Will Ramzan Kadyrov's teenage son follow in his footsteps?

In the past six weeks, Adam Kadyrov has received more awards and honors than most people receive in their entire lifetime. They include the Hero of the Chechen Republic award, the Honor of the Fatherland medal, and an award for his Services to the Religion of Islam. The 15-year-old was also appointed head of his father Ramzan Kadyrov's security department.

What's more, the teenager has received a host of awards from other Russian Islamic republics neighboring Chechnya. They include one for Services to the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia, a First-Class Merit Award for the Community bestowed by the Republic of Karachay-Cherkessia, an award for Services to the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic and another by the Russian Republic of Tatarstan.

All honor Adam Kadyrov's contribution to "strengthening interethnic and interreligious peace and harmony" as well as Islamic values.

They were handed out after a video surfaced online showing Adam Kadyrov beating a man who had been remanded into custody in the Chechen capital, Grozny. The prisoner in question is 19-year-old Nikita Zhuravel, a man being prosecuted by Chechen authorities for burning the Koran. Police arrested Shuravel in his hometown of Volgograd and handed him over to Chechen officials.

Chechnya's Putin loyalists

Ramzan Kadyrov — Adam Kadyrov's father — took power in Chechnya in 2007. He is considered one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's closest allies.

His father Akhmat Kadyrov was appointed head of the then breakaway republic by Vladimir Putin in 2000 after he supported the Russian army in both of the  Chechen warsof the 1990s.

Nikolay Petrov, who heads the Russian Center for Political Geographical Research and is currently a visiting scholar at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), says the publication of the Zhuravel video may not be a coincidence. He says it was released on September 25, just one day before Ramzan Kadyrov was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"It looks like Kadyrov is setting up a successor and introducing him to Putin," Petrov told DW. Adding that "he has also received recognition from Chechnya's neighboring Islamic republics." The analyst said this may be a maneuver by Ramzan Kadyrov to find out just how autonomous Moscow will permit him to be.

Adam Kadyrov is not an ideal successor to Ramzan Kadyrov due to his young age, says Grigory Shvedov, editor-in-chief of Caucasian Knot, an independent Caucasus news platform, which Russia classified as a foreign agent in 2021. "A lot can change in two or three years, there are still three years until Adam comes of age," Shvedov told DW.

The abundance of awards bestowed on and excessive attention paid to Adam Kadyrov could be evidence of a psychological trauma suffered by Ramzan Kadyrov, Shvedov said. Especially as praising one's own children runs counter to Chechen tradition.

Ramzan Kadyrov could be making up for his relationship with his father Akhmat Kadyrov, who was killed in a 2004 bomb attack, according to the expert. And while Ramzan Kadyrov's other children will also receive awards, these are unlikely to have any political significance.

It is highly unusual for Ramzan Kadyrov's son to have received so many awards and honors from the republics neighboring Chechnya, Shvedov said. "This isn't the work of the Kremlin but the product of Ramzan Kadyrov's diplomacy; it is a pretty important signal that his influence has extended beyond Chechnya's borders."

Groomed to succeed Ramzan Kadyrov?

Ibragim Yangulbayev — son of former Chechen supreme court judge Sajdi Yangulbayev — says Adam Kadyrov first came to public attention when he took part in a mixed martial arts tournament in Grozny aged nine. He was declared the winner, even though in reality, he had lost.

Adam has secured many more victories and attracted far more attention than any of Kadyrov's other children, according to Yangulbayev. "[In Chechnya] successors are prepared step by step [for their takeover]; you only have to look at Adam Kadyrov's social media profiles to realize he is being pampered like no other," the expert told DW.

A picture of Ramzan Kadyrov's son Adam hangs on the wall in the main office of one of the largest construction companies in Grozny, according to Yangulbayev. The company, he adds, is most likely controlled by the Kadyrov family.

"Even in Chechnya, it's hard to imagine a businessman hanging a photo of someone else's child on their company's wall," Yangulbayev told DW. He believes these are signs Adam is being groomed as a future successor.

Even so, political analyst Nikolay Petrov doubts these efforts will have an impact. "It all depends on who is in the Kremlin," Petrov told DW. "I believe that a 15-year-old child with a ruthless and strong father can easily be perceived as a crown prince, but it is difficult to imagine that he will have enough determination, strength and resources to retain power."

This article was translated from German