RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 1

Ramzan Kadyrov: A Cult of Personality for the 21st Century

“Our cat has vanished, ten days ago, it disappeared. We all thought that it

would turn up soon, since it is very much attached to the children, it loves to play

with them… But now we are seriously worried. Perhaps it is staying with

somebody in the neighborhood… Therefore we would be grateful for the

information if anybody knows anything. Thanks in advance” (BBC Trending).

Ramzan Kadyrov, the president of Chechnya, posted this caption on Instagram in 2016

alongside a picture of him cradling the lost Toyger cat in question and thus began the Internet

sensation that many still associate with Kadyrov’s social media presence today. But who exactly

is Ramzan Kadyrov, aside from a cat owner and internet sensation? Human rights groups say that

he is an authoritarian leader who often makes people disappear in very different ways than his

cat did and rules Chechnya with an iron fist. Officials in Moscow might say that he is Putin’s

attack dog who should be put back on the leash he seems to have slipped. His Chechen

supporters will say that he is a great president and a good man who has rebuilt Chechnya after

years of bitter war. The widely varying perceptions of Kadyrov can partially be credited to the

disparate amounts of information available to the different groups of people and social and

cultural norms through which they process this information. Adding to the multifaceted picture

of the Chechen president are Kadyrov’s own efforts to create a cult of personality intended to

garner unimpeachable adoration as the paternalistic leader of his people, a blatant mimicry of the

cults of personality of Russian leaders like Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Vladimir Putin.

Understanding the genesis and rise of Ramzan Kadyrov’s cult of personality requires a

review of the Russian-Chechen relationship, Kadyrov’s path to leadership, and the methods

employed by Russian leaders in crafting their cults of personality. This background will allow
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 2

for a more thorough examination of Kadyrov’s cult of personality; including his methods, his

comparative success, and some of the more unique and memorable moments from the crafting of

his persona.

Chechen-Russian History

Chechnya and Russia have a fraught relationship. From the beginning of Imperial

Russian expansion into the Caucasus, the Chechen people resisted Russian rule, a fact

immortalized in works of Russian literature, such as Leo Tolstoy’s “The Cossacks” (Lapidus,

1998). The upheaval created by World War I led to renewed uprisings and unsuccessful attempts

at securing independence from Russia from 1922 into the 1930s, which Stalin put down in his

typical brutal fashion. This added to the growing resentment in Chechnya toward Russian rule

and set the stage for the USSR’s increased oppression of the Chechen populace. World War II

also contributed to increased strife. In February 1944, the republic was abolished, and its

inhabitants were forcibly deported when Chechnya was alleged to be colluding with Nazis

(Lapidus, 1998). When the USSR began to fall, Chechnya declared itself a sovereign,

independent state under the Russian Federation with Boris Yeltsin’s blessing, and was

recognized by the international community, but again wrestled with its supposed liberation

(Lapidus, 1998). However, once the USSR had dissolved completely, Russia began to view

Chechnya, now a small, sovereign state, as a threat to its stability. In 1991, under the Yeltsin

administration, Russia began a series of attacks in Chechnya to attempt to reassert control, in

what became known as the First Chechen War. These attempts were unsuccessful, and during the

resulting armistice and five-year political negotiation period, Chechnya descended into

lawlessness (Kipp, 2001).

 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 3

In 1999, violence between Russia and Chechnya increased to the point that Russia

launched another brutal military campaign in Chechnya, led by then-Prime Minister Vladimir

Putin. Russian military efforts during the Second Chechen War were characterized by

indiscriminate bombing campaigns and massive civilian casualties. During the costly military

campaign, the Kremlin was pursued a political approach referred to as “Chechenization.” As part

of Chechenization, Putin met with various Chechen leaders, including the Mufti of the Chechen

Republic of Ichkeria, Akhmad Kadyrov (Osamayev, 2010). Despite being a staunch enemy of

Russia in the First Chechen War, and even calling for jihad against Russia, Akhmad Kadyrov

sided with the Russians during the Second Chechen War because of his concern with the

growing influence of the more radical Wahhabist Islam that was gaining traction in Chechnya.

He was instrumental in dismantling the Chechen resistance and was appointed by the Russian

government as president of the Chechen Republic in 2003 (Yaffa, 2015). His time as president

was short, however; he was killed by a bomb only seven months after assuming the title of

president (Bullough, 2015). During Akhmad Kadyrov’s tenure as president, his son, Ramzan

Kadyrov, operated as the head of the Kadyrovsky, a militia group turned law enforcement force.

