Chechnya’s spending on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine exceeds $440 million

Over three years since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the authorities of the Chechen Republic have allocated significant off-budget funds and resources to support Russian armed forces and the civilian population in the occupied territories. This was reported by the Head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, on his Telegram channel on 24 March.

According to Kadyrov, the funds spent by Chechnya on the war come from the Akhmat-Hadzhi Kadyrov Regional Public Foundation, which is under US and EU sanctions. The total amount of aid sent to the front, according to Kadyrov, has exceeded ₽36.8 billion ($438 million).

An analysis by Russian independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe found that in 2024, regional spending in Russia related to the war in Ukraine surpassed ₽800 billion ($10 billion). In some regions, these expenses accounted for up to a third of all budgetary spending. The level of military expenditure varies significantly: for instance, in Kursk Oblast, where the Russian military has been fighting against a Ukrainian incursion since August 2024, war-related costs have reached almost 29% of the budget, exceeding spending on education and nearly quadrupling healthcare expenditures.

In contrast, in the Chechen Republic, the share of expenses related to the war in Ukraine is about 0.5% of the total budget. This is because most of the funding comes from off-budget sources such as the Akhmat-Hadzhi Kadyrov Foundation. For comparison, Chechnya’s consolidated budget in 2023 amounted to ₽155 billion ($2 billion).

In December 2024, the Head of the Chechen government, Magomed Daudov, reported that since the beginning of the war, the foundation had procured and delivered over 2,000 special-purpose vehicles to the front, including 218 armoured cars, around 8,500 drones, over 1,000 night vision devices, 674 thermal imaging devices, more than 200 electronic warfare systems, 32,259 communication units, and 83,600 full military kits.

Additionally, since the start of the war, more than 50,000 fighters from Chechnya have been deployed to the combat zone, including 20,200 volunteers. As of December 2024, around 9,700 Chechen military personnel were on the front line, distributed across five regiments, six battalions, and the Akhmat special forces unit.

Volunteer training was conducted at the Russian University of Special Forces in Gudermes. According to Kadyrov, since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion more than 15,500 individuals have undergone training at the university, learning tactical shooting, field medicine, and other essential combat skills.

Daudov has also reported providing active support to the civilian population in the occupied territories. Since the start of the war, they claim to have delivered over 26,800 tonnes of humanitarian aid to occupied Ukrainian regions, including medical equipment, food supplies, construction materials, household chemicals, and essential goods.

The Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation has frequently been described as the ‘alternative treasury’ of the Kadyrov family, with ‘donations’ allegedly extracted from all public sector employees. In 2023, the fund's assets were reported to be ₽5.3 billion ($63 million) — several times less than the amount the Chechen authorities claim to have spent on the war in Ukraine.

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OC MediaElizaveta Chukharova