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Three sons of the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov — Akhmat, Eli, and Adam — met with Saudi Prince Turki bin Muhammad Al Saud and delivered a message through him to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Ramzan Kadyrov announced the meeting, which took place on Wednesday, on his Telegram channel. However, he did not disclose the contents of the message.
It was also not reported what specific issues were discussed during the talks. In his post, Kadyrov only mentioned topics related to organizing pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina, though his words suggested that there are no issues with performing the Hajj and Umrah for residents of Chechnya.
In addition to Kadyrov’s three sons, the meeting was attended by their cousin Khamzat Kadyrov, who holds the position of head of the administration of the head of Chechnya.
Notably, high-ranking officials of the republic were absent from the meeting. In particular, the Prime Minister of Chechnya, Magomed Daudov, who usually accompanies Ramzan Kadyrov during such protocol events, was not present.
Ramzan Kadyrov has repeatedly called Saudi Arabia a “brotherly” Arab country, along with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Journalists have previously suggested that Kadyrov might view these three Gulf states as a potential refuge for his family in the event of his forced departure from office.
This assessment was supported, in particular, by Kadyrov’s reaction to US and Israeli strikes on Iran in the spring of 2026. Despite Iran being an ally of Russia, Kadyrov repeatedly stated that retaliatory strikes by Iran against the “brotherly” UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia would be unacceptable. In effect, he sided with the Arab Gulf monarchies over Moscow’s official ally.
According to the Russian independent outlet “Vazhnye Istorii” (Important Stories), disagreements arose between the Kremlin and the leadership of Chechnya in the spring of 2025. The reason, as alleged, was Kadyrov’s closed-door talks with representatives of Arab states regarding potential security guarantees for his family and the preservation of assets in the event of his departure from power.
Representatives of the Gulf countries regularly visit Grozny to participate in religious and humanitarian events, as well as to discuss investment projects and cooperation in the fields of construction and tourism.
Over the years, delegations from Middle Eastern states have participated in Islamic conferences and religious forums held in Chechnya.
Prince Turki bin Muhammad Al Saud previously visited Chechnya in 2018. However, details of that visit were also not disclosed.
Nevertheless, it is clear that Kadyrov positions himself as a loyal partner of Riyadh, despite religious differences. Kadyrov is an adherent of the Sufi tradition in Islam, whereas Saudi Arabia’s official religious doctrine has historically been based on Wahhabism.
As a result, Kadyrov remains virtually the only head of a Russian region who regularly participates in state-level meetings with leaders of Arab countries.
