Russian lawyer on Kadyrov: “I think the government is afraid of him”

Russian lawyer about Kadyrov
“I think the government is afraid of him”

September 23, 2023, 3:14 p.m

Putin’s “bloodhound” Ramzan Kadyrov is said to have a kidney problem. There was speculation that the Chechen ruler was in a coma, and there was even talk of his death. After a first video at the weekend, Kadyrov appeared again on Telegram on Thursday. This time we see him visiting a sick uncle in a Moscow hospital. Is it all just staged? The human rights lawyer Olga Sadowskaja has many contacts in Chechnya. She fights there primarily for people who have been tortured. In the ntv.de interview, Sadowskaja warns against speculation, but also says that Kadyrov has many enemies, that he is difficult to control and that the Kremlin has a problem with that. Since Olga Sadowskaja still lives in Russia, she pays particular attention to her choice of words and cannot answer every question.

ntv.de: Is Ramzan Kadyrov still alive?

Olga Sadowskaja: In any case, he is still alive. Russia has not yet reached the point where it is possible to completely cover up the death of one of the country’s most prominent political figures. Information about his death might be withheld for a few hours, but nothing more. Furthermore, such information can be sold to the media at a very high price, making the chance of its dissemination even more likely.

What do you know about his health?

Here it is easier to answer like Socrates: I know that I know nothing. All information about Kadyrov’s health is a series of rumors, but some of them are based on real facts. For example, the way his appearance has changed in the last few months. Therefore, we assume that he most likely really suffers from kidney disease. However, we cannot say anything about a worsening or an improvement in his health.

Shortly after the news of his illness, he posted a video on Telegram. He looked bloated and that fueled the speculation…

Yes, he had an unhealthy appearance, but we find that he was alive, talking and moving, which exactly contradicts the version of coma or death.

The Chechen blogger Yangulbaev even reported Kadyrov’s death. How does he come up with that?

I don’t know, but this information clearly doesn’t come from a reliable source as it hasn’t been confirmed. Usually such rumors appear from time to time in the Chechen diaspora, from Chechens living abroad. But most of these people don’t have access to this kind of information.

Kadyrov was quick to denounce rumors about his poor health as a lie. Why the video? Is he afraid of chaos in Chechnya?

Every leader of a region is afraid that his country will plunge into chaos, and here Ramzan is no different from other leaders. Maybe he is more afraid than others, because Chechnya is a very militarized region, and he definitely has enough enemies.

How big is the support for Kadyrov in Chechnya really?

Here it is worth asking the question why people generally support totalitarian regimes in the first place. Almost every totalitarian regime comes into times that are difficult for the population. The main goal of such regimes is to spread an unrealistic future vision for the future of the region. Despite their isolation from reality, these ideologies, in demand in times of crisis, are capable of influencing the consciousness of the masses, especially when they have a strong support of propaganda and fear. But we also know that when a totalitarian regime is weakened, it immediately loses support and collapses.

There have long been rumors that Kadyrov has a problem with his kidneys. Now it is said that he was taken to Moscow, then back to Chechnya and is actually supposed to be flown to the Arab Emirates. Are the doctors not good enough or is his condition already so critical?

We don’t know for sure if he was taken anywhere. These are all guesses from observing Kadyrov’s planes and cars. It is impossible to say with certainty who was actually inside. There are rumors that need to be refuted. Nevertheless, I am sure that if Kadyrov needs treatment, then there is high-level medicine for him in Russia.

If Kadyrov were to die, what consequences would that have for Chechnya and especially President Putin?

There could be a shift in the balance of power in Chechnya. I don’t think the Russian government is happy to have a head of a region like Kadyrov. And I also think that the government is afraid of him. If something happens to Kadyrov, power will not be transferred to a person from the region, but to someone outside the region. This would have the advantage that Moscow could control Chechnya just as well as other regions of Russia.

Has he chosen a successor for himself?

I do not assume that.

How important is Kadyrov to Putin, especially now that there is war in Ukraine?

For security reasons I wouldn’t answer this question.

Dimitri Blinski spoke to Olga Sadowskaja