Kadyrov credits himself with Delimkhanov's award

By congratulating Adam Delimkhanov, a Russsian State Duma MP from Chechnya, on being awarded the title of Hero of Russia after his return from Ukraine, Ramzan Kadyrov has once again emphasized his and Chechen authorities' loyalty to the Kremlin, Alexei Malashenko, a political analyst, and Sergey Zhavoronkov, an economist, believe. However, Messrs Malashenko and Zhavoronkov are differently assessing Delimkhanov's role in the special operation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 14, the head of Chechnya announced that his adviser Adam Delimkhanov was in Ukraine. On March 16, Kadyrov reported that Delimkhanov had discussed with Chechen commandos a plan to storm the "Azovstal" Mills in Mariupol. On April 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree conferring the title of Hero of Russia on Delimkhanov.

The release of video clips about Kadyrov's and Delimkhanov's trips to Ukraine became an element of propaganda and a promotion trick, Caucasian scholars pointed out earlier.

Delimkhanov is not a military man, but in Ukraine he performed combat missions, Alexei Malashenko has noted. "He was busy solving military tasks there by coordinating the actions of Chechen militaries. For this, he was given such a high award," he has suggested.

Sergey Zhavoronkov believes that Kadyrov is using Delimkhanov's award as another occasion to emphasize his loyalty to the Kremlin. However, there are doubts about his role in the special operation, the expert has noted. "It's difficult to say that Delimkhanov really deserved this title precisely for his participation in hostilities," Mr Zhavoronkov has stressed.