A month after the rebellion of the Wagner militia of Evgueni Prigojine, the family of the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who remained loyal to Vladimir Putin, has just been rewarded by the master of the Kremlin: Yakub Zakriev, “a dear nephew” of Ramzan Kadyrov, has been appointed general manager of the Russian subsidiary of Danone. The French company had been weakened in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine, and its assets were recently seized by the Russian authorities, for reasons of “economic security”.
Yakub Zakriev, 32, is the son of Zulai Kadyrova, a sister of the president-dictator of the Russian republic of Chechnya. He had a quick career. According to his official biography, after completing economics studies in 2013, he oversaw the financial records of the presidential administration, replacing an uncle. He was mayor of Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, between 2018 and 2020. He also held the post of deputy minister of finance, then that of minister of agriculture.
The presidential order requires Yakub Zakriev, as representative of the Danone subsidiary in Russia, not to sell or transfer his company assets. On the other hand, he can count on a very comfortable salary, that of a manager of one of the largest dairy suppliers in the country.
The Kadyrov family began the conquest of the Republic of Chechnya in the late 1990s, when the grand mufti of Grozny, Akhmad Kadyrov, sided with Moscow in the second war tearing this small Muslim region of the Caucasus apart. Appointed head of government in 2000, then appointed president in 2003, he was killed in 2004. His son, Ramzan Kadyrov, who led the security forces, then took power. He dismisses his rivals, becomes prime minister, then imposes himself as the irremovable president of this republic.
From the outset Ramzan Kadyrov displayed his loyalty to the Kremlin leader, describing himself as his “loyal infantryman”. “Vladimir Putin must be the eternal president”, he proposed in 2004, in an interview with journalist Anna Politkovskaïa, who would be killed by Chechens on the birthday of the Russian president the following year. The boss of the Caucasian republic vigorously criticizes Putin’s opponents, in particular Boris Nemtsov, who will be assassinated by a former soldier of the Chechen battalion “Sever” (North).
Ramzan Kadyrov was not left out when Russian bombs began to fall on Ukrainian cities in February 2022. He was campaigning for war, and sent part of his private army, the “Akhmat” battalion, to Ukraine. During Wagner’s recent mutiny, he publicly declares that his soldiers will challenge Yevgeny Prigojine’s militia marching on the Kremlin.
Wagner’s leader has since been exiled to Belarus. He was forced to shut down his media companies and lost a lot of leverage over his competitors. While he seems to be paying the bill for his disobedience to Vladimir Putin, Kadyrov’s loyalty is rewarded: the leader of Chechnya lives in a gigantic palace in the heart of the capital of “his” republic. More than 50 members of his family live with him in Grozny, occupying high positions in ministries, governmental organizations, public associations and even in cultural institutions.
A daughter of the Chechen leader, Khutmat Kadyrova, born in 2002, oversees the public health system at her father’s secretariat. Her older sister, Aïchat Kadyrova, aged 24 and known for her collection of Islamic clothing, is Minister of Culture of Chechnya. Another daughter of the dictator, Khadijat Kadyrova, born in 2000, is in charge of education in the Grozny administration. Akhmad Kadyrov, a 17-year-old son, heads all the youth organizations in the region.
The head of the Kadyrov clan has not forgotten anyone. Her sister, Zulai – the mother of the new leader of Danone – works in the presidency, while her husband, Salman Zakriev, holds the post of deputy speaker of parliament. Another sister, Zargan, also works in the presidency, while her husband, Ramzan Cherkhigov, is transport minister.
The town hall of the capital Grozny is run by a cousin, Khas-Magomed Kadyrov. Another cousin, Adam Delimkhanov, is a member of the Russian parliament, and supervises the “Akhmat” battalion, engaged in Ukraine.
The seizure of Danone for the benefit of Kadyrov’s family is obviously a political gesture from the Kremlin, says Ilia Shumanov, director of Transparency International’s office in Russia. “It is a kind of offering made to the financial and industrial group close to Kadyrov for its loyalty and participation in the war. A way to express gratitude,” says the expert.
It is however unlikely that Yakub Zakriev will remain general manager of the former Russian branch of Danone. The Kadyrov clan prefers to transfer its financial affairs to entrepreneurs who are obliged to it, who often do not have Chechen nationality, explains Ilya Shumanov. “Kadyrov already controls everything in the republic, including all financial flows. And he wants to keep an image of benefactor, who helps companies without hindering them”.
According to an AFP source, the seizure came just as management was ready to announce a sale of the Russian assets. “Probably at the time Russian businessmen and power were renegotiating the contact details for their own benefit. We have already seen that the Chechens acted as intermediaries in these financial arrangements,” adds Shumanov.
