Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov has been awarded the ‘Group of Forces in Germany’ order — an internal decoration established by the veterans’ association of the Soviet military contingent stationed in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and later unified Germany between 1945 and 1994.
The news was announced on Thursday by the Сhechen state-run news agency Grozny-Inform. According to the report, the award was presented to Kadyrov by Anton Terentyev, president of the Union of Veterans of the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany (GSFG). The Speaker of the Chechen Parliament, Shaid Zhamaldaev, was also honoured with the same order. The veterans’ organisation did not specify the reason for awarding the two Chechen officials.
The parliament’s press service added that Kadyrov’s award was handed over by Musa Kavraev, head of the Chechen branch of the GSFG Veterans’ Union. Kavraev personally presented the order to Shaid Zhamaldaev.
The ‘Group of Forces in Germany’ order is not a state award but an internal honorary distinction of the veterans’ organisation, which unites former Soviet and Russian soldiers who were stationed in Germany during and after the Cold War. The official website of the Veterans’ Union contains no detailed statute or criteria governing the conferment of this order.
The Group of Soviet Forces in Germany was established in 1945 following the end of the Second World War and remained the largest overseas military formation of the USSR until its withdrawal in 1994. More than 300,000 Soviet troops were stationed in the GDR, supported by thousands of armoured vehicles, aircraft, and extensive infrastructure, including depots, hospitals, training grounds, and residential complexes. In total, there were over 700 military garrisons and settlements across East Germany, where officers and their families lived.
After the withdrawal, some of the former soldiers united to form veterans’ associations aimed at ‘preserving historical memory’ and ‘promoting patriotic education among young people’. According to Grozny-inform, the Chechen regional branch of the GSFG Veterans’ Union also engages in ‘combating terrorism and extremism’ and ‘implementing socially significant programmes’.
The relevance of the ‘Group of Forces in Germany’ order to Kadyrov himself has not been clarified. Born in 1976, the Chechen leader was a child during the Soviet military presence in Germany and never served there.
Kadyrov frequently receives both state and public awards from Russian federal institutions and civic organisations. He has previously been decorated with the title Hero of Russia, the Order of Courage, the Order ‘For Services to the Fatherland’ (4th Class), and several regional and religious honours.
Elizaveta Chukharova
