Akhmat Kadyrov, the 20-year-old son of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, has been awarded a presidential expression of gratitude by Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘for merits in the field of physical culture and sport, and many years of conscientious work’.
On 30 March, Putin signed an order on awarding employees from various sectors, among whom was Akhmat Kadyrov. The document has been published on the official legal information portal.
Akhmat Kadyrov holds the positions of deputy chairperson of the Chechen government and minister for physical culture and sport. He was appointed Minister of Sport in November 2023, and in January 2026 he also became Deputy Prime Minister of the republic, now overseeing the education sector.
Elizaveta Chukharova
The question of whether Akhmat Kadyrov has completed higher education remains open. Official biographical references and government resources do not contain information confirming that he has obtained a university degree. According to the Chechen Sports Ministry, Kadyrov has been studying at the Faculty of Law of Chechen State University since 2022.
Kadyrov’s government career began before he reached adulthood. At the age of 16, he headed a regional branch of a youth movement and received the title of ‘Honoured Worker of Youth Policy of Chechnya’. At 17, he was appointed by his father as First Deputy Minister of Sport.
Russian federal legislation stipulates that holding senior positions in state bodies requires not only reaching the age of majority but also having higher education at the level of a specialist or master’s degree. Despite this, Akhmat Kadyrov assumed a ministerial post before completing his second year of university studies.
In February 2026, Kadyrov received a departmental award — the Nikolai Ozerov medal, awarded by the Russian Sports Ministry. The official statement said the award was given for ‘personal merits and achievements’. The Nikolai Ozerov medal, established in 2012, is intended to be awarded to professional athletes who already hold a letter of gratitude or honorary certificate from the Sports Ministry, as well as departmental or state awards in the field of physical culture. However, alongside athletes, the medal has previously been awarded, for example, to propagandist Vladimir Solovyov.
In February 2026, Akhmat Kadyrov was presented with the medal ‘100 Years of Kyrgyz Sport’, handed over by the Director of the State Agency for Physical Culture and Sport of Kyrgyzstan, Kazybek Moldazhiev, at a meeting with a delegation from the country. The delegation included the President of the World Alysh Belt Wrestling Federation, Adilet Bayaman Uulu, and the Chair of the Committee for Physical Culture and Sport of the city of Osh, Bekdoolot Abakirov.
In December 2025, Akhmat Kadyrov awarded his father the honorary badge For achievements in sport, which had been established by Ramzan Kadyrov himself. In return, Akhmat Kadyrov received from his father the medal ‘In memory of Akhmat-Hadzhi Kadyrov’ — the first president of the Chechen Republic and his grandfather.
By August 2025, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ramzan Kadyrov and 29 of his close relatives have received at least 146 different awards, medals, and titles, Russian independent media outlet Vertska reported.
