Adam Kadyrov. Photo: Grozny-inform

Adam Kadyrov, the youngest son of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has been put in charge of coordinating Chechen humanitarian aid to Gaza, the republic’s Department for Liaison with Religious and Public Organisations announced on Monday.

The collection of humanitarian aid for Gaza residents, which had previously been suspended, would now resume and be carried out by three charities, the department said, adding that the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation would also continue to provide targeted assistance to Palestinians in need.

Any funds previously collected, the department noted, would now be used to buy food and medicine for Gaza residents. There were no details on how donations had been organised or on how much money had been raised.

Chechnya’s Minister for National Policy, External Relations, Press and Information, Akhmed Dudaev, announced the suspension of charity collections for Gaza on 30 July, explaining that the decision had been taken for fear that the aid was not reaching those in need or might fall into the hands of banned organisations.

Adam Kadyrov, 17, already holds several public positions in Chechnya, most notably secretary of Chechnya’s Security Council, an observer of the Sheikh Mansur Rifle Battalion and curator of the republic’s Interior Ministry.

In 2023, Ramzan Kadyrov posted a video of Adam beating up Nikita Zhuravel, a Russian man charged with burning the Quran. Since then, authorities around Russia have awarded Adam over 10 different awards. In August 2024, he was awarded the Kadyrov Order, the highest award in Chechnya. In October, he was awarded the title of Hero of Chechnya. On 27 March, Kadyrov was also awarded the Russian National Guard medal For Military Distinction, signed off personally by its head, Viktor Zolotov.

In June, Chechnya hosted an official wedding celebration for the youngest Kadyrov son, widely tipped as the successor to his father amid reports of Kadyrov’s serious illness. He had reportedly entered into an Islamic marriage with the daughter of Chechen senator Suleyman Geremeyev on 8 June 2024.