Chechen Warlord’s Kidneys No Longer Working, Says HUR

Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov’s kidneys have failed, and the Kremlin is looking for a new leader of Chechnya, according to a source in the Ukrainian military’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) cited by Ukrinform. 

Kadyrov’s health has been steadily deteriorating due to kidney failure. The Kremlin is already discussing potential candidates for his position, Ukrinform reports. 

Kadyrov has been undergoing dialysis.

According to sources in HUR, the Chechen warlord is currently in his own hospital in Chechnya, and members of his family clan have come to him, including from other countries.

Against the background of Kadyrov’s poor health, the process of determining a candidate for the position of the new leader of Chechnya has significantly intensified.

Among the most likely and convenient candidates for the Kremlin are Magomed Daudov, Apti Alaudinov and Ramzan’s eldest son Akhmat Kadyrov.

Kadyrov appointed his 20-year-old son Akhmat to the position of acting deputy head of the republic’s government, while retaining the position of Minister of Sports.

Ramzan Kadyrov has been accused of rampant nepotism, appointing his children to senior government posts.

In November 2023, the ailing satrap appointed his teenage son, Adam Kadyrov, as head of his security service after Adam beat up a prisoner in custody for allegedly burning the Quran. Adam also received his third state award for “the strengthening of traditional Islamic values” after the beating.

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For nearly two decades, Chechnya has been governed not through institutions, but through one man. Now, as questions grow around Kadyrov’s health, the future of the republic – and Moscow’s grip on it – is increasingly uncertain.

According to Emil Aslan, a professor of security studies at Charles University in Prague, Chechnya’s political system is “basically focused on him and his family and his entourage.” 

“The whole power structure is based upon him,” Aslan said. “The most important thing is to make sure that whoever is in Chechnya has the backing of Vladimir Putin.”