Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov has been hospitalised with kidney failure, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
Rumours are swirling that Kadyrov’s health is deteriorating to the point that the Kremlin is already considering who will take up his position as the head of the Chechen Republic, Ukrainian state-owned news agency Ukrinform reported, citing a source.
The source in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, who remained anonymous, said Kadyrov has been undergoing dialysis, with doctors not making any firm predictions about his condition.
They added that members of his powerful clan, including family members from abroad, have flocked to his bedside as he is treated at a private hospital in Chechnya.
The emergency treatment has sparked growing concern behind the scenes, according to reports, especially since Kadyrov last appeared in public over a week ago, when he was seen using a walking stick.
Ukrinform reported the Kremlin’s search for Kadyrov’s replacement has intensified. Magomed Daudov, Apti Alaudinov, and Kadyrov’s eldest son, Akhmat Kadyrov, are among the frontrunners, although it will ultimately be Russian president Vladimir Putin’s decision.
It was announced last week that 20-year-old Akhmat Kadyrov had been appointed to the role of acting deputy head of the republic’s government by his father, on top of his position as Minister of Sports and others. The move was widely seen as preparing the way for a potential succession and led to accusations of nepotism.
Kadyrov appointed another of his sons, Adam Kadyrov, as his head of security in 2023 – the same year he beat up a prisoner in custody over claims they burnt the Quran, the Moscow Times reported.
Kadyrov is said to have appointed at least 96 relatives to official or corporate posts since he began his rule of Chechnya in 2007.
Critics accuse him of governing the republic like a personal fiefdom over the past two decades.
He was installed as Chechnya’s leader by the Kremlin after the republic came under Russian control following a decade of bloody fighting for independence.
Human rights groups have accused Kadyrov of a string of abuses, including the forced disappearance of opponents, torture and the persecution of homosexuals. He has also been linked to several assassinations, some of them in Europe. In 2021, he was sanctioned by the US for his alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings. He denies all allegations.
Kadyrov has been vocal in his support for pro-Kremlin rebels in eastern Ukraine and for Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Chechen forces have fought in Ukraine as part of Russia’s invasion.
The Chechen leader has been a key ally of Putin and one of the most powerful and feared men in Moscow.
His poor health puts the future of Chechnya – and Moscow’s grip on the republic – into question.
