Journalists assess impact of US sanctions on Ramzan Kadyrov's sports assets

The "Akhmat" fight club will not be able to attract sponsors' funds from abroad and invite foreign fighters because of the US sanctions, while the "Akhmat" football club (FC) will be less affected by sanctions, sports observers suggest.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 10, the United States expanded the list under the Magnitsky Act and included in it the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation, the "Akhmat" FC, the "Akhmat Absolute Championship", and the "Akhmat" fight (MMA) club.

The "Akhmat" FC will hardly face any difficulties because of the US sanctions, since the football club's activities are not affected by any contacts with the United States, but the "Akhmat" fight club may have problems, says Yaroslav Stepanov, an editor of the "Sport24". According to him, it will be a problem for the "Akhmat" fight club to attract sponsors' funds from foreign companies. Moreover, the "Akhmat Absolute Championship" will be most likely unable to conduct fights with the participation of foreign fighters.

Aleksei Durnovo, an observer of the "Telesport" Channel, also believes that the "Akhmat" FC will not have any problems because of the US sanctions, since the football club hardly needs foreign sponsors.

According to Caucasian expert Mikhail Roschin, Ramzan Kadyrov treated the US sanctions as a personal insult, especially given the fact that members of his family were affected by the sanctions.

Caucasian expert Alexei Malashenko suggests that Ramzan Kadyrov does not consider the US sanctions a threat to his power. "In his understanding, the US sanctions prove how great a politician he is, since not some gangsters, but the US authorities are fighting against him," the expert notes.