INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
within his region and towards civilians in Ukraine
In October 2022, the loyal ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin was made a Colonel General, the third-highest rank in the Russian
His face can appear puffy with squinting eyes, and his speech is frequently slurred and barely coherent
Various other reports have claimed he suffers from kidney problems which require him to regularly fly to Moscow for dialysis
treatment.Kadyrov is clearly aware of the speculation and has repeatedly denied and mocked claims that he is unwell
He also said that a device on his finger, speculated to be a health monitor, was a prayer counter.The Kremlin has said it has no information
Daily Beast attributed the news to the Ukrainian website Obozrevatel, which said it received an exclusive comment from Andriy Yusov,
been in a coma for several days following a failed kidney transplant
BBC Russian says this phrase usually refers to Chechens in Europe, the majority of whom would not have access to such information.The rumors
escalated further on Sunday, with Chechen opposition activist Abubakar Yangulbaev writing on his Telegram channel that Kadyrov had died
such as Nexta and figures like Anton Geranshchenko, a former Ukrainian Deputy Interior Minister, who has hundreds of thousands of followers
on X (formerly Twitter).Are the reports credible?Not only has the Ukrainian intelligence service not publicly corroborated its statement to
Obozrevatel, but the news outlet has since amended its original report
With no indication of what was originally published, it is hard to tell what they claimed.There is also disagreement within Chechen
Claims about his whereabouts, or data from planes linked to him, often conflict with each other
Venedikov, who has also written that Kadyrov suffers from kidney failure, says there has been no confirmation that Kadyrov has returned from
his annual leave which started July 3
But conflicting claims from 1ADAT say that Kadyrov has since approved Chechen legislation, which he could not have done if he was in a
Before reports about the Chechen leader's health emerged last week, the Telegram channel VChK-OGPU claimed he had his doctor Elkhan
Suleymanov buried alive as punishment for failing to cure his ill health and allegedly poisoned him
These claims were picked up and circulated by international media.However, Suleymanov later gave an interview to Azerbaijani media in which
The first showed him walking in the rain along a path which has been geolocated to grounds of his palace in central Grozny
Chechen opposition Telegram channel NIYSO argued that the video was pre-recorded and released to give Kadyrov the appearance of good health
However, the weather in Grozny over the weekend matched the rain and grey skies in the video.What if he does die?If Kadyrov dies, it is
unlikely the Kremlin would be able to cover it up, Caucasus analyst Harold Chambers told The Moscow Times
As he is only 17, another official would be needed to govern in his place until he turns the required minimum age of 21
There is also a risk of leadership challenges from other members of his family, including the mayor of Grozny.The Washington-based think
presidency.A power struggle in Chechnya would be a more extreme version of competition within the Kremlin, according to journalist Mikhail
