17:44, 24 August 2026

The anniversary of Akhmat Kadyrov was marked by hundreds of events and criticism of the cult of personality.

On the 75th anniversary of the birth of Akhmat Kadyrov, several politicians made statements, and the authorities of Chechnya organized hundreds of events, charitable and public actions, to mark the anniversary. At the same time, one reader complained about road closures due to the ceremonial event, while critics of the Chechen authorities pointed to the imposition of a cult of personality around the former head of the republic.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", on August 22, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, awarded his daughter Khutmat with the medal "In Memory of Akhmat Kadyrov." The award ceremony took place on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the birth of the first president of Chechnya.

Akhmat Kadyrov died on May 9, 2004 as a result of a terrorist attack at the stadium in Grozny, when a powerful explosive device detonated under the central stand of the stadium, where a concert was held in honor of Victory Day. Responsibility for organizing the terrorist act against Kadyrov was claimed by one of the leaders of illegal armed groups Suleiman Imurzaev, better known as "Khayrulla," who was later killed in Chechnya.

The authorities of Chechnya organized hundreds of events and actions

The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, in a statement on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the birth of Akhmat Kadyrov, stated that his name has forever entered the history of Russia and emphasized his role in ending the armed conflict in Chechnya, TASS reported on August 23.

Putin specifically commented on the murder of Akhmat Kadyrov on May 9, 2004. "The crime, cowardly and cynically committed on the sacred for our country Victory Day, has neither forgiveness nor oblivion," the president stated.

On the same day, the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov reported that Putin called him. "He honored the memory of Akhmat-Khadzhi, expressed words of support, and also conveyed his warm wishes to Akhmat-Khadzhi's team and the entire people," TASS quoted Kadyrov.

The Chairman of the Government of Russia, Mikhail Mishustin, called Akhmat Kadyrov a person who did everything for the development of Chechnya and its preservation within Russia. According to Mishustin, he had known Kadyrov since the early 2000s, the news agency noted in another report.

Statements regarding the anniversary were also made by the head of Ingushetia Mahmud-Ali Kalimatov, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Alexander Novak, and First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia Sergey Kiriyenko.

In preparation for the anniversary of Akhmat Kadyrov, the authorities of Chechnya planned more than 750 various events in advance. This was reported by the head of the administration of the head and government of the republic, Galas Taymaskhanov, at a meeting with Ramzan Kadyrov. One of the events was an international conference in Grozny, dedicated to the centenary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Saudi Arabia, reported Ramzan Kadyrov's Telegram channel.

On the 75th anniversary of Akhmat Kadyrov, charitable actions took place in all districts of Chechnya, noted IA "Chechnya Today."

The Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes reported on its Telegram channel that the XIII International Open Championship in Tactical Shooting among law enforcement units was held in honor of Akhmat Kadyrov's anniversary. The competitions took place in August, and the winners were promised cash prizes from the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation.

In the village of Starogladovskaya in the Shelkovsky district, the opening of a landscaped recreation area "Where Creativity Begins" was timed to the anniversary date. The area of more than 11 thousand square meters was equipped with pedestrian zones, sports grounds, and places for recreation, reported the Ministry of Construction of Chechnya.

The cult of Akhmat Kadyrov began to form in Chechnya after his death in 2004 and under Ramzan Kadyrov became one of the components of the official ideology of the republic. Streets, mosques, sports, and other facilities are named after the first president of Chechnya, and his portraits and name are widely used at state and public events. Analysts interviewed by "Caucasian Knot" previously called this process "akhmatization" of Chechnya and pointed out that the glorification of Akhmat Kadyrov contributes to strengthening the political legitimacy of his son and the system of power he has established.

A reader complained about road closures due to the ceremonial event

One of the readers of "Caucasian Knot" reported on the inconveniences associated with one of the events dedicated to the anniversary of Akhmat Kadyrov. He noted that August in Chechnya traditionally passes under the sign of the birthday of the former head of the republic, Akhmat Kadyrov.

According to him, a ceremonial opening of 75 new townhouses took place in the Vysaitovsky district of Grozny. Staropromyslovskoye Highway and adjacent streets from the Tashkala settlement to the center of Grozny were closed by reinforced police and military units, resulting in traffic being practically stopped for about 40 minutes.

"People, including public transport passengers, had to wait in 33-degree heat for the convoy with the regional leadership to pass to the place of the celebration and back, without being able to drive in any direction. Friends who were heading to Grozny from the Grozny district were unlucky to get into this situation," the reader wrote.

According to him, his acquaintances tried to bypass the traffic jam on Staropromyslovskoye Highway via one of the higher streets, but traffic there was also blocked. They sent a photo of a long line of cars on the road.

"As a friend joked, 'the 'people's lord' had to patiently wait while the 'servants of the people' (as the head of the republic loves to call himself and his subordinates), led by Kadyrov, held some of their next event," the reader wrote.

In 2021, analysts called the celebration of the 70th anniversary of Akhmat Kadyrov a continuation of the formation of the cult of his personality. This model of public support for Ramzan Kadyrov manifested itself during election campaigns. In the elections for the head of Chechnya in September 2021, Kadyrov, according to the CEC, received 99.7% of the votes with a turnout of 93.37%, exceeding his result from 2016 – 97%. Before the voting, events were held in the districts of the republic with the participation of budget employees and civil servants in support of Kadyrov, the clergy also joined the agitation, and residents reported instances of multiple voting by budget employees. This year, Kadyrov was again registered as a candidate for the post of head of Chechnya. In no direct elections for the head of Chechnya have Ramzan Kadyrov's opponents even approached the five percent threshold.

Critics of the Chechen authorities pointed to the cult of Akhmat Kadyrov

One of the opposition Telegram channels published a series of posts for the 75th anniversary of Akhmat Kadyrov, in which the authors accused the authorities of the republic of imposing his cult. In one of the publications, the authors of the channel cited the example of a tower in the village of Gordali: according to their claims, residents collected funds last year and built it themselves, after which officials placed an image of Akhmat Kadyrov on the tower.

Opposition blogger Tumso Abdurakhmanov* dedicated a video published on his YouTube channel on August 23 to the anniversary of Akhmat Kadyrov. The blogger noted that on the anniversary day, official resources widely disseminated quotes and archival speeches of the first president of Chechnya, and suggested recalling one of his speeches in Dagestan.

In the archival fragment of the video presented by Abdurakhmanov*, Akhmat Kadyrov criticized Russian military personnel and called them "the enemy and aggressor."

Abdurakhmanov* linked the publication of this fragment with the immortalization of Akhmat Kadyrov's name in Russia. According to him, since "various streets, bridges, and other objects" in Russian cities are named after the first president of Chechnya, the residents of Russia "should know about these statements of Akhmat Kadyrov."

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that the celebrations of the anniversaries of Akhmat Kadyrov's birth in Chechnya have repeatedly been accompanied by numerous events and discussions about the formation of a cult of his personality. For example, in August 2020, residents of the republic criticized officials for laying flowers at the obelisk of Akhmat Kadyrov, pointing out the contradiction of this ceremony with Islamic traditions.

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Translated automatically via OpenAI from https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/426046