Kremlin releases video showing Vladimir Putin with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov after rumours of ill health
The sit-down between Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov follows speculation suggesting the Chechen leader has been suffering from serious health problems – which he has rejected.
Thursday 28 September 2023 14:29, UK
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Pic: Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/via Reuters
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Pic: Sputnik/Mikhail Metzel/via Reuters
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with Ramzan Kadyrov – after rumours about the Chechen leader’s health.
Speculation suggested Mr Kadyrov has been suffering from serious health problems – claims he has rejected.
Alexey Venediktov, former editor-in-chief of Echo of Moscow, previously said the Chechen leader was in hospital with “severe kidney failure” which requires “frequent hemodialysis”.
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Earlier this month, Mr Kadyrov posted a video on social media saying he was fine and that his reason for travelling to a Moscow hospital was to visit the bedside of a sick uncle.
It showed him walking outdoors in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, urging people not to believe the rumours about his health.
There was some speculation that video was pre-recorded.
The latest footage of him meeting the president – which lasts around four seconds – does not show the Chechen leader’s face.
However, separate images have been released that show a man who appears to be Mr Kadyrov with Mr Putin.
The meeting comes three days after Mr Kadyrov published a video of his teenage son beating up a prisoner accused of burning a copy of the Koran, Islam’s sacred text.
The Kremlin refused to comment on that incident.
Thursday’s short video clip showed the two men exchanging remarks, with no reference to the episode.
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Mr Putin said there was a “positive dynamic” in Chechnya, largely thanks to Mr Kadyrov, who was shown handing him some papers from a file.
The Russian leader has allowed Mr Kadyrov free rein to run the southern Muslim region as a personal fiefdom in return for keeping it stable and loyal following wars in the 1990s and 2000s in which it tried to break away from Moscow.
The 46-year-old has cultivated the image of a ruthless Putin ally – and has been a vocal supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He has been critical of Russian commanders – and once said Russia should consider using a low-yield nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
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