The Minister of the Chechen Republic for Physical Culture and Sport, Akhmat Kadyrov, who is also Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov’s eldest son, has been awarded the title of ‘Honorary Citizen of Gudermes District’.
The announcement was made in the village of Dzhalka during a republican tournament marking the 74th anniversary of the birth of Chechnya’s first president, Akhmat-Hadzhi Kadyrov.
The 19-year-old Akhmat Kadyrov did not attend the ceremony in person; the award was accepted on his behalf by Deputy Minister Akhmad-Hadzhi Delimkhanov — the eldest son of Amkhad Delimkhanov, who is also the youngest brother of Russian MP Adam Delimkhanov, according to regional state media and the press service of the Ministry of Sport.
The event in Dzhalka was accompanied by a sporting programme, including freestyle wrestling and boxing matches, as well as football games. Regional media specified that the decision to grant the title was announced at the tournament, where, in addition to awarding athletes, the organisers highlighted the minister’s new honorary title.
This is the second time in a year that Ramzan Kadyrov’s eldest son has been given an honorary status at the municipal level in the republic. In April 2025, Akhmat Kadyrov became an ‘Honorary Citizen of the city of Grozny’, the capital of Chechnya. At the time, Ramzan Kadyrov’s aide, Akhmed Dudaev, publicly explained the decision as recognition of a ‘significant contribution to the development of sport’.
In November 2023, Akhmat Kadyrov was appointed First Deputy Minister for Physical Culture, Sport and Youth Policy. On 17 February 2024, he was named Minister for Youth Affairs, and on 21 May 2024, he became Minister for Physical Culture and Sport of Chechnya.
In parallel, on 23 May 2024, Akhmat Kadyrov was appointed President of the football club Akhmat. However, he was soon replaced in this position by his cousin Yakub Zakriev.
In February 2024, following his appointment as Minister for Youth Affairs, he received the Order of Akhmat Kadyrov, the highest award of the republic.
Akhmat got married in 2023, at just 17 years old: the wedding ceremony was lavish, and on the eve of the event, he received a personal blessing from Vladimir Putin. It is unknown whom he married.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov and 29 of his close relatives have received at least 146 different awards, medals, and titles, Russian independent media outlet Vertska reported. More than half of all awards — 82 in total — were state or departmental awards from Chechnya itself.
Elizaveta Chukharova
