The Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, controlled by the Kadyrov family, has directed ₽43.3 billion ($560 million) for the war effort in Ukraine, Chechnya’s Prime Minister Magomed Daudov has said.
Daudov said that this amount has been allocated to military needs since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Chechen authorities report such expenditures on a regular basis; however, the foundation’s official financial statements show significantly lower figures for assets and income, and the sources of the declared billions of rubles are not disclosed.
The previous report on the foundation’s military spending was published in early October. This suggests that over the past four and a half months, the foundation transferred ₽1 billion ($13 million) to the front lines. Earlier, Chechen officials reported more intensive transfers: for example, over the preceding three months, the foundation, according to official statements, allocated almost twice as much for the same purposes.
According to published accounting data, the total assets of the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation are estimated at ₽2.8 billion ($37 million). In 2024, the organisation received ₽824.8 million ($11 million) in new income. The financial report for the past year has not yet been published.
The Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation was established in 2004 and is headed by Aimani Kadyrova, the mother of Chechnya’s current leader, Ramzan Kadyrov. The organisation declares charitable activities, while in open sources, it has repeatedly been described as a structure accumulating donations from public-sector institutions and entrepreneurs in the region. Chechen officials state that such contributions are voluntary. At the same time, independent media outlets and human rights groups have repeatedly reported that the authorities forcibly deduct amounts from the salaries of public sector employees for the foundation.
The foundation has been under US sanctions since 2020. In the sanctions documents, Washington cited the foundation’s alleged connection to activities that it considers to be linked to human rights abuses. In 2024, similar restrictions were imposed by the EU, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Representatives of the Chechen authorities have previously stated that the sanctions did not affect the organisation’s work.
In 2024, the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation for the first time reflected debt obligations in its official reporting. The specific volume of liabilities was not detailed in the published documents. Anti-corruption expert Ilya Shumanov told the media that the appearance of debt obligations and other financial indicators may point to a reduction in the organisation’s available funds. In his assessment, the foundation is ‘spending down’ a significant portion of previously accumulated targeted financing.
Chechen authorities have reported directing funds to military needs since the beginning of the full-scale war. Official publications state that the money was being used to purchase equipment and supplies and to support units involved in combat operations.
