Ramzan Kadyrov

Ramzan Kadyrov received a phone call from Vladimir Putin during the week of 3 to 11 April 2026, as recorded in the Kremlin's published calendar. The Kremlin's scheduling of a call with Kadyrov, set alongside discussions on Dagestan flooding and space and nuclear anniversaries, reflects the routine political management of the North Caucasus republics during the war period.

Kadyrov has led the Chechen Republic since 2007 and deployed Chechen forces (the Kadyrovtsy) to Ukraine from early in the full-scale invasion. The Chechen units have operated in multiple theatres, with mixed assessments of their military effectiveness; they have been most visible in propaganda videos and urban operations. His loyalty to Putin has been a central feature of his rule, though he has occasionally used his public platform to press for faster military escalation.

Kadyrov's political position rests on a security bargain with Moscow: Chechnya receives substantial federal transfers in return for political and military loyalty. That arrangement has survived multiple rounds of war in Ukraine and shows no sign of stress, though Kadyrov has at various points aired frustration with Russian military command publicly.