The Chechen Parliament has approved the appointment of 20-year-old Akhmat Kadyrov, the eldest son of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, and Akhmed Dudaev as deputy prime ministers of the republic.
The decision was announced by Ramzan Kadyrov on Telegram, summing up the results of the first parliamentary session of 2026.
According to Kadyrov, the deputies approved the appointments unanimously.
‘Dear BROTHER, the Chairperson of the government of the Chechen Republic, Magomed Daudov, during the session expressed confidence that Akhmat Kadyrov and Akhmed Dudaev would justify the high trust placed in them and would work productively in their new positions, as before directing all their knowledge and experience towards strengthening the region and our entire Motherland. Both are well known for their consistent and well-considered work and their ability to achieve concrete results. Their professional paths, managerial skills, and responsible attitude to their duties make it possible to say with confidence that both are ready to effectively tackle the larger-scale tasks facing the republic’, Kadyrov wrote.
Earlier, at the beginning of January, Ramzan Kadyrov had already reported that Akhmat Kadyrov and Akhmed Dudaev had been appointed acting deputy prime ministers. At the same time, both officials retained their previous posts in the regional cabinet: Akhmat Kadyrov serves as Sports Minister, while Akhmed Dudaev is the republic’s National Policy Minister. Approval by parliament meant the final confirmation of their appointments as deputy prime ministers.
The Chechen Parliament that approved these appointments consists predominantly of representatives of the ruling United Russia party and traditionally supports the initiatives of the head of the region. Parliamentary sessions at which personnel issues are considered generally take place without public debate or alternative nominations.
Dudaev has held his ministerial post since 2020. The ministry oversees relations with religious and national associations, the work of state media, and the region’s information policy.
Akhmat Kadyrov is the eldest son of Chechnya’s head Ramzan Kadyrov. He has held the post of minister of sport since 2024. Before that, he was appointed in 2023 to be first deputy minister of physical culture and sport of Chechnya. In 2022, at the age of 16 and while still at school, he became head of the regional branch of the Russian Movement of Children and Youth, thus leading all children’s and youth organisations in the republic. At the time, Russia’s Education Ministry publicly supported the appointment despite Akhmat Kadyrov’s age.
After being appointed head of the Sports Ministry, Akhmat Kadyrov formed his own management team. His deputies became Umar Daudov, the son of Chechnya’s Parliamentary Speaker Magomed Daudov, and Akhmat-Hadzhi Delimkhanov, the eldest son of Amkhad Delimkhanov, the younger brother of MP Adam Delimkhanov. These appointments were officially announced by the ministry.
As minister, Akhmat Kadyrov oversees the development of sport and programmes of patriotic education for young people. He regularly takes part in public events, meets with federal delegations, students and schoolchildren, and supervises projects of the Akhmat-Hadzhi Kadyrov Regional Public Foundation, named after his grandfather, the first president of Chechnya. Throughout the years, Akhmat Kadyrov has undertaken foreign trips as a representative of the republic, including visits to Azerbaijan, Jordan, and a number of Gulf countries.
In 2023, Akhmat Kadyrov married at the age of 17. The wedding ceremony took place in Chechnya and was widely covered by state and regional media. On the eve of the celebrations, he received a personal blessing from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Information about the identity of Akhmat Kadyrov’s spouse was not officially disclosed.
Akhmat Kadyrov is not the first of Ramzan Kadyrov’s children to hold the post of vice-premier. His eldest daughter, Aishat Kadyrova, was also appointed to the position in 2020. She oversaw the social policy bloc, including culture, education and youth policy. Prior to that, she headed the republic’s Ministry of Culture.
In February 2025, Aishat Kadyrova announced her resignation from the post, saying she had decided to focus on ‘family responsibilities’ and work in business structures linked to the fashion industry and charitable projects. Ramzan Kadyrov said at the time that his daughter’s decision was voluntary and that she agreed with him. Kadyrova has retained her status as a public figure and continues to take part in public and cultural events in Chechnya.
Previously, journalistic investigations and human rights organisations have pointed out that a significant number of Ramzan Kadyrov’s relatives hold positions in government bodies, law-enforcement agencies, and state-owned companies in Chechnya.
According to journalists’ calculations, around 100 members of the Kadyrov family are connected to power structures in the republic, making it the highest number of relatives in positions of authority among all officials in Russia. In second place in terms of the number of relatives holding state posts is Putin — journalists have identified 26 of his relatives in positions of power.
In early January, Ukrainian news agencies Ukrinform and RBC-Ukraine reported that Ramzan Kadyrov’s kidneys had failed. Both media outlets cited sources in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR).
This information has not been confirmed: Kadyrov himself has since recorded three videos showing that he is healthy and calling the Ukrainian media reports fake. Chechen opposition figures have also considered the information about Kadyrov’s kidney failure to be unreliable.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian media has also written about consultations within the Russian leadership regarding potential successors to Kadyrov. According to RBC-Ukraine and Ukrinform, those named among the possible candidates are Chechen Prime Minister Magomed Daudov, the deputy head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces and commander of the Akhmat special forces Apti Alaudinov, as well as Akhmat Kadyrov.
However, while Akhmat Kadyrov might have been named, according to the Russian constitution, only persons who have reached the age of 30 can be elected as heads of Russian republics.
Elizaveta Chukharova