Soon after his father’s funeral, a group of armed men gathered and declared their support for

Ramzan Kadyrov as president. Various Chechen leadership councils also approached Putin to

request that an exception be made to the minimum required age for a president and allow

Ramzan Kadyrov to run, despite the fact that Kadyrov saying that he would not run out of

respect for the law, which requires presidential candidates to be at least 30 years old(Osamayev,

2010). Although Kadyrov was not made president immediately, these events made it abundantly

clear that he had the support needed to secure the office. After serving for a time as the prime
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 4

minister and exercising control over the Chechen military, Kadyrov took the presidency in 2007

(Bollough, 2015).

Rise to Power

Ramzan Kadyrov was born October 5, 1976, in Tsentoroi, in the Kurchaloyevsky District

of the Chechen Republic, USSR. His experience prior to assuming the presidency was almost

exclusively militant, as the head of his father’s private militia. He built a reputation as a fearsome

warlord with a private army accused of brutality and of some of responsibility for the

disappearances in Chechnya (Walsh, 2006). This reputation led to some contention about his

ascension to power and what he would do with that power once he had it. These fears were not

unfounded; Kadyrov used and continues to use brutality and violence to silence people he

considers to be threats, whether they are political rivals, minorities, or others (Yaffa, 2016).

Although Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation, Kadyrov has certain levels of

autonomy that allow him to rule with an iron fist. His word is law, and as demonstrated multiple

times in the past, he is above any law, except perhaps Putin’s. For example, Kadyrov has been

very explicit in his support of polygamy, even though it is forbidden under Russian law (Yaffa,

2016). He has been accused multiple times of atrocities, including the recent crackdown on gay

men in Chechnya, to which the Kremlin turned a blind eye (Sokirianskaia, 2017). His

administration has banned alcohol, enforced dress codes and ‘proper behavior’ for women,

supported honor killings and blood feuds, and even closed orphanages because they were

deemed to be against Chechen culture (Sokirianskaia, 2017). HE dies not rule solely by force,

however; he has also cultivated support by constructing a persona of a benevolent leader who

loves to help people. This seemingly contradictory narrative of being a benevolent leader deeply

concerned for his people while also enacting repressive policies is a well-known tactic used by
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 5

autocratic rulers. Russian history is rife with examples of leaders using the power of a cult of

personality to secure popular support and legitimacy in spite of policies which actively repress

some of their citizens.

Cults of Personality in Russia

A cult of personality is defined as a situation in which a public figure (such as a political

leader) is deliberately presented to the people of a country as a great person who should be

admired and loved (Cult of Personality, N.D.). This phenomenon has long been a staple in

Russian politics, especially under Soviet rule. Soviet leaders Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin,

and now Russian President Vladimir Putin, have used cults of personality to elevate themselves

to the roles of ‘fathers of the nation.’ They present themselves as kind but necessarily strict

leaders who shaped their country and people. Vladimir Lenin, for example, was a major political

figure during the rise of Communism, and according to his cult of personality, the Soviet Union

would never have been created without his involvement. Lenin’s cult of personality was an

interesting case, as it grew somewhat organically unlike the contrived cults of personality that

the tsars and other rulers had created prior to his using stiff portraits and almost fairytale-like

grandeur (Tumarkin, 1983).

After the successes of Lenin’s cult of personality, Joseph Stalin used Lenin’s cult of

personality as a foundation for his own. He was presented as Lenin’s obvious successor and the

only one who could possibly be live up to and exceed Lenin. In fact, Stalin began to be presented

in art as better than Lenin and occasionally even educating him. Stalin was colored as a warrior

and savior, and the propaganda machine constantly churned out art and information that

venerated him (Pisch, 2016). Stalin became a symbol of all the best parts of the Soviet Union and

Communism in general. He effectively used newspapers, art, mass media, and the audience itself
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 6

to create and maintain his cult of personality. His cult of personality was so pervasive and

effective in his day that it still has some support today, though it lost a lot of momentum after his

death (Plamper, 1970).

Putin’s cult of personality is arguably the largest and most pervasive since Stalin’s death.

It is a prime example of a cult that has developed through propaganda, genuinely earned

popularity and fear. This has created a sort of mania for Putin, and as a result, he has become a

huge part of Russian popular culture, both as the carefully cultivated, collected political figure

and as the highly sexualized ideal of Russian life and masculinity (Cassiday & Johnson, 2010).

