Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Russian autonomous region of Chechnya, was reportedly in hospital in a critical condition, according to Ukrainian intelligence reports.
"The information is confirmed by various sources in the medical and political circles," Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov told Ukrainian news outlet Obozrevatel. "There is information that the war criminal Kadyrov is in a serious condition and the diseases that were there have worsened and caused such a serious condition."
The Chechen warlord's ill health was not due to an injury, Yusov said, further saying that other details are yet to be determined.
Who is Ramzan Kadyrov?
Kadyrov is the current leader of the Chechen Republic and a Kremlin hardliner, which earned him the nickname "Putin's soldier" or "Putin's watchdog" for his loyalty to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine.
Prior to his involvement in the current war, he was known as the son of Akhmad Kadyrov, the first president of Chechnya who was assassinated in the regional capital Grozny by Chechen Islamists in 2009.
In July, he said he sent a detachment of Chechen troops to fight in Bakhmut after they signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense, something the late Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group has refused to do.
In response, Putin expressed his gratitude to Kadyrov in March for helping Russia in its war in Ukraine.
