How the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, is preparing for his succession
In an in-depth investigation, the Russian media outlet in exile “Novaya Gazeta Europe” reveals how Ramzan Kadyrov, who has controlled Chechnya for nearly twenty years but whose health is deteriorating, is considering a change of power in this Caucasian republic integrated into the Russian Federation.
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet “Great Victory” over Nazi Germany, Ramzan Kadyrov “planted a young Victory poplar tree, brought from the site of the Battle of Stalingrad, in the center of Grozny,” the Tass news agency reported on Monday, May 5 , publishing a short video of the Chechen leader in action. The event was “dedicated to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War [World War II] and the participants of the SVO [the acronym used in Russia to designate the ‘special military operation’, the war waged in Ukraine],” the agency said.
In Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov's participation in such official events is traditionally the subject of extensive and fair coverage by local media, such as the Grozny Inform portal . But “although Kadyrov tries to conceal his deteriorating health by intensifying his media activity, he has increasingly disappeared from the public eye in recent months,” notes Vajnye Istorii, a Russian media outlet in exile . At the end of January, the Russian investigative website Agentstvo noted that during the month, Kadyrov had not appeared in public for eighteen days. Aged 48, he is said to have kidney and liver problems.
Courrier International