Putin has created a persona of a sportsman, sex symbol, and a sober, capable politician,

which has grown mostly organically over the years (with a little help from the Kremlin). Putin

and the Kremlin have used photos and other media featuring Putin extensively to spread his cult

of personality spawning millions of objects that feature Putin’s visage (Goscilo, 2013). These

objects range from edible chocolate creations to underwear to sexy calendars to coffee cups to

matryoshka dolls, and all of them play a role in making Putin’s cult of personality more and

more pervasive in and integral to Russian culture (Sperling, 2015).

The Kadyrov Cult

In much the same way Stalin used Lenin to begin his cult of personality, Kadyrov uses

Putin’s popularity to legitimize his own cult of personality. Kadyrov makes it obvious how much

he admires and respects Putin, and how he fully supports his decisions, saying on multiple

occasions that he is “ready to come should Putin call for the aid of Kadyrov and Chechnya”

(Vesti News). Kadyrov publicly demonstrates his support through conventional political means

such as staged photo-ops of the two leaders together and naming the main street in the Chechen
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 7

capital of Grozny after Putin, and through more unconventional means such as Instagram photos

of Kadyrov wearing various t-shirts with Putin’s face on them.

In another facet of the Kadyrov cult, he is presented as a symbol of renewal and change,

similar to the way Lenin was presented as the father and creator of the Soviet Union. Pisch

(2016) notes, “In a state that is in the process of reinventing itself, the leader cult becomes the

means by which new rituals and traditions are instituted, employing symbols to bring consensus

and a sense of shared identity in societies beset by latent conflict or indifference to the dominant

ideology.” Kadyrov has made a point of rebuilding Chechnya and its capital, Grozny, both

physically and metaphorically. Kadyrov has used the massive amounts of money sent to

Chechnya from Moscow to rebuild buildings, build a mosque in honor of his father and create

massive new parks and attractions. However, he also uses this money from Moscow to fund his

lavish lifestyle, which is thoroughly and occasionally hilariously documented on his various

social media accounts,

such as this memorable

Instagram post from

2013, which features

Kadyrov and two of his

cronies holding a tiger

cub and dressed in lavish

clothes in a decadent-

looking room. The image

has since been removed

Figure 1: Kadyrov and tiger cub (not to be confused with Toyger)
from Instagram along
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 8

with all other photos posted before the account was removed by Instagram’s parent company

Facebook.

Media in the Kadyrov Cult

Much as Stalin used newspapers and posters, Kadyrov uses the popular medium of his

day to maintain his cult: social media. Kadyrov’s presence on social media is arguably the largest

and most effective component of his cult of personality. He has massive followings from all parts

of the world, most notably on his Instagram account, which currently boasts over 53,000

followers, and is steadily increasing. This number of followers was much higher at one point, but

Instagram removed his account due to the US economic sanctions on Russia (Roth, 2018).

Because of this, Kadyrov appears to have created a new account under the name of

z.a_kadyrov_95 in June 2018, which has yet to be removed (Ramzan Kadyrov, N.D.). Kadyrov’s

Instagram oscillates between funny or cute photos of Kadyrov and vaguely threatening posts

about his might and power, and that of the Russian Federation. In fact, Kadyrov’s Instagram has

all the facets of his cult of personality in one place: it is full of photos and videos of him doing

workouts and other physical feats, rubbing shoulders with celebrities and laymen alike, cuddling

with various animals, participating in religious and cultural activities, and interacting with his

family. His social media presence demonstrates his lavish lifestyle and connections to Moscow

and Putin, and uses Instagram as a platform for voicing his ideas and opinions on the world at

large. Kadyrov’s Instagram is a prime example of the use of social media in building a cult of

personality. Over time, he has created a persona that largely resembles a loveable, almost goofy

father figure which is jarringly interspersed with threatening content. Kadyrov’s oddly charming

posts about feeding chickens, cuddling tigers, and meeting celebrities live on in infamy right

alongside pictures of him barely restraining a slavering attack dog. For example, Kadyrov posted
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 9

a video of himself firing a machine gun with a poem as the caption (Kadyrov, 2018). Kadyrov

appears to have written the poem himself, judging by the fawning comments.

