Ramzan Kadyrov |
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Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov (Russian: Рамзан Ахмадович Кадыров) (born 5 October 1976, Tsentoroi, RSFSR, USSR) is the President of Chechnya and a former Chechen rebel.
Ramzan is a son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, assassinated in May 2004, and heads a private army known as the Kadyrovtsy who, along with Kadyrov himself, have been accused of serious human rights abuses. Kadyrov is believed to have amassed a huge fortune from extorting kickbacks from the illegal sale of Chechen oil. He is also accused of propagating his father's and his own personality cults. He is married, with five children.
In February 2007 Kadyrov replaced Alu Alkhanov as President, shortly after he had turned 30, which is the minimum age for the post. He has the support of former Russian President Vladimir Putin and was awarded the Hero of Russia medal, the highest honorary title of Russia. Kadyrov was engaged in violent power struggles; with fellow Chechen government warlords Sulim Yamadayev and Said-Magomed Kakiev for overall military authority, and with Alu Alkhanov for political authority. He has been credited with finally launching the federally-sponsored renovations of the Chechen capital Grozny, which was nearly obliterated by the fighting.