Will Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechen leader and ally of Vladimir Putin, die soon?

Could Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been in power in Chechnya since 2007, die? This is evidenced by a series of articles in the Russian opposition newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe, published this week.

According to an independent media investigation based on anonymous sources in the medical community, the Chechen dictator has been suffering from pancreatic necrosis, an irreversible organ damage associated with high mortality, and for several months a mysterious degenerative process since 2019. brain disease.

“Grief” of his close circle

It is reported that his health has gradually deteriorated since 2022. In September last year, information from the Ukrainian press, citing sources in the Chechen diaspora and confirmed by the Ukrainian intelligence media Obozrevatel, even indicated that he was in a coma and “severely” ill. . This is confirmed by an investigation by Novaya Gazeta Europe, which mentions “acute pulmonary failure” due to drug overdose.

“I strongly advise all those who cannot distinguish truth from lies on the Internet to take a breath of fresh air and get themselves in order,” Ramzan Kadyrov wrote in response in an undated message accompanying a short video selfie tour.

However, according to Novaya Gazeta Europe, the latest MRI results of the Chechen leader would cause “alarm” among his inner circle. A source close to Adam Delimkhanov, a high-ranking Chechen commander close to Kadyrov, even indicated that he “will never be the same” and that the disease will “greatly affect” him.

Two videos on air

A few hours after the article by Novaya Gazeta Europe, a video was published on Kadyrov’s Telegram channel where he appears in the middle of a meeting with Chechen security forces. Looking straight ahead, he is motionless and speaks slowly. Later in the night, another video was published showing Kadyrov, dressed in a blue tracksuit, lifting weights in the gym.

Is the Kremlin looking for a successor?

To dispel rumors about the health of its trusted ally, the Kremlin launched a massive press campaign to demonstrate that Ramzan Kadyrov was in good health for several months. However, his absence during Putin’s address to the nation on February 29 reignited rumors about his health.

According to Novaya Gazeta Europe, the Kremlin is already looking for a successor in Chechnya, a small Russian republic with a Muslim majority in the Caucasus that has historically been unstable. Apti Alaudinov, who was just appointed by Putin’s decree as deputy of the Main Directorate of Military-Political Work of the Ministry of Defense, would have every chance of getting this position.