Chechen cars in front of hospital: where is Ramzan Kadyrov?

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Reports about the health of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov (46) first appeared in March. According to Kazakh journalist Azmat Maitanov, the ruler was “not feeling well at all.” The reason is serious kidney problems.” In July it was again said that Kadyrov was seriously ill. Chechen opposition figure Tumso Abdurakhmanov wrote that Kadyrov needed dialysis. In mid-September it was said that the Teshchen leader’s health had deteriorated greatly. The Chechen opposition television channel Niyso reported on the night of September 15 that Kadyrov had fallen into a coma. On the same day, the Ukrainian publication Obozrevatel reported that Kadyrov had been in a coma for several days. A representative of Ukraine’s state security service said at the time that Kadyrov was in a “serious condition.”

Kadyrov’s whereabouts are unknown. Rumors about a hospital stay in Moscow are circulating on the internet. There are also suggestions that he could be in the United Arab Emirates. Kadyrov’s last documented public appearance was at an event at a school in the Chechen capital Grozny. A video of this was uploaded to the Internet on September 1. Flight tracker data shows that Kadyrov’s plane, registration RA-73417, flew to Moscow several times in September – on September 6 and 9, as well as on September 15. On Sunday, several Telegram channels reported notable movements outside the Kremlin’s main hospital in Moscow. Expensive cars with Chechen license plates drove around all day, including a Maybach with two security vehicles, a Porsche Cayenne, four SUVs and two BMWs. The president’s plane flew back to Grozny in the evening, flight data show.

Also on Sunday, a video appeared on the Internet in which Kadyrov takes a walk in a raincoat. The Chechen leader explains that he is currently participating in sports. He does not speak directly about the burning question about his health. The comment under the video: “I strongly advise everyone who cannot distinguish the truth from lies on the Internet to take a walk in the fresh air and collect his thoughts.” The time of recording is unclear. According to reports, the video is believed to have been shot in Grozny. The rainy weather in the video corresponds to Sunday’s meteorological conditions in Grozny.

Chechen human rights activist Abubakar Yangulbayev even wrote on Sunday afternoon that Kadyrov was dead. However, he provided no evidence or clues as to the source of the information. Kadyrov’s face is noticeably swollen in recent photos. This is also the case in the video. Because respected newspapers such as Russia’s “Novaya Gazeta” are now reporting on the president’s kidney disease, it is considered relatively well established. But the sources of information about Yangulbayev’s death are meager and unreliable. There is no official confirmation. The spokesman of Russian President Vladimir Putin (70), Dmitry Peskov (55), told the press on Monday: “The Kremlin does not issue certificates about Ramzan Kadyrov’s health, this is not a matter for the presidential administration.”

As the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) writes, Kadyrov’s death and the associated destabilization could have serious consequences for Chechnya and the republic’s relationship with Moscow. “The continued concern about the health of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in the Russian information space underlines Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dependence on Kadyrov to ensure stability in Chechnya,” the ISW wrote. “The destabilization of Kadyrov’s rule in Chechnya would be a serious blow to Putin’s regime,” the report continues. “Kadyrov and other Russian officials may be concerned that continued rumors about his health could affect the long-term stability of his, and thus Putin’s, control over Chechnya.”

Source: Blick