There is increasing talk on social media about the Chechen leader’s health after unconfirmed reports say he is in a coma.
Russia says it has no information on Ramzan Kadyrov’s health after reports suggested the Chechen leader was ill.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday: “We have no information about this.”
“Anyway, the presidential administration can hardly issue health certificates, so we have nothing to tell you here.”
Peskov made the comments after unconfirmed reports on social media said Kadyrov was in a coma.
After rumors began to spread, two videos of Kadyrov were released on Sunday at an unknown location.
In the first, he is seen smiling while taking a walk. In the second case, he advises people to exercise. HHe is heard speaking Chechen and Russian.
“I strongly encourage anyone who cannot distinguish the truth from lies on the Internet to take a walk, get some fresh air and clear their thoughts,” the video caption read.
“The rain can be wonderfully refreshing.”
Ramzan Kadyrov called on those who believed in falsifications about his serious illness to “take a walk in the fresh air”
“I advise everyone who cannot distinguish the truth from lies on the Internet… to put their thoughts in order… The rain is wonderfully refreshing,” the head of Chechnya said. pic.twitter.com/hDjAENHGXw
— Gazeta.Ru (@GazetaRu) September 17, 2023
It was impossible to immediately determine when the videos were recorded.
Speculation about Kadyrov’s health grew after a report from Ukrainian news channel Obozrevatel on Friday quoted a security service spokesman as saying that Kadyrov was in “serious condition. His existing illnesses have worsened.”
Earlier on Monday, Obozrevatel reported that Kadyrov had undergone a failed kidney transplant.
Despite a lack of evidence to support the spokesperson’s claims, they were made after months of rumors that Kadyrov was suffering from kidney problems.
Kadyrov has been a staunch supporter of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, and his soldiers have fought there alongside regular Russian forces.
The former rebel warlord turned Kremlin ally and long called himself President Vladimir Putin’s “foot soldier.”
Kadyrov was elected president of Chechnya in 2007. He rules predominantly Muslim Chechnya while accused of ordering extrajudicial killings and torture of his opponents.