Chechnya has a new energy drink. The brand, called “K13,” is named after Adam Kadyrov, the 18-year-old son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the independent Russian news outlet Verstka reported.
Journalists describe “K13” as Adam Kadyrov’s personal brand. The Chechen leader’s son and his entourage wear items bearing its logos, and the “K13” inscription appears frequently in Instagram accounts linked to the younger Kadyrov.
Adam Kadyrov himself posted a promotional video for the drink to his Instagram stories. The video shows a BMW plastered in the drink’s logos performing a drift; in one frame, the word “Dustum” — Adam Kadyrov’s call sign, according to Verstka — appears on the car’s dashboard. The clip ends with a can of “K13” exploding against the backdrop of the car.
The “K13” logo design echoes Monster energy drink packaging. Production and distribution will be handled by two companies belonging to businessman Islam Visaliyev — “United Company” and “K-13” — registered in February and April 2026, respectively.
Verstka describes Visaliyev as a “nominal owner” for the Kadyrovs. Leaked data shows that in 2020 he received a salary from the administration of the Grozny municipal district, and phone books list him as “assistant to Rustam Abazov,” the former head of that district.
Ramzan Kadyrov and Chechen parliament speaker Magomed Daudov were enlisted to promote the drink. On April 15, the two attended the opening of a hypermarket in Grozny, where they sampled it. Kadyrov published a video of the tasting on his Telegram channel, in which Daudov calls “K-13” “the best energy drink.” The Telegram channel ChP Chechnia also published a separate post about the tasting.
Ramzan Kadyrov has previously spoken out against energy drinks. In 2012, he called for them to be banned in Chechnya. “In a Muslim society, the consumption of any intoxicating substances is unacceptable,” Kadyrov said, calling energy drinks “poison.”
In 2013, Chechnya introduced fines for the retail sale of energy drinks. Five years later, the law was softened, limiting the ban to sales in educational institutions, hospitals, cultural facilities, and sports venues.
Adam Kadyrov has repeatedly been named as a possible successor to his father as head of Chechnya. In March, the independent Russian news outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that Kadyrov no longer considers Adam his primary successor — the role has passed to his eldest son, Akhmat.
Elections for the head of the republic are scheduled in Chechnya in the fall of 2026. Ramzan Kadyrov said in February that he would run if Vladimir Putin backed his candidacy. Russia’s Presidential Administration agreed on a new term for Ramzan Kadyrov as far back as last fall, but Putin has yet to make a final decision, Novaya Gazeta Europe reported.
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