18-year-old Adam Kadyrov took control of a Rosgvardia battalion
Adam Kadyrov, 18, the son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has taken personal command of the Rosgvardia battalion named after Baysangur Benoyevsky. According to a journalistic investigation, the unit was created to participate in the war against Ukraine; however, it spends most of its time in Grozny and is rarely mentioned among combat units.
The Rosgvardia battalion named after Baysangur Benoyevsky, which was created for the war against Ukraine, has been placed under the personal control of 18-year-old Adam Kadyrov. This was reported by *Novaya Gazeta Europe*, which published its own investigative report. According to the publication, this unit was positioned as an elite unit from the very beginning. New barracks were built for it, its own training grounds were set up, and it was equipped with modern gear. At the same time, despite its stated purpose, the battalion takes almost no part in combat operations and remains primarily on Chechen territory.
Journalists note that, at the same time as the Baysangur Benoyevsky Battalion, another unit was created—the Sheikh Mansur Battalion. It was this unit that was sent to the front as early as the end of 2023. According to the investigation, volunteers were recruited for the Sheikh Mansur Battalion without strict restrictions regarding health or criminal records. In contrast, the selection process for the Baysangur Benoyevsky Battalion was much stricter; however, after it was formed, the unit never saw active combat.
Bekhan Chalaev—the brother of Zamid Chalaev, a security official close to Ramzan Kadyrov—was appointed commander of the battalion. According to *Novaya Gazeta Europe*, it is Adam Kadyrov who oversees the unit’s activities. He regularly visits the troops, maintains close ties with the commander, and the battalion’s official vehicles bear license plates with the inscription “DUSTUM 95”—this is Adam Kadyrov’s call sign, which was previously used by his father.
Journalists also analyzed open sources and concluded that, throughout the battalion’s entire existence, they were able to find only two mentions of its presence near the combat zone. In the spring of 2024, a group of about 20 soldiers led by Bekhan Chalaev traveled to the Zaporizhzhia region. However, the journalists found no evidence of their direct participation in combat.
Another trip took place in August 2025. On that occasion, some of the soldiers visited the combat zone, but without their commander. The publication also notes that since November 2023, Ramzan Kadyrov has not reported on the battalion’s combat deployment or on plans for its full-scale involvement in the war.
At the same time, there is currently no official confirmation of the findings presented in the investigation from the Russian National Guard or other Russian government agencies. The journalists cite their own analysis of documents, open sources, and information gathered during the investigation. This was reported by *Novaya Gazeta Europe*.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen Republic, has demanded that military operations be launched against countries supplying weapons to Ukraine. He made a corresponding post on social media.
