Translated material
The secret nest of the Kadyrovs
Photo: Ramzan Kadyrov’s VKontakte pageThe secret nest of the Kadyrovs
“Important Stories” discovered that close relatives of the head of Chechnya had luxury apartments in Moscow that were not listed in their declarations - according to the law, such real estate could cost them their government jobs
The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has two older sisters - Zargan and Zulay. They are connected with him not only by family, but also by working relationships: Zulay Kadyrova works as deputy manager of the head and government of Chechnya, and Zargan is an assistant to the head of the republic for preschool education.
Husbands Zulay and Zargan, like many other members of the large Kadyrov family, are also high-ranking officials. Therefore, by law, they are required to annually disclose information about the income and property of both theirs and their wives.
However, “Important Stories” found out that Ramzan Kadyrov’s relatives own real estate in the premium residential complex “Falcon’s Nest” on Leningradsky Prospekt in Moscow and hide it in their declarations. The relevant extracts from Rosreestr are at the disposal of “Important Stories”.
Sister Zargan
According to Rosreestr, the elder sister of the leader of the Chechen Republic, Zargan Kadyrova, has owned an apartment in Falcon’s Nest with an area of 131.7 square meters since 2004. Zargan’s own declarations could not be found in the public domain, but they were found in her husband Ramzan Cherkhigov. He holds the post of Minister of Transport and Communications of Chechnya.
In all public declarations from 2012 to 2019, Cherkhigov did not indicate his wife’s apartment in Falcon’s Nest.
In addition to the spouses Zargan Kadyrova and Ramzan Cherkhigov, Zarema Ramzanovna Cherkhigova has also owned an apartment in the Falcon’s Nest since November 2011. She may be the daughter of the Chechen Minister of Transport. Despite the modest income that Ramzan Cherkhigov now reflects in his declaration (1.3 million rubles per year), in 2011 he could have had the funds to purchase real estate in the Falcon's Nest for his intended daughter.
Support those who write about corruption Your donations will help us investigate the crimes of officialsSupport “Important Stories”Cherkhigov was a co-founder of the telecommunications company Vainakh Telecom, which from 2010 to 2013 won tenders worth 275 million rubles, which drew the attention of politician Alexei Navalny. At the same time, the company won all tenders from the Ministry of Transport and Communications in which it participated. At that time, Ramzan Cherkhigov had already been appointed Minister of Transport and Communications.
Also, the company Yugstroyinvest, founded by him, in 2012 received contracts worth almost 600 million rubles from the Chechen Government Committee for Preschool Education. His
Zargan’s wife was already working as an assistant to the head of Chechnya for preschool education. Now Cherkhigov is not listed among the co-founders of Yugstroyinvest and Vainakh Telecom.
Sister Zulay
Another sister of the leader of Chechnya, Zulay Kadyrova, purchased a 167.7 square meter penthouse in Falcon's Nest in 2005.
The apartment of Zulay Kadyrova, sister of the head of Chechnya, could cost 60 million rublesJudging by the advertisements for the sale of real estate in this residential complex, now her apartment could cost about 60 million rubles.
Zulay Kadyrova, as the deputy manager of the affairs of the head and government of Chechnya, annually publishes information about income and property, but not once since 2012 has she indicated that she owns a penthouse on Leningradsky Prospekt. Kadyrova’s latest declaration to date—for 2019—does not indicate any property at all.
Zulay is married to Salman Zakriev, first deputy chairman of the Chechen Parliament.
Unlike his wife, in his declaration he mentions the penthouse that belongs to her. However, for the first time Zakriev indicated an apartment in Falcon’s Nest in the declaration for 2018, although the family has owned it since 2005, the publication Sobesednik drew attention to this. In general, Salman Zakriev declares much more property of his wife than she herself.
In addition, according to Rosreestr, in April 2011, Zulay Kadyrova bought another apartment in Falcon’s Nest with an area of 88.4 square meters, but less than two months later she transferred it to the ownership of her nephew Magomed Zakriev. His father Sahab is the brother of Salman Zakriev and the head of the administration of the Gudermes district of Chechnya.
