Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov filmed in hospital bed
A pro-Putin ally suspected to have been admitted to hospital in Moscow for a complicated kidney surgery has posted a video refuting these claims.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-endorsed leader of Chechnya, a republic of Russia, posted a video today of him visiting his uncle in the Central Clinic in the Russian capital.
Previously, it had been reported that Kadyrov had “died” by a local Chechen journalist, before images of Chechen cars arriving at the clinic went viral.
The story became further mired in conflicting reports when Kadyrov posted two videos on Sunday (September 17) in which he appeared to be walking through a park. He could be heard saying only “play sports”.
This latest video of the Chechen leader could not be verified nor timestamped.
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Attached to his posted video on Telegram, Kadyrov wrote that he was “alive and well”, accusing reporters responsible for the claims a week previous of “blatantly lying”.
He wrote: “At the same time, I will comment on the rumours surrounding my health condition.
“Praise be to Allah Almighty, I am alive and well and I don’t understand why even in case of my illness there should be a fuss?
“Although there is a good thing in it – now the audience knows which media and which individuals are blatantly lying to their readers.”
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When asked to comment on the health status of Kadyrov earlier this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said they knew “nothing”.
“We have no information on this,” he said. “In any case, the presidential administration can hardly give out health certificates, so we have nothing to tell you here.”
The story of Kadyrov’s ill-health was first reported by a Ukrainian news outlet on Friday (September 15) , which published comments by a spokesperson for the nation’s security service alleging that Kadyrov was in “serious condition” after an operation.
The story developed further when a Chechen human rights activist Abubakar Yangulbaev, citing sources, said definitively later that day: “Kadyrov died.”
As the rumours swirled of his death, a Russian investigative source on Telegram posted photos of cars with Chechen licence plates arriving at the Central Clinical Hospital in Moscow, further fuelling the speculation.
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Ukrainian government advisor Anton Geraschenko was unconvinced by the latest video of Kadyrov.
He accused the Chechen leader of being “vague” in his caption. He suggested the fact that “Kadyrov is never shown up close in the video” as evidence that it could be a fake.
Kadyrov was elected president of Chechnya in 2007. He has ruled majority-Muslim Chechnya since, though one local source who wished to remain anonymous to protect their safety told Express.co.uk that many in the country resent the Russian-backed dynasty ruling over them.
In the last 16 years, Kadyrov has been accused of ordering extrajudicial killings and torturing his opponents, while referring to himself as Putin’s “foot soldier”.
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