Kadyrov’s statements came during an official meeting where he called on his subordinates to combat ‘false information’.
Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov has again claimed he is completely healthy, while emphasising that he does not need to hold meetings every day because ‘work is well-established and successful in all directions’.
Kadyrov’s comments came during an official meeting on Tuesday dedicated to the socio-economic situation in the region. An edited video of the meeting with his subordinates was subsequently published on his Telegram channel.
During the meeting, Kadyrov instructed his subordinates to strengthen efforts to identify and suppress the activities of individuals spreading slander and disinformation, including on social networks and messaging apps. Kadyrov called for particular attention to be paid to the information agenda and in combatting false information, which, according to him, comes from ‘enemies of the republic’.
‘Once again, I repeat, so that our enemies know: I am healthy’, Kadyrov emphasised at the same meeting.
The meeting was attended by the head of the Chechen government Magomed Daudov, Interior Minister Aslan Iraskhanov, and heads of the region’s law enforcement and administrative structures. The video also shows two of Kadyrov’s sons — Akhmat, who currently holds the position of Minister of Physical Culture and Sports, and 17-year-old Adam, who was appointed several months ago as Secretary of the Security Council of Chechnya.
On Saturday, Kadyrov posted a video in which he is seen playing billiards with his son Adam. A day earlier, a separate video was published on his personal VKontakte page, showing him pedalling on an exercise bike. Since the beginning of summer, Kadyrov has made almost no public appearances, and in July, media outlets reported that he may have been hospitalised after almost drowning in Turkey.
According to those reports, Kadyrov began to feel unwell while swimming, was pulled from the water, after which he received medical attention. No official confirmation of these reports have been issued. Representatives of the Chechen authorities and Russian federal bodies have not commented on the reports.
Since June, footage featuring Kadyrov has become less frequent on Chechen state television. Public events involving him have also become increasingly rare.
Russian independent media outlet Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that Kadyrov was diagnosed with pancreatic necrosis in 2019.
Since then, sporadic reports in independent media and opposition Telegram channels have speculated about his possible hospitalisations and his health. In April 2024, Kadyrov attempted to dispel such rumours by releasing a video showing him exercising.
Novaya Gazeta Europe further reported that Kadyrov’s condition had deteriorated sharply in 2025, with a report in February suggesting that he underwent medical treatment at a private clinic in Grozny owned by his wife, Medni Kadyrova. Sources claim he did not leave the clinic for several weeks.
In May 2025, in the wake of persistent reports about his allegedly deteriorating health, Kadyrov released a video accompanied by a text stating: ‘I will live as long as I am destined to’, adding that ‘death is the path of every person’.
That month, amidst fresh reports of his ill health, Kadyrov publicly expressed his desire to step down as Chechnya’s head, suggesting that ‘another person would bring new ideas and visions’. This was not the first time he had made such a statement, however.
The Kremlin has yet to confirm any resignation plans. Following his remarks, Kadyrov met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which he announced that he had received the president’s backing and would remain in his position.
Speculation about Kadyrov’s health has also given rise to reports about his succession plans. The Russian independent media outlet iStories (Vazhnye Istorii) claimed that Kadyrov has been preparing to pass power to his son Adam. However, according to the report, the Kremlin did not support this proposal, not least because Russian law prohibits anyone under 30 from heading a region.
Elizaveta Chukharova
