 Akhmad Kadyrov, a supporter of Dzhokhar Dudayev, began the formation of a personal militia following the outbreak of the First Chechen War in 1994, shortly after the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria declared its official independence from the Russian Federation.The militia, nicknamed the "Kadyrovtsy" after him, consisted of thousands of armed ethnic Chechen men devoted to the Chechen separatist cause, and participated in fighting against the Russian Armed Forces sent to restore sovereignty over Chechnya.Kadyrov distinguished himself as a militia leader, rising to prominence in the independent Chechen government under Dudayev, and was appointed Chief Mufti in 1995.