И звал с собой всех тех, кого бы смог..
Ведь многие в пути нелёгком пали;
Среди уставших многие отстали,
До крови истоптав подошвы ног...
Но мир не ждал, он торопил в манеже,
Крича и гикая, и требуя борьбы.
Он жаждал зрелища и крови только
свежей —
Под чью-то смерть ревущий гул толпы.
Взирал на нас сей мир окаменелый,
У стен его мы падали от ран.
Но он взирал, глухой и пустотелый,
Рукоплеща ладонью запотелой
Дань отдавая умершим телам.
[…]
И вот теперь, когда пора настала
Всех тех, кто нас в неволе заковал,
Я пережил, рукой своей усталой
Оковы эти,с плечей своих сорвал.
Возмездьем горд я вперемешку с мукой,
Их всех жестоко меч мой покарал..
Я не жалел, что стал опять изгоем:
Пусть дышит грудь свободой каждый
раз!
Я был рабом, и там, пред каждым боем
Я лишь мечтал увидеть вновь Кавказ!
И встретить смерть средь гор аулов
серых
И рассказать им всё, что пережил;
О подвигах друзей, безумно смелых;
О горечи борьбы в надеждах белых;
За дух и страсть, что в них я полюбил!
And he called with him all those whom he could.
After all, many fell on the hard way;
Among the tired who remained, many lagged
behind
Having walked until the soles of the feet bled...
But the world did not wait, he hurried into the
arena,
Screaming and yelling and demanding a fight.
He longed for a spectacle and only the freshest
of blood -
Under someone’s death the roar of the crowd.
This world looked at us, petrified
We fell from our wounds at it’s walls.
But he raised his gaze, deaf and hollow,
With applause of his sweating palms
He gave tribute to dead bodies.
[...]
And now, when the time has come
All those who chained us in captivity,
I outlived them, and with my tired hands
Tore these chains from my shoulders.
Vengeance, proudly, I mixed with flour,
All of them I cruelly punished with my sword..
I did not regret that I became an outcast again:
Let the chest breathe freedom every time!
I was a slave, and there, before every fight
I merely dreamed of seeing the Caucasus again!
And meet death among the gray mountain
villages
And tell them everything that I’ve been through;
About the exploits of friends, terribly brave;
About the bitterness of the struggle in white
hopes;
For the spirit and passion that I loved in them!

This poem demonstrates a blasé attitude towards death and an almost fanatical joy at the

prospect of fighting for freedom, which is a great irony considering that Kadyrov is only one

very small step away from being a totalitarian dictator in Chechnya, and currently oppresses his
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 10

people in many ways. The recent gay purge is a pertinent example of Kadyrov actively fighting

against freedom where some of the people of Chechnya are concerned. He also has played an

active role in repressing Chechen women by engaging in a ‘virtue campaign,’ which involves

policing what they are allowed to wear and do. Kadyrov began this campaign by stating that cell

phones negatively impact female morality, and has played an active role in it ever since. He has

said many times that women are inferior to and should be subjugated by men, has openly

supported polygamy, and equated women to men's’ property. He now focused on women’s

dress, and has said that women should dress in the traditional Muslim way, including

headscarves, and made a mandate that all women employed in the public sector must wear

headscarves. This policing of women’s clothes has reached the point that women are being

harassed on the streets, and even shot with paint by cars driving by, possibly by the Kadyrovsky,

for not wearing modest enough clothing (Lokshina, 2014).

In addition to his Instagram account, Kadyrov also has accounts on V Kontakte, Twitter,

and LiveJournal. These other accounts, however, are more political in nature and are far more

professional than his Instagram, though his Twitter is not as formal. Kadyrov’s Twitter account

features a strange combination of approved political posts about events, people, and activities

one might expect from a political official’s Twitter account and oddly personal messages about

various topics. This juxtaposition can be seen in Kadyrov’s series of tweets during the 2018

FIFA World Cup. For the most part, Kadyrov simply posted scores, words of encouragement,

and polls for people to vote for who they wanted to win, but occasionally he posted more

personal opinion-type messages, such as this one from July 3rd:

“Russia defeated Spain. This is already a story. But I don’t understand the

hysteria of individual “fans” who are upset by the exit of the team in the quarter
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 11

finals. They find it hard to believe that Russia is capable of playing and winning.

