Four senior Chechen security officials and politicians awarded the title of ‘Hero of the DPR’
Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), has awarded the title of ‘Hero of the DPR’ to four senior representatives of Chechnya.
The recipients were MP Adam Delimkhanov, Prime Minister of Chechnya Magomed Daudov, Deputy Prime Minister of the republic for the security bloc Abuzayd Vismuradov, and commander of the ‘Akhmat’ special forces, Deputy Head of the Main Military-Political Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Defence Lieutenant General Apti Alaudinov.
According to a post on Pushilin’s Telegram channel, a total of 19 military personnel and state officials from Chechnya were honoured. He stated that ‘from the very first days Chechnya has been with us in all areas’, including supplying military equipment and humanitarian aid to civilians. Pushilin stressed that he had ‘personally thanked the leadership and residents of Chechnya for their support and the daily feats performed by the military on the battlefield’.
The DPR head separately expressed gratitude to Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, calling him a key figure of support. In his published statement, Pushilin drew parallels between the Second World War and current Russian actions, describing them as a ‘fight against revived fascism’.
Later, Kadyrov clarified that the meeting in Donetsk was attended not only by the awardees but also by Chechnya’s Minister for National Policy, Foreign Relations, Press and Information, Akhmed Dudaev.
Kadyrov said that Pushilin had been awarded the title of ‘Honorary Citizen of the Chechen Republic’, while Russian senator Aleksandr Voloshin and Pushilin’s adviser Yakov Khachanyan received the medal ‘For Services to the Chechen Republic’.
In his address, Kadyrov noted that thousands of Chechen fighters continue to take part in combat operations in Ukraine. According to him, Chechen units ‘make a huge contribution’ to fulfilling the tasks set by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kadyrov himself was awarded the title of ‘Hero of the DPR’ in October 2022 ‘for services to the Donetsk People's Republic and its people, related to the performance of a heroic deed in the name of freedom, independence, and prosperity of the Donetsk People's Republic’.
Alaudinov serves as Kadyrov’s aide and commands the ‘Akhmat’ special forces. In May 2023 Kadyrov stated that the unit had been redeployed to the Maryinka area of the DPR to conduct offensive operations.
Delimkhanov is known as a close associate of Ramzan Kadyrov and represents Chechnya in the Russian parliament.
Daudov is also head of the regional headquarters of the ‘special military operation’ — the term used by the Russian authorities for the invasion of Ukraine. He has previously taken part in activities related to mobilisation and the coordination of Chechen units.
Vismuradov oversees the republic’s security structures and is known as one of Kadyrov’s closest associates.
The Chechen Akhmat special forces, commanded by Alaudinov, are regularly mentioned in official Russian statements. The unit has been involved in fighting in Ukraine since spring 2022.
In early August Aimani Kadyrova, the mother of Kadyrov, was awarded by Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Kherson for ‘strengthening combat camaraderie and assisting in solving tasks during the special military operation’.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kadyrov and 29 of his close relatives have received at least 146 different awards, medals, and titles, Russian independent media outlet Vertska reported. 11 awards were given by Russian-installed administrations in occupied Ukrainian territories as well as one from South Ossetia and one from Libya.
Elizaveta Chukharova
