Russian-occupied Kherson awards Kadyrov’s mother for ‘solving tasks’ during Russian invasion
Aimani Kadyrova, the mother of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, was awarded by Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Kherson for ‘strengthening combat camaraderie and assisting in solving tasks during the special military operation’.
The award, the order ‘For Merit to the Kherson Oblast’, First Class, was given by Vladimir Saldo, a former Ukrainian politician who now heads the Russian occupation authorities in the region, which has been partially occupied by Russian forces since the early days of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The award was announced by the Head of the Government of the Chechen Republic, Magomed Daudov. According to him, the ceremony took place in Grozny on 4 August — the day Kadyrova turned 72.
‘On behalf of the governor of the Kherson Oblast, Vladimir Saldo, I presented Aimani Nesievna [Kadyrova] with the deserved award for her great personal contribution to strengthening combat camaraderie and assistance in solving tasks during the special military operation,’ Daudov said in a post on his Telegram channel.
At the time of publication, officials of the Russian-occupied Kherson Oblast have not provided details of their decision, nor did they explain what exactly Kadyrova ‘contributed’ to Russia’s occupation of Kherson. The statement contains no details of her personal involvement or specific humanitarian projects of the foundation which she heads, the Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov Foundation.
The award ceremony in Grozny took place without media presence. Daudov posted a video of the award presentation on his Telegram channel, stating that Kadyrova’s foundation would continue to ‘provide help to our brothers on the front line.’
Kadyrova is the widow of the first president of Chechnya, Akhmat Kadyrov, and the mother of the current head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. She has been head of the Akhmat-Khadzhi foundation since 2004. Officially, the foundation is engaged in humanitarian activities and offers support to religious, educational, and cultural projects. According to its representatives, in recent years it has also provided assistance in combat zones.
Since 2022, the foundation and its leadership have been subject to international sanctions. In the US sanctions lists, the Treasury Department stated that the foundation is used as a tool to finance the personal initiatives of Kadyrov, including campaigns related to military actions in Ukraine. The EU has imposed similar measures.
Kadyrova is also included in the sanctions lists of Ukraine and a number of EU countries. The reason was reports of the foundation’s involvement in the relocation of Ukrainian children from occupied territories.
Kadyrova has been awarded a number of state and departmental awards of the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic. In 2022, Leonid Pasechnik, the head of the Russian-occupied Luhansk region awarded Kadyrova the Order of Friendship of Peoples for providing humanitarian aid to residents of the territory.
The same year, she received the Russian Order of Honour — also for charitable activity.
At the same time, there is no full financial reporting of the foundation Kadyrova heads available in open sources. The sources of its funding, structure of expenses, or volume of assistance provided are unknown. According to investigations by independent media, the foundation uses administrative and budgetary resources, receiving support from the republican authorities. Local residents report mandatory donations to the foundation from civil servants and entrepreneurs.
Elizaveta Chukharova
