Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's adolescent son honored with the medal 'Protector of the Chechen Republic'
Young Adam Kadyrov Awarded 'Defender of the Chechen Republic' Medal
In a recent ceremony, 17-year-old Adam Kadyrov, son of Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov, was awarded the medal 'Defender of the Chechen Republic'. This honour is given for personal courage, bravery, and protecting constitutional rights in the Chechen Republic under risky conditions.
The award was presented during a ceremony marking the end of the 12th Open Championship in Tactical Shooting. However, it remains unclear for what exact merits Adam Kadyrov received this distinction.
Adam Kadyrov started receiving awards and official posts after an incident in September 2023 where he was involved in a controversy involving prisoner Nikita Zhuravel, who is suspected of burning a Quran. Since then, he has been awarded various honours, including the Hero of the Chechen Republic, the Order of Akhmat Kadyrov, the Order Daymekhan Siy, the Order For Service to the Religion of Islam 1st Class, the Medal For Contribution to the Development of the Russian University of Special Forces 1st Class, the Medal For Combat Distinction from the National Guard, and others.
Interestingly, third place was awarded to another team from the same regiment as Adam Kadyrov, Dustum-1, which used to be the call sign of Ramzan Kadyrov and is now the nickname of Adam Kadyrov.
The second place went to the Special Police Regiment named after Akmat Kadyrov, a team that has been mentioned by human rights defenders in connection with torture and extrajudicial executions.
Certificates of appreciation were also awarded to teams from Kuwait and Bahrain. Adam Kadyrov, in his role as curator of the University of Special Forces, handed awards to teams from Belarus, Russia's Smolensk region, and the occupied Kherson region in Ukraine.
It's worth noting that Adam Kadyrov did not personally take part in the competition but participated in the awards ceremony as assistant to the head of the republic, secretary of the Security Council of the Chechen Republic, and curator of the Russian University of Special Forces in Chechnya.
Rumours have circulated in recent months that Ramzan Kadyrov is grooming Adam Kadyrov as his successor, but under Russian law, direct transfer of official government positions to family members is not permitted. This raises questions about the young man's rapid rise in the Chechen political scene.
Despite being underage and having no political experience, Adam Kadyrov obtained appointments as curator of the Interior Ministries of Chechnya and the Russian University of Special Forces. It is not clear whether he has completed school.
This rapid ascent, coupled with the lack of publicly available credible sources detailing the exact origin of the high honours awarded to Adam Kadyrov, has sparked debate and concern among some observers.
