Ramzan Kadyrov might be sick and some even say he was poisoned

On March 3rd, reports began leaking out of the Russian information space stating that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov was suffering from serious kidney problems. 

Kazakh journalist Azamat Maytanov reported that Kadyrov was being seen by a specialist from the United Arab Emirates who had been flown in to help. 

"There is information that the chief nephrologist of the UAE, Dr. Yasin Ibrahim El-Shahat, a well-known doctor with 30 years of experience, has arrived in Grozny," Maytanov wrote on his Telegram channel according to The Kyiv Post. 

"His area of expertise lies in nephrology, dialysis, transplantation, glomerulonephritis, and acute renal failure,” the Kazakh journalist continued. 

The Kazakh journalist also said that one of his unnamed sources told him that Kadyrov was allegedly poisoned, which is why the warlord didn’t turn to Russian doctors for help. 

Speculation about Kadyrov’s sickness and possible poisoning only increased after the leader's son, and heir apparent, was summoned to Moscow by Vladimir Putin. 

Photo by Twitter @Biz_Ukraine_Mag

Kadyrov’s son met with Putin to discuss youth services according to Gergana Krasteva from the British tabloid newspaper Metro. 

“It took place in the Kremlin but was not reported by the president’s press service,” Krasteva wrote, adding that the younger Kadyrov’s visit was “the first time in 20 years that another person has met with Putin on behalf of Chechnya.”

“There are now rumors that Akhmet could be taking over his dad’s post, who has long been one of the president’s main allies,” Krasteva added. 

Photo by Twitter @nexta_tv

Ramzan Kadyrov put out a statement shortly after his son returned from his visit to Moscow, though Krasteva noted that the man himself was nowhere to be seen. 

“I do not know other details of this interesting meeting, since I did not talk to Akhmat about this due to our customs and tradition of strict relations between dad and son,” Krasteva reported the statement as saying.

Kadyrov’s statement also thanked Putin for his “many years of support, help, understanding, and responsiveness” according to the Metro reporter. 

Akhmed Zakayev is the Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria’s government in exile and he proposed a possible alternative reason for Kadyrov’s illness, energy pills the man has been taking for at least fifteen years according to reporting from The New Voice of Ukraine. 

“And today [Kadyrov] has become completely dependent on these pills and is having some kind of drug addiction,” Zakayev told the Ukranian television channel Freedom The New Voice Of Ukraine reported. 

“He cannot control himself without them. And that’s why there is such an assumption that he’s sick and has been sent somewhere on vacation to have a rest, but for treatment to bring him to mind,” Zakayev added. 

At present, there are no independently verified reports that Kadyrov is sick, let alone poisoned. But we do know that one of the Chechen leaders' top special forces commanders was poisoned in mid-February 2023. 

In a February 18th Telegram post, Kadyrov wrote that Apti Alaudinov was poisoned by a substance on a letter that the special forces commander had picked up. 

Photo by Twitter @chambersharold8

"Friends, our dear brother,” Kadyrov wrote according to a Newsweek translation, “Apti Alaudinov, was poisoned a few days ago… serious consequences were avoided.”

On March 15th, Kadyrov took to Telegram to wave off speculation that he was ill saying:  “I am healthy and full of energy,” according to a translation  by The Moscow Times, “sorry to upset.”

Photo by Telegram @Kadyrov_95