The chaos around “Putin’s bloodhound” Kadyrov fighting in Russia? What is known about the incident

At the beginning of the Russian offensive war in Ukraine, Ramzan Kadyrov was widely present in the media. The ruler of the Russian republic of Chechnya, known as “Putin’s bloodhound” for his close relationship with the Kremlin and his brutality, never missed an opportunity to make big headlines in the Russian media.

Russia should retake East Germany, he demanded, adding that “I would like to punch Olaf Scholz in the face”. At the same time, he also flirted with attacking Poland to “denazify and desatanicize” it.

Kadyrov is also said to have played an important role in the war itself. He spread Russian propaganda from war zones on TikTok, and in his homeland Chechnya he gave ‘military-patriotic’ trainings for Ukrainian youths.

However, lately Kadyrov has become quieter. The Chechen leader can hardly be seen or heard. His name is still circulating in the media. Chaos would reign in its surroundings. Two former confidants of his died, and Kadyrov himself would not fare particularly well. An overview of the situation in three points.

The death of Abdul-Kerim Edilov

When the Russian offensive war in Ukraine began in February 2022, Ramzan Kadyrov rallied his men. Also present: Abdul-Kerim Edilow, former UFC fighter and politician at the time. Edilow posed with a machine gun and vest. Soon after, he posted a video of the event on Instagram. The text: “We are ready to live and die according to the path of Kadyrov.”

Less than a year later, Kadyrov is dead.

The background to this is still unclear. For a long time, Edilov seemed ready to start a promising career as Kadyrov’s protege. After a short career in the biggest MMA organization UFC – one fight, one win – he was hired by the Kadyrovs for his private interests. So the Chechen ruler gave his three sons to the care of Edilov, who taught them to fight and the teachings of the Koran.

Thus Edilov rose in Kadyrov’s favor as time went on. First he expressed his gratitude with luxury goods such as watches and cars, then with increasing responsibility. In November, the former combatant received his first political office and immediately became chief of staff. Just three months later, he was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister of Chechnya.

But Edilow’s fame didn’t last long. Chechen dissident Tumso Abdurachmanov reported in September that Edilov had been convicted of drug use and tortured. There is no confirmation for this report, but the former combatant has not been seen in public since. On 23 November, the Chechen government announced that Edilov had resigned “on his own initiative”.

On December 29, Chechen activists said Edilov had died suddenly. The circumstances are unclear. The questionable thing about it: Neither Kadyrov nor the rest of the Chechen government has commented on the obituaries. For Mansur Sadulaev of the Chechen human rights organization Vayfond, this is a clear sign that Kadyrov was behind the death. Had Edilov died in any other way, Kadyrov himself would have been angry and expressed his condolences, Sadulaev told The Guardian.

The Death of Pyotr Chuvilin

Edilov is not the only man from Kadyrov’s circle who has recently died. In February, Russian media reported that Pyotr Chuvilin, a former adviser to the Chechen boss, had died “under strange circumstances”. Previously, the former banker would have been treated in a closed institution.

Chuvilin’s death also leaves some question marks. He was considered one of the key witnesses in the case of the former head of the anti-economic crime division Dmitry Zakharchenko. He is suspected of serious corruption.

The rumors about Kadyrov’s health

But not only some people around Kadyrov would be bad. As Kazakh journalist Azmat Maitanov reports, “Putin’s bloodhound” is said to have health problems himself. He is “not doing well at all,” writes Maitanov. Kadyrov suffers from “serious kidney problems”. That is also the reason why the Chechen boss has hardly appeared in public lately. He was also absent from Vladimir Putin’s last major speech.

Kadyrov doesn’t trust the Moscow doctors when it comes to care, Maitanov said. So he retreated to the Chechnya city of Grozny and had a kidney specialist flown in from the United Arab Emirates.

As the Kazakh journalist continues to write, there are even reports of an even more precarious situation: rumor has it that Kadyrov may have been poisoned. There is no confirmation of these reports. (dab)