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Military intelligence: Chechen warlord Kadyrov in critical condition

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Military intelligence: Chechen warlord Kadyrov in critical condition
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in Moscow, 2015. (Photo by Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has confirmed that Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov is in critical condition due to serious illness, SBU Spokesperson Andriy Yusov told the Ukrainian news outlet Obozrevatel on Sept. 15.

"Yes, indeed, there is information that war criminal Kadyrov is in serious condition — his existing diseases have worsened and caused such a serious condition," Yusov said.

Obozrevatel had earlier reported claims from sources in Chechnya that Kadyrov had fallen into a coma. While Yusov did not provide details on Kadyrov's medical issues, he confirmed that the problem was not an injury and that his health was worsening.

"He has been ill for a long time, and it is about systemic health problems. But he has been in serious condition for the last few days," Yusov said.

Yusov said that the information about Kadyrov's health has been confirmed by multiple medical and political sources.

Rumors of Kadyrov's declining health have circulated for months. In March, Kadyrov laughed off the speculation in a Telegram post.

"For those who console themselves with the hope that I am terminally ill, I am sorry to upset you," Kadyrov said.

According to Obozrevatel's Chechen sources, Kadyrov has been in a coma for several days and is waiting to be transferred from Chechnya to receive treatment abroad, likely in the United Arab Emirates.

Kadyrov is a staunch supporter of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and has sent Chechen troops – the notoriously ruthless kadyrovtsy – to wage Russia's war in Ukraine.

Meet the Chechens fighting Russia in Ukraine
In the Kyiv office of the Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion, two flags hang on the wall next to each other: the yellow-and-blue flag of Ukraine and the green-white-and-red flag of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The battalion, named for the first president of the short-lived Chechen republic, Dzhokhar D…
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Abbey Fenbert

Senior News Editor

Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.

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