‘Putin’s Attack Dog’ Kadyrov Reportedly in Critical Condition

The leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, is reported to be in critical condition, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

“The information is confirmed by various sources in the medical and political circles,” Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s military intelligence branch, told Obozrevatel, which first reported the news. “There is information that the war criminal Kadyrov is in a serious condition and the diseases that were there have worsened and caused such a serious condition.”

His ill-health is not due to an injury, Yusov added.

“It is not about injuries. Other details require additional clarification. He has been ill for a long time, and we are talking about systemic health problems,” he said. “For the last few days, he has been in a serious condition.”

UNIAN and United24 Media also reported the news.

Kadyrov, a Kremlin loyalist who has been nicknamed “Putin's soldier” and “Putin's attack dog,” has deployed troops to Ukraine to aid Russian President Vladimir Putin in his war in Ukraine. Just this July, he said he had sent a detachment of Chechen troops to fight in Bakhmut. The detachment had signed a contract with Russia’s Ministry of Defense earlier this year, in stark contrast with Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who had protested having his mercenaries sign on with Moscow.

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Putin expressed his thanks to Kadyrov in March for helping Russia wage war in Ukraine at a meeting, according to the Kremlin.

“We are fulfilling all your orders and aim to proceed to a victorious conclusion,” Kadyrov said at the time.

Rumors about Kadyrov’s health have circulated for months. The former vice-prime minister of Chechnya, Akhmad Zakayev, told the German newspaper Bild last year that Kadyrov had a serious kidney disease.

Kadyrov has sought to pour cold water on rumors about his poor health. This March he told his cronies that he was not ill but just unusually bloated. “People are attributing various diseases to me: Sometimes I have problems with my kidneys, sometimes with the liver,” he said.

Kadyrov’s health appeared to deteriorate in recent days. Obozrevatel reported earlier this week that Kadyrov went into a coma and was flown to Moscow to seek treatment. He was reportedly returned to Chechnya.

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