Chechen strongman and Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov appears to be increasingly sidelining his eldest son, 18-year-old Akhmat in favor of the younger Adam.
On Nov. 9, Kadyrov appointed Akhmat Deputy First Minister of the Chechen Republic for Physical Culture, Sports, and Youth Policy, the Institute for the Study of War reported.
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This followed Akhmat’s 18th birthday the day before. Kadyrov praised Akhmat for success in his “chosen business” as head of the Chechen “Movement of the First” youth movement.
But Kadyrov’s quiet acknowledgment of Akhmat’s new position stands in contrast to the recent praise and appointments of his other children, including his appointment of his younger son, Adam, to the Chechen security service position that Kadyrov had held prior to succeeding his own father.
Kadyrov has piled praise on the 15-year-old after he beat up a prisoner accused of burning a Quran.
Kadyrov posted a video on social media in which his son is seen punching and kicking a prisoner who is seen cowering in a chair, before wrestling him to the floor and slapping him on the head.
The reason for Ramzan Kadyrov’s apparent snubbing of his eldest son is unclear.
Akhmat Kadyrov met with Putin in early March 2023 while rumors about Kadyrov’s declining health circulated, fueling speculation that Ramzan Kadyrov, Akhmat, and Putin may have been preparing for Akhmat to succeed his father.
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