Adam Kadyrov, the 17-year-old son of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, has been videoed dancing a lezginka — a traditional Caucasian dance — on stage at the Chechen State Philharmonic with a pistol on his waist.
Ramzan Kadyrov published the video on his social media pages.
The video shows Adam Kadyrov dancing amongst women dressed in national Chechen costumes during the Deka San Az music competition. Adam Kadyrov is seen wearing a black t-shirt with the letters D and K in gold alongside an image of a golden wolf. On his waist was a holstered pistol.
The letters D and K most likely stand for the teenager’s nickname and surname — Dustum Kadyrov. Adam Kadyrov uses the name Dustum on social media and has it embroidered on many of the clothes in which he publicly appears. Dustum was the callsign of his father during his younger days in the early 2000s, which he adopted in admiration of the Afghan commander Dostum, who fought against the Taliban.
According to Russian laws, carrying firearms in public places is permitted only with an appropriate licence issued by the National Guard and only for persons aged 21 and above, with certain exceptions, such as for members of law enforcement agencies.
Carrying firearms or items imitating them in public places without legal grounds may be classified as an administrative offence punishable by a fine or the confiscation of the firearm. For minors, liability may be applied in the form of measures imposed on their parents or legal guardians.
In Chechnya, weapons are often used as elements of official events, including cultural ones. However, federal legislation applies to all regions of Russia, including the Chechen Republic.
As of publication, there have been no reports of any inspection being carried out in connection with the appearance of Adam Kadyrov with a pistol.
In recent years, Adam Kadyrov has regularly made headlines as he continues to accumulate new positions and awards. At the age of 15, he was appointed as his father’s head of security, while in April 2025, he was appointed as supervisor to the republic’s Interior Ministry — a position that appeared to have been created for him. Later that same month, he assumed the role of Secretary of the Chechen Security Council.
Adam Kadyrov obtained the appointments despite being underage and having no political experience. It is not even clear whether he has completed school — it was publicly announced that he started first grade in 2015, but there has been no information about his academic progress since. Adam Kadyrov should currently only be in the 10th grade.
In 2023, Adam Kadyrov’s name gained national attention following the publication of a video in which he was seen physically assaulting Nikita Zhuravel, a man detained on suspicion of burning a copy of the Quran. Ramzan Kadyrov publicly endorsed his son’s actions, and shortly afterwards, Adam Kadyrov was awarded the title of Hero of Chechnya.
Independent Russian media outlets have claimed in recent months that Ramzan Kadyrov is grooming Adam Kadyrov as his successor and is seeking a legal or political mechanism through which power can be transferred. However, under Russian law, direct transfer of official government positions to family members is not permitted.
Elizaveta Chukharova
