Ruthless Chechnya war lord — and staunch ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin — Ramzan Kadyrov is reportedly hospitalised in critical condition, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
“There is information that the war criminal Kadyrov is in a serious condition — existing illnesses have worsened and caused such a serious condition,” Andriy Yusov, a representative of Ukraine’s military intelligence branch, told Ukrainian outlet Obozrevatel Friday.
The New York Post reports Kadyrov’s condition has been confirmed by multiple sources, Yusov said, and the cause of the illness is not the result of any injury.
“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.
“But he has been in a serious condition for the past few days,” he added.
The war lord has been rumoured to be in poor health for months with kidney problems as a result of drug addiction, although some believe he may have been poisoned.
Kadyrov, who has been leader of the Chechen Republic since 2007, has been an outspoken Kremlin ally since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and has championed Putin’s full-scale invasion since it began last year, declaring it a “Big Jihad.”
He has even called for Russia to use low-yield nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
His loyalty has earned him the nickname “Putin’s soldier” and “Putin’s attack dog,” according to The Daily Beast.
Kadyrov serves as Colonel General in the ongoing fight in Ukraine. In July, he deployed some of his Chechen troops to fight in the bloody battle of Bakhmut.
His soldiers have signed a contract with Russia’s Ministry of Defence, unlike the mercenaries under the late Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, according to TheDaily Beast.
This article first appeared in The New York Post and was republished with permission.
