Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is as nasty a piece of work as one could hope to find anywhere on Earth. And his third son (he has six, in addition to six daughters) — Adam, 18 — appears to be the metaphorical apple that has fallen closest to the tree.

Considered by some as the most likely son to be groomed as his father’s successor despite not being the eldest, Adam has shown signs of having inherited the paternal evil gene. At the age of 15, a video was posted online showing him beating a Russian political prisoner who had been arrested on an accusation of burning a Koran. Following the incident, Adam received numerous awards, including the title of Hero of the Republic of Chechnya — the region’s highest honor. In Chechnya, that sort of viciousness is what passes for bravery and manliness.

Like his two older brothers, Adam was married off by his father at age 17, and received personal congratulations from Vladimir Putin. In response, Ramzan Kadyrov posted a note on Telegram thanking his buddy Putin, writing:

“You still remain his most devoted FRIEND, preserving this beautiful male tradition.” [RFE/RL’s North Caucasus Service, January 16, 2026.]

I prefer not to speculate on the precise meaning of “this beautiful male tradition.” But whatever its intention, it was suddenly interrupted yesterday by a multi-vehicle accident in which Adam Kadyrov was seriously injured. Sources reported that he had been taken to Chechnya’s largest medical facility in Grozny, and that:

“He is reportedly in intensive care and unconscious. We do not know for certain what is going on with Kadyrov’s son. The roads to the hospital are closed because Adam was brought there. The car lost control while in motion and then crashed into some kind of barrier.” [Id.]

A different source later said that Adam had regained consciousness and was being flown to Moscow for treatment.

Interestingly, a post also appeared on Telegram from a local opposition movement known as NIYSO, saying that Kadyrov’s car had been in a convoy that “was moving at high speed, car after car, when it suddenly encountered an obstacle. As a result the cars began crashing into one another which is why we are receiving information that there are many injured. But the commotion was specifically because of Adam.” [Id.]

Of course, an incident of this sort always raises questions. And when sources — including a shadowy opposition group — talk about a “barrier” or an “obstacle” being the cause of the pileup, the logical first thought is whether this was indeed an accident, or whether Adam Kadyrov was the intended target of a political attack.

Since the two failed attempts by Chechnya to assert its independence from Russia that resulted in two brutal wars in the 1990s and early 2000s, a more-or-less symbiotic relationship has been established between Kadyrov and Putin. Russia retains overall control but grants Chechnya extensive autonomous powers, as well as financial aid and political protection, in exchange for absolute loyalty to the Kremlin and Kadyrov’s maintaining stability — by whatever means — in the region.

Ramzan Kadyrov, like his father Akhmad before him, is a brutal dictator who enforces strict Islamic law; but there are many Chechen citizens who still seek a break from Russian control and/or a complete change of regime within an independent Chechnya. The political situation is complex and volatile; and if Adam Kadyrov’s “accident” was indeed intentional, we could be seeing the beginning of yet another period of unrest, at the very least.

And that, of course, is the last thing Putin needs while he is still embroiled in his Ukrainian misadventure. So what happens in Chechnya is not likely to stay in Chechnya . . . which is also the last thing the world needs.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
1/17/26