On 7 October, the Telegram channel “SKFO Telegraph” spread information about an attempt to poison the Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov. The former Chechen mayor Argun Ibragim Temirbayev, the first Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic Apti Alaudinov and the head of the city of Urus-Martan Valid Abdureshidov were listed as the major suspects.
On the same day, Alvi Karimov, spokesman for the head of Chechnya shrugged off this speculation as a simple rumour. “I don’t comment on… rumours,” he said to the media.
Alaudinov and Abdureshidov also responded to the speculation. “Some unscrupulous pseudo-journalists write […] that I allegedly participated in some sort of conspiracy, which in itself is ridiculous for any person who knows me personally [...] I will look for these freaks who write this dirt on me and ask them in all fairness [about it], so, shaitans, look for a place to hide,” Alaudinov wrote on Instagram and repeated in a video message.
Abdureshidov, the head of the administration of the Urus-Martan District in Chechnya, also recorded a video message where he addressed “the gossipers” in the Chechen language, and on the same day posted a similar text in Russian in his Instagram page. Abdureshidov emphasized that he is loyal to the current head of Chechnya and remains a "devoted member of the team," founded by Akhmat Kadyrov.
On 10 October, Akhmed Dudayev, the assistant on media relations to the head of Chechnya, advised rumors’ authors not to write about unfounded claims. “Around the person of Ramzan Kadyrov, like mushrooms after the rain, rumors grew of his malaise, which grew into rumors of poisoning, and then - of the attempt and disclosure of a whole group of conspirators… [This rumor does not have any grounding in reality].If anyone is sick in this situation… [it is only the] authors of such rumors. Engage in more important social problems,” Dudayev wrote on Instagram.
He regretted that some of the audience “bought into such tales.” “Everything is built on the naked fantasy of yellow publics (you won’t call them the press),” added Dudaev. He recalled that Kadyrov is “an ordinary person who can get sick, get a bruise, [catch] the flu, this is a normal event that is not out of the ordinary.” The assistant to the head of Chechnya was sure that the authors of these rumors have the goal of “gathering more followers… [through dissmenating such falsehoods].”
Information about Kadyrov’s serious illness began to appear on Telegram channels on September 26, but was unable to find any confirmation of the claim. According to the Minister of Health of the Republic, Elkhan Suleymanov, Kadyrov is feeling unwell due to seasonal acute respiratory infections. “This is completely normal for any healthy organism due to seasonal climatic changes,” the official noted.
On October 3, NewsTracker reported that Kadyrov had not been participating in public events for more than a week. The last time he was seen at the opening of a clinic in Gudermes on 25 September, and the next day a video from the training appeared on his official page on VKontakte, but it was not known when the video was recorded. Messages about the work of the government and departments continue to appear on the republic’s news sites, but only the Prime Minister of Chechnya Muslim Khuchiev is present at all the events. On Kadyrov’s social networks, congratulations continue to be published.
