Adam Kadyrov is enjoying a stellar career.
Russian state media reported that the 17-year-old was named curator of Chechnya’s internal affairs ministry on Monday, meaning he’ll oversee police and local security forces. The ministry also handles counterterrorism and riot control.
A state broadcast showed the teen receiving the appointment at a ceremonial meeting as uniformed officers applauded.
Soon after, he was filmed performing his duties by naming a new head of Chechnya’s operational search division and handing out medals to police officers.
The 17-year-old was already appointed overseer of Chechnya’s Russian Special Forces University last April. The university says it teaches civilians and soldiers skills such as artillery operations and parachute landing.
The teenager is also the third son of Ramzan Kadyrov, the strongman leader of Russia’s predominantly Muslim Chechen Republic.
Allied closely with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Kadyrov’s family rose to power by helping Moscow defeat Chechen separatists in the early 2000s. They’ve played a pronounced role in the invasion of Ukraine, particularly in the earlier days of the full-scale war, when Chechen militias were frequently seen fighting on the front lines.
Adam’s boyhood rise came amid the war. He surged into public view when he was 15 after he was filmed in September 2023 beating and kicking a prisoner accused of burning the Quran.
Russia’s human rights authorities voiced concern about the assault, but Kadyrov lauded his son after the clip went viral and said he “did the right thing.”
Since then, the teenager has been bestowed with Chechnya’s “Hero of the Republic” medal. He’s been separately given at least eight other state awards and honors.
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In November 2023, just before turning 16, he was named the head of his father’s security detail. For his role, the teenager was entered into Russia’s “Book of Records” — the country’s version of the Guinness World Records — for being the youngest recorded chief of a security detail.
The accolades and appointments have prompted speculation that the teenager is being groomed to succeed his father amid rumors that Kadyrov may be suffering from poor health. Novaya Gazeta, a Russian independent newspaper, reported in April that the warlord may be battling issues with his kidneys and pancreas.
Kadyrov was not seen at his son’s appointment on Monday, but state media said the teenager was given the role under the Chechen leader’s orders. State broadcasts showed him meeting with local residents during the Muslim festival of Eid.
Kadyrov’s press service did not respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.
