Putin’s warlord forced to post strange ‘I am alive’ video from Kremlin hospital
Vladimir Putin’s warlord pal Ramzan Kadyrov has posted a bizarre video from inside the Kremlin’s leading hospital, letting everyone know he is alive.
It was the first confirmed sighting of the Chechen strongman in 20 days and showed him at the bedside of his uncle Magomed Kadyrov. Kadyrov described himself as Putin’s footsoldier and has run Chechnya (a republic of Russia) for the Kremlin for more than 15 years.
He is known as a brutal man and is thought to be a key player in the Ukraine war, unafraid of human rights abuses. Rumours began to swirl last week about his ill health after Niyso, a Chechen opposition channel, wrote that he had fallen into a coma.
Ramzan Kadyrov in a bizarre video at the bedside of his uncle Magomed Karydov (Kadyrov95/e2w)Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukrainian military intelligence, then said that the Chechen leader was in a "critical condition." There were rumours he was in a coma or even dead from kidney problems amid reports he believed he was deliberately poisoned. The doctor he allegedly holds responsible, former Chechen health minister Elkhan Suleymanov, 49, vanished a year ago and is feared dead.
The video shows Kadyrov seated next to his uncle’s bed as a discussion ensues with a doctor over Magomed’s condition. But the carefully staged video provoked more questions than answers. Kadyrov’s puffy hand and face indicate his own condition remains fragile amid rumours of a kidney transplant.
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There were rumours Kadyrov (right) was in a coma or even dead from kidney problems (Kadyrov95/e2w)In a text post alongside the hospital video, Kadyrov appeared to admit he may have health problems while lambasting the opposition and Ukrainian media for publishing rumours about his condition. "I cheered up my dear uncle, and wished him a speedy recovery," he said.
He continued: "I will also 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 the case of my illness there should be a fuss. However, there is an advantage in this. Now the audience knows which media and which persons are blatantly lying to their readers."
Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov (R) speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin (Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)The last time before this that Kadyrov was definitely seen was on 1 September. A video released during his absence showing him walking near trees was likely filmed earlier this year. The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said the "destabilisation" of Kadyrov’s regime as a result of his death or ill health would be a "major blow" to Putin. Agentsvo media said: "It is curious that the head of Chechnya is the only one of Magomed Kadyrov’s visitors who sits through almost the entire video. Only at the very end of the video does Ramzan Kadyrov rise from his chair."
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