After all, it was not part of their plans. But the reality does not depend on their

will!!” (Kadyrov, 2018)

In addition to his social media, Kadyrov also has a presence on the big screen, perhaps

inspired by Joseph Stalin’s use of and success with the medium. In 2016, Kadyrov starred in a

show, “The Team (Komanda),” which was modeled after the American television show “The

Apprentice” starring Donald Trump. In this show, contestants must complete a series of

challenges to determine who would win the honor of working for Kadyrov as his assistant

(Rossiya Odin, 2016). In the show, Kadyrov plays a strict, almost fatherly figure who regularly

berates the contestants when they make mistakes. Amusingly, when he does berate the

contestants, he occasionally slips into a sort of jovially threatening persona that makes viewers a

bit worried for the contestant’s health and well-being. The show also features 4:00 a.m. military-

style wake-up calls for the contestants, intense physical challenges such as crossbow shooting,

mountain climbing and boxing, and cultural challenges like making the perfect shashlik and

participating in a traditional Chechen wedding. And in a rather cruel twist, all of the ridiculous

challenges on the show were pointless in the end, as Kadyrov had apparently chosen the winner

before the show even started. The show was marginally popular, but drew criticism from some

Chechen viewers, mostly because the luxurious, palatial representation of Chechnya was very far

from the reality of how most Chechens live, and the sheer cost of producing the show and paying

for actors and production angered some (Hartog, 2016).

Kadyrov also has had roles in films as well as television shows and even has his own

IMDB page (IMDB, N.D.). He starred in a short film entitled “Mysterious Ridge” (Volshebny

Greben) about Chechnya's history. This film mostly featured Kadyrov doing wildly better at
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 12

traditional physical feats, such as archery, throwing a mallet, and sword fighting, than anyone

else, and ultimately winning a competition (Mattahk, 2014). This film lends itself to the image

Kadyrov is trying to cultivate as the standard for Chechen masculinity, though the way the

editing cuts away from Kadyrov’s actual physical feats and focuses only on the end results is not

particularly convincing. In 2015, he boasted that he would be playing a leading role in an action

film done by a famous Hollywood director called “Those Who Didn't Understand, Will

Understand” (Kto ne ponyal, tot poymet) on his Instagram, but the film never actually came to

fruition. A short clip was, however, made available on his Instagram that featured Kadyrov

running across a desert with a machine gun, firing at random and followed by several camo-

colored SUVs as well as the obligatory shots of him surveying the beauty of Chechnya through

the scope of an assault rifle (Strashni, 2015).

Sports in the Kadyrov Cult

Kadyrov has a huge presence in sports and uses it to reinforce his reputation as a

benevolent leader who enjoys sports and other activities. His Instagram page features an

involvement in sports, his own personal workouts, and selfies with well-known sportsmen to

show the world that he is a sportsman of the highest caliber, the ideal for Chechen masculinity,

as well as a kind ruler. However, as is often the case, the reality is not the same as Instagram.

Kadyrov is heavily involved in mixed martial arts and attends events almost weekly. He

has created a fight club, Akhmat MMA, which has become one of the largest MMA training

facilities within the Russian Federation. It is also most likely an extension of Kadyrov’s

government as it is run by a colonel who is one of the most influential security figures in

Kadyrov’s government. The Akhmat MMA fight club is very successful and has signed several

notable fighters from other MMA organizations (Zidan, 2018). Some fighters from this fight club
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 13

have also gone on to sign with the UFC and many continue to fight with the UFC despite their

connections to Kadyrov.

The 2018 World Cup in Russia offered an excellent opportunity for Kadyrov to rub

shoulders with famous soccer greats, such as Mohamed Salah. He hosted the Egyptian National

soccer team in Chechnya during the World Cup and granted Mohamed Salah honorary Chechen

citizenship in a blatant attempt to make himself more popular through sportswashing as well as

cementing himself more firmly as a strong Muslim leader who supports other Muslims

(Trevelyan, 2018). This caused a serious backlash against Salah, who is reportedly considering

retiring from the Egyptian national team because of the way he was used as a political pawn,

though no official announcement has been made (Hendawi, 2018). Grozny issued a statement

denying the use of Salah as a pawn and rejecting the notion that he was given any preferential

treatment (Russia & CIS General Newswire, 2018)

Kadyrov is also an avid horse racing fan and has acquired a stable of top thoroughbreds

that have competed in major races in Russia, United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Australia, Hong

Kong, and England. However, he has not been allowed to race in the U.S. despite his attempts to

do so. In 2011, officials in New York and Kentucky took steps to prevent one of Kadyrov’s

horses, Sweet Ducky, from racing. Kadyrov had bought the horse after it won two minor stakes

races and was on track to run in the Kentucky Derby, which is almost certainly the race Kadyrov

had in mind when buying it. But no matter how cute Sweet Ducky’s name is, he was scratched

due to Kadyrov being accused by human rights groups of murder, torture and other abuses over

the years, and refusing to appear at a hearing before his request for a license could be approved.

