Ramzan Kadyrov’s son spotted driving rare Mercedes banned from Russia under EU sanctions and wearing multimillion-dollar Jacob & Co. watch • The Insider • RIMA — Russian Independent Media Archive
Adam Kadyrov, the son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has been spotted behind the wheel of a rare “STRONGER THAN THE 1980s” Mercedes-Benz G-Class — a luxury SUV whose export to Russia is prohibited under sanctions imposed by the European Union. The sighting came during his wedding celebrations in Chechnya, where photos and videos posted on social media showed him driving the limited-edition vehicle in Agave Green and firing a Stechkin pistol.
Only 460 of these special-edition G-Class models were produced, with an estimated 150 in Agave Green, according to the investigative project All Exclusive. The SUV debuted in Germany in April 2025 with a starting price close to $190,000. Distinctive design features, such as unique door moldings and dashboard finishes, make the model easy to identify.
Since March 15, 2022, the European Union has banned the export of luxury vehicles, including premium German brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, to Russia. Due to rigorous traceability in sales, which include VIN registration and buyer contact information, manufacturers are typically able to track where and to whom these high-end vehicles are sold. Experts note that Mercedes-Benz retains the technical capability to remotely disable any vehicle, including the one driven by Adam Kadyrov.
Nevertheless, the Mercedes brand continues to surface in Russia’s elite circles. Vehicles frequently enter through third-party countries such as Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Belarus, and Georgia.
According to All Exclusive, Mercedes-Benz vehicles are still available via gray-market schemes involving a factory in Moscow’s Esipovo District, where production ostensibly stopped in 2022. Cars ordered through this facility are routed through intermediaries in countries like Kazakhstan or China and then re-imported into Russia.
Adam Kadyrov’s appearance behind the wheel of a sanctioned luxury vehicle is not an isolated case. In summer 2022, sanctioned oligarch Dmitry Pumpyansky, who controls the Pipe Metallurgical Company (TMK) and the Sinara Group, acquired an armored 2023 Mercedes-Maybach S-Class worth approximately €700,000. The vehicle was imported into Russia through “gray” channels.
Ramzan Kadyrov’s personal car collection also saw a notable expansion in 2024. According to Ukrainian media, he acquired several brand-new Mercedes S-Class vehicles, including an armored Guard model (registered in Russia’s official database under a Lada Priora license plate), a GLS crossover, and a Mercedes EQS electric car.
How Mercedes-Benz stayed in Russia
Auto journalist Sergey Aslanyan told The Insider that Mercedes-Benz never truly “left” the Russian market, despite formal announcements to the contrary:
“Mercedes-Benz entered Russia in 1924, when the first batch of passenger cars was purchased from Germany. In 1926, Mercedes-Benz signed a contract with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the RSFSR, under which automobile production began in Yaroslavl in 1928. According to the agreement, Mercedes manufactured cars, supplied engines to Russia, and sold batches of finished vehicles, taking a break only during the war years of 1941-1945. After returning postwar, Mercedes has remained in Russia permanently.
To date, Mercedes has 'left' Russia four times. Supporting the sanctions imposed by Germany and the European Union, in 2022 the company closed its Moscow office, ceased production at its plant in the village of Esipovo in the Solnechnogorsk District of the Moscow Region, shut down its dealership network, and cut off Russia from technical support.
However, if someone wants to buy a new Mercedes manufactured in Germany, it can be ordered any time through a 'nonexistent' dealer whose 'nonexistent' technicians offer 'nonexistent' warranty service and repairs using 'nonexistent' spare parts from a 'nonexistent' central warehouse providing 'nonexistent' technical support.
Mercedes will never admit that it tracks its customers, knows every specific owner, records travel data, and can at any moment disable a car remotely, turning it into a brick.
Adam Kadyrov bought an extremely rare green Mercedes-Benz G-Class STRONGER THAN THE 1980s from a limited edition series, providing a note along the lines of 'I swear it wasn’t me.' The shipping documents for the collector vehicle delivered to Russia, as usual, listed a third-party country as the intermediary and a client with an unpronounceable name, casting a second-hand shadow over Adam Kadyrov.
Germany supports sanctions against Russia — but Mercedes does not. And it won’t sacrifice its business because of the war.
In 2010, Mercedes-Benz Russia (CJSC “Mercedes-Benz Rus”) admitted in a federal court in Washington to violating the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Daimler’s Russian division ’acknowledged illegal payments to Russian federal and municipal officials to secure contracts’ totaling $5 million. The Russian Investigative Committee refused to open a criminal case, claiming that ’Mercedes-Benz Rus’ may have paid bribes, but no one in Russia accepted them.
As of today, aside from the deliveries of new German-manufactured Mercedes vehicles into Russia, a customer can also buy a Mercedes-Benz vehicle produced at the ‘nonexistent’ Esipovo plant, where — secretly and without Daimler-Benz AG's involvement — a company called ‘MV’ («МВ») manufactures crossovers and sedans that look strikingly similar to the Mercedes-Benz GLS and E200.
To Thomas Joseph Dunning, whose quote we know via Karl Marx’s Capital, belongs the foundational phrase that explains the policy of Mercedes-Benz: ‘[For a profit of] 300 per cent, there is not a crime at which it will scruple, nor a risk it will not run.’
Can Mercedes-Benz disable Adam Kadyrov’s car and turn it into a monument? Certainly. But it won’t.”
A billionaire’s watch
Wedding photos shared on social media also revealed Adam Kadyrov wearing a Jacob & Co. Billionaire Ashoka watch. According to retail listings, the watch’s price ranges from $2 million to $8 million.
Previously, Apti Alaudinov, commander of the «Akhmat» battalion, was also seen wearing an expensive timepiece. In one video, his wrist appears to sport a Badollet Observatoire 1872 Chronograph, which, as noted by the independent Russian outlet Astra, sells for between €165,000 and €272,000.
