Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov has appointed his 20-year-old son Akhmat Kadyrov as acting deputy chair of the republic’s government while he retains the position of minister of physical culture and sport.
Kadyrov announced this in his Telegram channel, describing what had happened as ‘minor personnel changes’. According to him, the appointments were made on the recommendation of Chechen Prime Minister Magomed Daudov.
Simultaneously, a similar promotion was given to Akhmed Dudaev, the Minister for National Policy, External Relations, and Press and Information, who was appointed acting deputy chair of the republic’s government.
Akhmat Kadyrov has held the post of minister of sport since 2024. Before that, he was appointed in 2023 to be first deputy minister of physical culture and sport of Chechnya. In 2022, at the age of 16 and while still at school, he became head of the regional branch of the Russian Movement of Children and Youth, thus leading all children’s and youth organisations in the republic. At the time, Russia’s Education Ministry publicly supported the appointment despite Akhmat Kadyrov’s age.
After being appointed head of the sports ministry, Akhmat Kadyrov formed his own management team. His deputies became Umar Daudov, the son of Chechnya’s Parliamentary Speaker Magomed Daudov, and Akhmat-Hadzhi Delimkhanov, the eldest son of Amkhad Delimkhanov, the younger brother of State Duma deputy Adam Delimkhanov. These appointments were officially announced by the ministry.
As minister, Akhmat Kadyrov oversees the development of sport and programmes of patriotic education for young people. He regularly takes part in public events, meets with federal delegations, students and schoolchildren, and supervises projects of the Akhmat-Hadzhi Kadyrov Regional Public Foundation, named after his grandfather, the first president of Chechnya. Throughout the years, Akhmat Kadyrov has undertaken foreign trips as a representative of the republic, including visits to Azerbaijan, Jordan, and a number of Gulf countries.
In 2023, Akhmat Kadyrov married at the age of 17. The wedding ceremony took place in Chechnya and was widely covered by state and regional media. On the eve of the celebrations, he received a personal blessing from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Information about the identity of Akhmat Kadyrov’s spouse was not officially disclosed.
Akhmat Kadyrov is not the first of Ramzan Kadyrov’s children to hold the post of vice-premier. His eldest daughter, Aishat Kadyrova, was also appointed deputy chair of the government of Chechnya in 2020. She oversaw the social policy bloc, including culture, education and youth policy. Prior to that, she headed the republic’s Ministry of Culture.
In February 2025, Aishat Kadyrova announced her resignation from the post, saying she had decided to focus on ‘family responsibilities’ and work in business structures linked to the fashion industry and charitable projects. Ramzan Kadyrov said at the time that his daughter’s decision was voluntary and that she agreed with him. Kadyrova has retained her status as a public figure and continues to take part in public and cultural events in Chechnya.
Previously, journalistic investigations and human rights organisations have pointed out that a significant number of Ramzan Kadyrov’s relatives hold positions in government bodies, law-enforcement agencies, and state-owned companies in Chechnya.
According to journalists’ calculations, around 100 members of the Kadyrov family are connected to power structures in the republic, making it the highest number of relatives in positions of authority among all officials in Russia. In second place in terms of the number of relatives holding state posts is Putin — journalists have identified 26 of his relatives in positions of power.
Elizaveta Chukharova
