Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov turns 50

Head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov celebrated his 50th birthday on October 5. He was born on October 5, 1976, in the village of Zentroy in Chechnya.

Kadyrov's political career accelerated after his father, Akhmat Kadyrov, was killed in a terrorist attack in Grozny in May 2004. That same year, he was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Chechen Government. At the end of 2005, he became acting Prime Minister, and in 2006, he assumed the post of Prime Minister.

In February 2007, Vladimir Putin appointed him acting President of Chechnya. In April of that year, Kadyrov officially took office as the head of the republic. At that time, he was 30 years old.

Since then, Kadyrov has continuously ruled Chechnya. It was reported that in the elections held in September, he was re-elected for a fifth term with 99.85 percent of the vote.

Large-scale construction and restoration work was carried out in Grozny and the republic during Kadyrov's tenure. At the same time, his governance style has been severely criticized by international human rights organizations. Human rights groups have repeatedly reported on pressure against journalists, the opposition, and LGBT representatives in Chechnya.

Today, Ramzan Kadyrov is regarded as one of Vladimir Putin's closest allies in the Russian political system. In Chechnya, his rule is considered one of the strongest and most centralized political systems in the region.