The reports, corroborated by local opposition Telegram channels, said Kadyrov was unconscious when he was rushed to the city’s main hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit. Eyewitnesses said roads to the hospital were blocked as emergency crews treated him on arrival.
Chechen monitoring project NIYSO said Kadyrov’s convoy was traveling at high speed when it hit another vehicle after an unexpected obstacle appeared on the road. Several people suffered injuries in the crash, with attention focused on Kadyrov’s condition. There was no official confirmation from Chechen authorities.
On Jan. 11, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) reported that Ramzan Kadyrov was suffering from kidney failure, prompting speculation in Moscow about potential successors in Chechnya. Intelligence sources say family members and clan elders have gathered at Kadyrov’s private clinic in Grozny, including relatives from abroad.
Among the leading candidates to replace him are Chechnya’s PM Magomed Daudov; the commander of the Akhmat special forces unit, Apti Alaudinov; and Kadyrov’s eldest son, Akhmad.