Nephew Yakub
30-year-old Yakub (Ibragim) Zakriev, the son of Zulay Kadyrova and Salman Zakriev, also purchased real estate in the Falcon’s Nest. Zakriev Jr. is the nephew of Ramzan Kadyrov. He studied at the private Petrovskaya School located near the Falcon's Nest, and in 2009 he graduated from the Moscow Suvorov Military School. At the same time, he acquired an apartment with an area of 122.6 square meters in the same building as his parents.
After graduating from the Higher School of State Audit of Moscow State University, Yakub Zakriev managed to work in several high positions in the government of Chechnya. And in 2018, at the age of 27, he was appointed mayor of Grozny, becoming one of the youngest city mayors in the country.
Subscribe to the newsletterWe will only send important storiesIn 2020, Zakriev was promoted twice: in February he became the head of the Administration of the Head and Government of the Republic, and in November - Deputy Prime Minister of the Government and Minister of Agriculture of the Chechen Republic.
During his entire dizzying career, Ramzan Kadyrov’s nephew did not declare an apartment in the Falcon’s Nest at any of his posts. It is not in the latest reports for 2019 either.
According to Rosreestr, in December 2020, Yakub Zakriev’s apartment became the property of a certain Aminat Durueva.
Cousin Turpal-Ali
Turpal-Ali Ibragimov is Ramzan Kadyrov’s cousin on his mother’s side. He heads the administration of the Shalinsky district of Chechnya and the secretariat of the local branch of United Russia.
In 2018, on the way out of Grozny, Turpal-Ali Ibragimova’s Mercedes crashed at high speed into a Zhiguli, all of whose passengers—mother, father and daughter—were killed. “Kavkaz.Realii” reported that Ibragimov’s security confiscated phones from eyewitnesses of the accident so that photographs from the scene of the accident did not end up on social networks.
Soon, a video appeared on the Instagram of the adviser to the head of Chechnya, Adam Shakhidov, in which relatives of the family killed in an accident ask not to punish Ibragimov for the death of their relatives, because allegedly it was not he himself who was driving, but his second cousin.
Since 2005, Turpal-Ali Ibragimov has owned an apartment in Falcon’s Nest with an area of 124.4 square meters. But, like Kadyrov’s other relatives, he never mentions this real estate in his declarations .
Reason for dismissal
As Andrey Zhvirblis, head of the “Declarator” project at the Transparency International anti-corruption center in Russia, explains, officials who do not indicate their real estate or real income in their declarations violate the Federal Law “On Combating Corruption” and several other regulations.
The main sanction for failure to indicate real estate in the declaration is dismissal for loss of confidence
“The main sanction for failure to indicate real estate in the declaration is dismissal for loss of confidence,” says the expert. “The official who is dismissed in this manner is then placed on the register of those dismissed due to loss of confidence and his or her prospects for employment are reduced.”
Not only close relatives of the head of Chechnya have Moscow real estate not listed in the declarations: in the past, he himself also had it.
In the summer of 2020, Open Media discovered an apartment in the Ochakovo-Matveevskoye district at Veernaya Street, building 30, building 2, with an area of 153.6 square meters. In 2002, Ramzan’s father Akhmat Kadyrov received it from the Administration of the President of Russia.
In 2002, members of Akhmat Kadyrov’s family registered ownership of the apartment - 1/8 of a share each. The co-owners of the property were Akhmat Kadyrov himself and his wife Aimani, daughters Zargan and Zulay, as well as son Ramzan Kadyrov with his wife Medni and daughters Aishat and Karina.
After Akhmat Kadyrov died as a result of a terrorist attack in 2004, the apartment on Veernaya was inherited by his family. Ramzan Kadyrov remained its co-owner until 2010. Despite the fact that he was a government employee all this time and had to disclose information about real estate, he did not mention this apartment in his declarations . Since 2010, the apartment has been fully owned by Aimani Kadyrova, Ramzan’s mother and widow of Akhmat Kadyrov.
“Important Stories” sent requests to all the officials of the Chechen Republic mentioned in the publication, but none of them responded.