A spokesman for Kadyrov told The New York Times he believed the licensing issue was a flimsy

pretext for preventing a horse from running that was simply too good, and that he regarded the
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 14

decision as “ideological sabotage against the Chechen authorities,” adding, “Targeted work is

being conducted by certain organizations in the United States” (Finley, 2011).

Kadyrov’s involvement in sports mirrors Putin’s use of sports for his own cult of

personality, even down to the focus on martial arts. One interesting difference is that while Putin

is often actively involved in a sport, such as having a black belt in Judo, Kadyrov prefers to have

to sports done in his name, as in the case of his Akhmat fight club. He does post many workout

videos on his social media, but does not seem to participate in organized sports in general.

Conclusion

Kadyrov’s cult of personality has drawn from and been influenced by Vladimir Lenin,

Joseph Stalin, and Vladimir Putin. He has copied Stalin’s use of popular media and television,

Lenin’s builder and father of a nation persona, and Putin’s involvement in martial arts and other

physical activities. However, despite adopting some of their tactics, Kadyrov has not been as

successful as his predecessors have been. His cult has not had the huge initial growth that Lenin,

Stalin and Putin received, but it is steadily growing thanks to his social media, involvement in

sports, and support from Moscow and Putin’s own cult of personality. Interestingly, even as

Kadyrov uses Putin to legitimize his own cult of personality, Putin uses Kadyrov as a sort of

leashed attack dog and as a tool to demonstrate how powerful Putin is that he can bring this wild

Chechen warlord turned president to heel.

Perhaps in response to that, or in response to pressure from the Kremlin, Kadyrov’s cult

of personality and his presence on social media and in the public sphere has grown significantly

tamer and more political in recent years. He has changed from posting about his lavish lifestyle,

his undying love of Vladimir Putin, and missing cats to photos of his family, participating in

religious activities, and being involved in politics, which have all been staples in many cults of
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 15

personality. This transition may show either a developing maturity or that Kadyrov has hired

and/or begun to listen to a public relations team. Either way, it is likely that his cult of

personality has already and will continue to draw more heavily from Putin’s example and will

now try to show Kadyrov as a more sober leader who is focusing on his role as president, rather

than as the slightly goofy cat owner the Internet still views him as.
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 16

References

BBC Trending. (2016, May 25). Internet not much help finding Chechen leader's missing cat.

BBC News. Retrieved from: https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-36372523

Bullough, O. (2015, September 23). Putin’s closest ally – and his biggest liability. The Guardian.

Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/23/putins-closest-ally-and-

his-biggest-liability

Cassiday, J., & Johnson, E. (2010). Putin, Putiniana and the Question of a Post-Soviet Cult of

Personality. The Slavonic and East European Review, 88(4), 681-707. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/41061898

Cult of Personality [Def. 1]. (N.D.). In Merriam Webster Online, Retrieved March 4, 2019, from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cult%20of%20personality

Finley, B. (2011, November 28). Horse Racing Draws a Line at Licensing Chechen Leader. The

New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/29/sports/horse-

racing-draws-line-at-licensing-chechen-

leader.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FKadyrov%2C%20Ramzan%20A.&action

=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=l

atest&contentPl

Goscilo, H. (2013). Putin as Celebrity and Cultural Icon. New York: Routledge

Hartog, E. (2016, December 6). The Kadyrov Show. The Moscow Times. Retrieved from:

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2016/12/06/kadyrov-a56406

Hendawi, H. (2018, June 24). Sources: Salah considering retiring from national team. AP News.

