A Chechen succession crisis is reportedly brewing in the Kremlin, as different sides struggle over a candidate to succeed Ramzan Kadyrov amidst reports of his deteriorating health.
Sources for the independent Russian media outlet iStories close to the Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed that Kadyrov himself allegedly wants to transfer power to his 17-year-old son Adam. They added that Kadyrov is seeking a legal or political mechanism through which power could be transferred to him. Under Russian law, direct transfer of official government positions to family members is not permitted, and the minimum age to be the head of a region is 30.
At the same time, the presidential administration is considering another candidate: the commander of the Akhmat special forces unit, Apti Alaudinov.
According to a source, supporters of Alaudinov consider him ‘a civilised Chechen security official’.
At the same time, his name is also linked to allegations of torture in Chechnya’s ‘secret prisons’. He has previously been sanctioned by the US, UK, Latvia, and Ukraine for human rights violations and involvement in military operations.
Meanwhile, representatives of the FSB, iStories claimed, are promoting another candidate for the post of Chechnya’s new leader — an MP from the republic, Adam Delimkhanov. The motives behind this choice are not specified in the report.
According to iStories, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet made a final decision on Kadyrov’s successor.
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 an article 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’.
At the same time, Kadyrov’s press service regularly publishes videos in which he is training and appears active. At the end of October, footage was released showing him performing a bench press.
Elizaveta Chukharova
