Kadyrov says he ‘doesn’t know’ where Australia and New Zealand are

Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov has commented on the recent sanctions imposed by Australia and New Zealand against his mother, Aimani Kadyrova, saying that he did not know where these countries were located. The restrictions were imposed due to the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Kadyrova’s alleged involvement in the abduction of children from the occupied territories.

In a video published on his Telegram channel, Kadyrov reacted to the sanctions, saying that if his mother was involved in the ‘removal’ of children, she deserves a reward, not sanctions. Kadyrov claimed that Western politicians prefer to punish those who lend a helping hand instead of solving the problems of children in conflict zones.

At the same time, Kadyrov denied that his mother was involved in the abduction of Ukrainian children from occupied territories. According to him, she is only involved in charity and pilgrimage and is not involved in any other activities.

In February 2023, Mykola Kuleba, who is responsible for the return of children as part of the Save Ukraine Foundation, said in an interview with RFE/RL that since 2014, more than 1.5 million Ukrainian children have been trapped in Russia and its occupied regions. The Ukrainian government’s project Children of War has identified almost 20,000 children by name who have been ‘deported or forcibly displaced’.

Kadyrova heads the Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov Foundation, which, according to official Chechen claims, finances the participation of Chechen units in the war against Ukraine. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the foundation has been actively supporting Russian troops, channelling significant funds to supply Chechen units involved in the conflict.

According to Magomed Daudov, Speaker of the Chechen Parliament, more than ₽32 billion ($370 million)  have been spent for this purpose as of April 2024. At the same time, the origin of these funds remains unclear.

The Australian government’s sanctions statement said the new measures were the largest since the beginning of the full-scale war, but did not name the specific reasons they were imposed on Kadyrova. At the same time, New Zealand’s sanctions explicitly mentioned the abductions as a primary reason, which likely explains her inclusion on Australia’s list.

In addition, other Russian officials and businessmen involved in the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine were added to Australia’s sanctions list.

Kadyrova and the foundation have already found themselves under sanctions from the EU and the US. In December 2020, the US Treasury Department accused the foundation of providing significant profits to Kadyrov. In June 2024, the EU imposed sanctions against Kadyrova, alleging her role in the abduction and subsequent indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children.

On 24 February 2025, Canada also announced sanctions against Kadyrov’s foundation.

In response, Chechen officials supported Kadyrov, with Daudov and State Duma deputy Adam Delimkhanov, who are themselves under sanctions, saying that the restrictions would not affect the work of the foundation and its charitable initiatives. Chechnya also maintains that the foundation is solely engaged in humanitarian projects.

On the third anniversary of the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, new sanctions against Russia were also announced by the EU and the UK. The sanctions included Russian officials, businessmen, and organisations, including the port in Makhachkala, Senator Arsen Kanokov from Kabarda-Balkaria, and Daghestani businessman Dzhamaldin Pashaev.

Pashaev had previously already come under US restrictions, with media linking the businessman’s name to the port in Astrakhan and Russia’s shadow fleet used to transport oil above the Western-imposed price cap.

Kadyrov himself first faced personal international sanctions back in 2014 in connection with his support for the annexation of Crimea. Later, the restrictions were expanded several times due to human rights violations in Chechnya and support for the full-scale war against Ukraine. Many members of Kadyrov’s family who hold government positions in the region are also under sanctions.

Kadyrov sanctioned by US Treasury

On 15 September, the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov and close family members, as ‘facilitators of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine’. Ramzan Kadyrov was added to the list for ‘links to previous cases of torture and murder’ and having ’mob…

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