Retrieved from: https://apnews.com/3cba36da38e94d9faa902ad399889657

 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 17

IMDB. (N.D.). Ramzan Kadyrov. Retrieved from:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2567375/?ref_=nmbio_bio_nm

Kadyrov, R. (2018, July 3). Россия одержала победу над Испанией. Это уже история. Но

мне непонятна истерика отдельных «болельщиков», которых огорчает выход

сборной в 1/4 финала. Им трудно поверить, что Россия способна играть и

выигрывать. Ведь это не входило в их планы. Но реальность не зависит от их

воли!! (Russia defeated Spain. This is already a story. But I don’t understand the hysteria

of individual “fans” who are upset by the exit of the team in the quarter finals. They find

it hard to believe that Russia is capable of playing and winning. After all, it was not part

of their plans. But the reality does not depend on their will!!) [Tweet]. Retrieved from:

https://twitter.com/RKadyrov/status/1014249630618537984

Kadyrov, R. (2018). [Instagram Post]. Retrieved from:

https://www.instagram.com/z.a_kadyrov_95/?hl=en

Kipp, J. W. (2001). Russia's Wars in Chechnya. The Brown Journal of World Affairs Vol. 8, No.

1. 47-62

Rossiya Odin. (2016). Komanda c Ramzanom Kadyrovym [Video File]. Retrieved from:

https://russia.tv/brand/show/brand_id/60699/

Lapidus, G. W. (1998). Contested Sovereignty: The Tragedy of Chechnya. International Security

Vol. 23, No. 1. 5-49.

Lokshina, T. (2014). Virtue campaign for women in Chechnya under Ramzan Kadyrov. New

York: Routledge

Mattahk, N. (2014, September 14). Фильм "Волшебный гребень" (Film “Bolshebnii Greben”)

[Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jirskKQmkVs

 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 18

Osmayev, A. D. (2010). The Chechen Republic: From ‘Counter-Terrorist Operation’ to Peace

(1999–2005). Chechen Scholars on Chechnya.

Pisch, A. (2016). The personality cult of Stalin in Soviet posters, 1929–1953: Archetypes,

inventions and fabrications. Australia: ANU Press

Plamper, J. (1970). The Stalin Cult. Stanford: Yale University Press.

Ramzan Kadyrov [Instagram Account]. (N.D.). Retrieved March 5, 2019 from

https://www.instagram.com/z.a_kadyrov_95/

Roth, A. (2018, November 15). Ramzan Kadyrov toasts his Instagram return with ode to pistol.

The Guardian. Retrieved from:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/15/ramzan-kadyrov-toasts-his-instagram-

return-with-ode-to-pistol-chechen

Russia & CIS General Newswire. (2018, June 25). Grozny denies use by Kadyrov of Salah for

political purposes. Russia & CIS General Newswire. Retrieved from Nexis Uni.

Sokirianskaia, E. (2017, May 3). Chechnya’s Anti-Gay Pogrom. The New York Times. Retrieved

from: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/opinion/chechnyas-anti-gay-

pogrom.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FKadyrov%2C%20Ramzan%20A.&actio

n=click&contentCollection=timestopics&region=stream&module=stream_unit&version=

latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection

Sperling, V. (2015). Sex, Politics, and Putin. New York: Oxford University Press.

Strashni, I. (2015, May 25). Фильм КТО НЕ ПОНЯЛ, ТОТ ПОЙМЁТ (Film Kto ne ponyal, tot

poymet) [Video File]. Retrieved from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07z8QGhm7s4
 RAMZAN KADYROV: A CULT OF PERSONALITY FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY 19

Trevelyan, M. (June 23, 2018). Mohamed Salah risks fresh controversy after being granted

honourary Chechnya citizenship by Ramzan Kadyrov; Chechnya has been hosting the

Egyptian team's World Cup training camp and Kremlin-backed Kadyrov has seized on

opportunities to appear alongside Salah. The Independent (United Kingdom). Retrieved

from Nexis Uni.

Tumarkin, N. (1983). Lenin Lives! The Lenin Cult in Soviet Russia. Cambridge: Harvard

Universtiy Press

Vesti News (2017, November 28). Vesti Exclusive: Kadyrov Opens Up About Himself,

Homosexuality, Islam and the Future of Chechnya [Video File]. Retrieved from:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCciVVM4iK8

Walsh, N.P. (2006, March 6). Warlord named as Chechen PM. The Guardian. Retrieved from:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/mar/06/chechnya.nickpatonwalsh

Zidan, K. (2018, September 29). Why the UFC's 'sportswashing' of Chechnya’s dictator is a

problem. The Guardian. Retrieved from:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2018/sep/29/ramzan-kadyrov-ufc-chechnya-

dictator