Rumors about Mr. Kadyrov’s poor health have been circulating for months. He rules the predominantly Muslim republic of Chechnya in Russia with an iron fist and is accused by international organizations of human rights abuses. His soldiers, loyal to V. Putin, are fighting together with Russian forces in Ukraine.
Speculations about Mr. Kadyrov’s state of health intensified in September of last year, when Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrijus Yusov stated that the Chechen leader had been sick “for a long time.” Soon, the Ukrainian publication “Obozrevatel” reported that Mr. Kadyrov fell into a coma and was flown to Moscow, Newsweek recalls.
Kadyrov later posted an unverified video on his Telegram channel that showed him walking in an unspecified area. He wrote that those “who can’t tell truth from lies online should take a walk in the fresh air.”
Although there are no independent confirmations of Kadyrov’s state of health, the videos that have appeared in recent days have added to the old intrigue, Agentstvo notes. An independent Russian news site said the footage was supposed to dispel rumors of the Chechen leader’s deteriorating health, but “instead may only fuel them”.
In one video, titled “April 1st,” Kadyrov walks past a construction site on the territory of Grozny’s Palace of Ceremonies without saying a word. In another short clip, he briefly greets the people waiting for him.
Agentstvo notes his reserved demeanor at one dinner party, when everyone claps wildly and he only taps faintly across the table. The publication compared the episode to a similar event in 2021, where he applauded at the top of his lungs.
A video of Kadyrov receiving guests from Jordan shows him moving clumsily, and while visiting the grave of an Islamic theologian, he walked with a walking stick.
In February, Mr. Kadyrov missed Mr. Putin’s address to Russia’s Federal Assembly, which is being listened to by top officials, for the second year in a row.
The Russian newspaper “Kommersant” announced that R. Kadyrov had caught a cold. However, the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe wrote that Mr. Kadyrov may not have attended because he was undergoing another course of treatment.
On March 27, “Agentstvo” analyzed videos that were uploaded to R. Kadyrov’s “Telegram” channel since the beginning of the year. In them, the Chechen leader was shown only in close-up and in short episodes, although in the past he appeared much more often and for longer.
Tags: videos Kadyrov reinforced speculations
