Rumours were swirling today over the health of Vladimir Putin ally and feared warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, amid claims the Chechen strongman is gravely ill and receiving emergency treatment.
The 49-year-old head of Russia’s Chechnya republic has reportedly suffered kidney failure, with doctors said to be avoiding making any firm predictions about his condition.
According to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Kadyrov is undergoing dialysis at a private clinic in Chechnya, while members of his powerful clan, including relatives arriving from abroad, have been gathering around him.
Sources linked to Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence claimed there was growing concern behind the scenes, with one unconfirmed report even suggesting Kadyrov had slipped into a coma.
The speculation has been fuelled by the fact he was last seen publicly more than a week ago, when he appeared using a walking stick.
The GUR alleged that ‘the process of picking’ Kadyrov’s successor – a decision that ultimately rests with Putin – had ‘intensified’, although there has been no official reaction from Moscow or Grozny.
Kadyrov, who has sent tens of thousands of troops to back Putin’s war in Ukraine, recently appointed his eldest son Akhmat, 20, as a deputy prime minister, a move widely seen as preparing the ground for a possible succession.
Rumours were swirling today over the health of Vladimir Putin ally and feared warlord Ramzan Kadyrov
The 49-year-old head of Russia’s Chechnya republic has reportedly suffered kidney failure. Pictured with Putin
Kremlin commander Maj-Gen Apti Alaudinov, 52. Pictured with Ramzan Kadyrov
Warlord Ramzan Kadyrov’s eldest son Akhmat Kadyrov, 20, poses with Vladimir Putin in March 2023 in Moscow, Russia
However, the brutal and eccentric leader – a ‘human rights abuser’ and one of the most sanctioned politicians on the planet – is believed to favour his ‘favourite son’ Adam, 18, who is also his head of security.
It remains far from clear whether Putin would accept such an arrangement.
A multi-millionaire, Kadyrov has packed Chechnya’s government with relatives, including several of his 15 children from three current polygamous wives.
Two other figures are said to be in the frame as potential successors: war commander Major-General Apti Alaudinov, 52, who is viewed as trusted by the Kremlin, and Magomed Daudov, 45, the head of the Chechen parliament.
Last month, the visibly ailing Kadyrov appeared to hint that he expected to die young.
‘If you listen to the rumours, I won’t live into old age,’ he said.
‘Well, I don’t want to live into old age. I want to pass away while everyone loves and respects me. And [remembers me] that way after my death.’
Kadyrov has long claimed to have brought peace to his war-ravaged region, but critics say this stability has come at the cost of severe repression and widespread human rights abuses, leading to extensive Western sanctions.
For years, reports have suggested he is ‘terminally ill’, suffering from pancreatic necrosis and kidney problems. He has frequently appeared to struggle with walking and speaking and has shown dramatic fluctuations in weight.
Opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky has claimed Kadyrov is ‘negotiating with Arab sheikhs about the safe evacuation of his family and the safety of his assets’ in the event that Putin refuses to allow Adam or another son to inherit power in Chechnya.
The increasingly frail warlord is also said not to trust doctors in Moscow and has previously alleged that he was ‘poisoned’.
