, has appointed his 20-year-old son Akhmat Kadyrov as acting deputy prime minister.

He also promoted 38-year-old Akhmed Dudayev, minister for national policy, external relations, press and information, to the same post.

In a Monday Telegram update, Ramzan Kadyrov called the promotions “minor personnel changes.”

“Friends, we began 2026 with minor personnel changes in the government of the Chechen Republic. Thus, on the recommendation of our dear BROTHER, Chairman of the Government of the Chechen Republic Magomed Daudov, Akhmat Kadyrov has been appointed acting deputy chairman of the government of the Chechen Republic – minister of the Chechen Republic for physical culture and sport,” he wrote.

Akhmat Kadyrov was appointed sports minister in 2024.

“I have also decided to appoint Akhmed Dudayev as acting deputy chairman of the government of the Chechen Republic – minister of the Chechen Republic for national policy, external relations, press and information,” he added.

Ramzan Kadyrov praised the two for their “significant management experience.”

“Akhmat Kadyrov and Akhmed Dudayev possess significant management experience, a deep understanding of the specific areas they oversee, and have proven themselves to be responsible and effective leaders,” he wrote.

Dudayev has been accused of facilitating the illegal abductions of Ukrainian children.

Other Topics of Interest

Russian Oil Output Hits One-Year Low as Ukrainian Strikes Cripple Refineries

Russia’s crude oil production fell to 9.009 million barrels per day in May, the lowest level in a year and nearly 690,000 barrels below its OPEC+ target. The decline comes as Ukraine intensifies strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, carrying out 31 attacks on oil facilities in May alone.

Nepotism claims

Ramzan Kadyrov has been accused of rampant nepotism, appointing his children to senior government posts.

In November 2023, Ramzan Kadyrov appointed his teenage son, Adam Kadyrov, as head of his security service after Adam beat up a prisoner in custody for allegedly burning the Quran. Adam also received his third state award for “the strengthening of traditional Islamic values” after the beating.

In 2024, Adam Kadyrov was awarded a medal at the UAE SWAT Challenge Special Forces competition in Dubai despite not participating in the actual competitions and was later appointed as a “curator” of the Vladimir Putin University of Special Forces.

Aishat Kadyrova, Ramzan Kadyrov’s eldest daughter, serves as Chechnya’s deputy prime minister and minister of culture.

In 2016, local news outlet Kavkaz.Realii identified close to a hundred relatives of Ramzan Kadyrov who had been appointed to official positions.

Flamboyant ruler with an iron fist

Ramzan Kadyrov has ruled the Caucasian enclave with an iron fist since 2004, after the death of his assassinated father, Akhmad Kadyrov, while officially taking over in 2007.

Kadyrov’s regime has been associated with numerous gross human rights violations long before the war in Ukraine.

He has long been known to sanction assassinations of critics and dissidents outside of Chechnya. Notable assassinations included the death of former Ichkeria commander Zelimkhan Khangoshvili in Berlin and critic Tumso Abdurakhmanov in Sweden.

Enforced disappearance is also common in Chechnya under his rule, and human rights organizations have noticed a steep rise in forced abductions in the Caucasian enclave in 2017.

Ramzan Kadyrov’s rule is characterized by his erratic and often flamboyant behavior.

At the start of Russia’s 2022 invasion, Ramzan Kadyrov got into an online spat with South African-born billionaire Elon Musk, mocking him as “Elona” (a feminine form of Elon) after Musk suggested settling the Russian invasion with a one-on-one fistfight against Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

Musk has amplified Kremlin narratives, including false claims that 90% of Ukrainian media act as Western puppets, in subsequent years.

In August 2024, Ramzan Kadyrov brandished a shiny new Tesla Cybertruck equipped with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun that he claims was personally presented to him by Musk.

In September 2025, Ukraine filed war crime charges against Ramzan Kadyrov over his treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war.