Ramzan Kadyrov: Kremlin has 'no info' on Chechen leader's health amid talk he's dead or sick

The Kremlin said on Monday (September 18) that it did not have information on health condition of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. It was asked about social media reports which said that the 46-year-old was unwell. There was speculation that he is in coma, or possibly dead.

Kadyrov is one of eager supporters of Russia's offensive in Ukraine. The Chechen leader's battalions have fought alongside regular Russian forces in Ukraine.

The former rebel warlord-turned-Kremlin ally has long referred to himself as Vladimir Putin's "footsoldier."

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Reuters news agency said in a report that repeated phone calls to Kadyrov's spokespeople went unanswered.

"We have no information on this," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"In any case, the presidential administration can hardly give out health certificates, so we have nothing to tell you here."

Kremlin's comment came a day after a purportedly new video footage of the leader was released. The clipreleased on Sunday (September 18) shows Kadyrov smiling and recommending that everyone should practise sport. The video was taken as an attempt to quash speculation about his ill health.

Speculation about the hugely influential 46-year-old leader's health has been rife for months.

The head of Chchenya is accused by rights groups of running a "totalitarian regime".

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Two videos appeared on Kadyrov's Telegram channel on Sunday.

In the first video, he was seen strolling in an unidentified location. He was smiling but his face appeared puffy.

He is heard speaking Chechen in the second video and then saying "practice sport" in Russian.

"I strongly recommend that everyone who cannot distinguish the truth from lies on the internet go for a walk, get some fresh air and put their thoughts in order," said the words accompanying the videos.

"The rain can be wonderfully invigorating."

It was not immediately clear when the videos were recorded. The videos appeared on the Telegram channel after social media reports said that Kadyrov was in a coma.

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Kadyrov was elected president of Chechenya in 2007. He has ruled majority-Muslim Chechnya with widespread evidence of extra-judicial killings and torture of his opponents.

(With inputs from agencies)

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