FT: Putin's Plans For Chechnya In Question Due To Kadyrov's Health Condition
- 1.02.2026, 13:28
- 7,684
The Caucasus is one of the weakest points of the Russian dictatorship.
The deteriorating health of Chechnya's head Ramzan Kadyrov and his likely successor - his son Adam - could pose serious risks to the Kremlin's plans to maintain control over the region. The Financial Times says so.
The publication writes that for nearly two decades Kadyrov has played an unattractive but necessary role for the Kremlin - ruling the republic with an "iron hand" and keeping tensions in the region under control.
Now, however, both the Chechen leader himself and his likely successor are facing health problems, which, according to journalists, "has highlighted the regime's vulnerability with the transfer of power and emphasized the fragility of one of the key pillars of Vladimir Putin's long-running rule."
It is noted that the Russian dictator allowed Kadyrov to run Chechnya virtually as a criminal state, turning a blind eye to large-scale human rights violations: murder, torture, kidnapping, and the enrichment of Kadyrov himself and his family members.
In return, Kadyrov has demonstrated complete loyalty to Putin by sending battalions to fight against Ukraine and keeping the region under Kremlin control, suppressing any separatist or Islamist movements that could lead to a new conflict.
Father and son both have health problems
At the same time, as the author of the article points out, the 49-year-old Kadyrov's poor health has often been written about recently. In December, for example, the Riga-based Novaya Gazeta Europa newspaper said that the Chechen leader had been hospitalized in Moscow after his arrival for a State Council meeting with Putin. Subsequently, Ukrainian publications wrote that Kadyrov was suffering from kidney failure. The reports have not been officially confirmed.
At the same time, Adam Kadyrov - his 18-year-old son and likely successor - allegedly has health problems. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel, believed to be close to Russian security officials, he was recently seriously injured in a traffic accident.
In the opinion of political analyst Ruslan Aisin, the Chechen leader's state of health poses a political problem both for the regime he has built at home and for the Kremlin.
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"The political architecture, the structure that Kadyrov built with his successor, is now on the verge of collapse. Putin's system is fragile enough. It appears to be a strong dictatorship, but every dictatorship has its weak points. And the Caucasus is the weakest place for them," the expert emphasized.
Kadyrov himself has repeatedly denied reports of his poor health. He recently showed a video of him presiding over a government meeting. According to Emil Aslan, a regional expert and professor of security studies at Charles University in Prague, it is clear from the video that Kadyrov's health is "visibly deteriorating," as evidenced by his appearance, slow movements, gait and cane.
The expert believes that Kadyrov's increasingly frequent claims that he is in good health only confirm this.
The son will not soon lead the region
The article recalled that the son of Chechnya's head, Adam Kadyrov, first came into the spotlight at the age of 15 when a video circulated showing him brutally beating a Russian prisoner accused of burning the Koran.
After that incident, Adam was promoted to the title Hero of the Chechen Republic and was appointed head of his father's security service. Last year he was also appointed secretary of the Chechen Security Council, and subsequently took control of the region's tax service and law enforcement agencies.
Analysts see the wave of appointments as a sign of Adam Kadyrov's rapidly growing influence. However, they note that even in the event of his father's death, his son will not be able to officially head the republic for many more years, since the minimum age limit for this position is 30.
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