Accident involving Adam Kadyrov: Media publish new details, Chechen authorities indirectly deny it

Two days after media and Telegram channel reports of an accident involving the son of Chechen leader Adam Kadyrov, official sources have provided no information on the matter.

It is reported that 18-year-old Adam Kadyrov may be undergoing treatment at the Botkin Hospital in Moscow.

The circumstances of the accident on January 16 remain unclear. The incident was first reported by the opposition Telegram channel NIYSO. Some sources report that a car in Adam Kadyrov's motorcade may have crashed into a barrier in the Putinsky District of Grozny. Other sources claim that the car ran a red light and collided with another vehicle, killing the driver. The accident was allegedly not registered. According to Novaya Gazeta Evropa, Kadyrov's car was being driven by his head of security, Apti Iraskhanov (the nephew of the head of the republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs, Aslan Iraskhanov). He suffered a fractured cervical vertebra. Two other guards suffered bruises and concussions.

On January 17, Ramzan Kadyrov published a video of a security agency meeting chaired by Adam on his Telegram channel. The video shows Kadyrov Jr. being presented with a medal "for his contribution to the security of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant." The post does not specify when exactly this meeting took place.

The published video, judging by its metadata, was edited on January 15—the day before the alleged accident.

According to the Telegram channel "VChK-OGPU," Adam Kadyrov is in a special unit in the emergency surgery department of the Botkin Hospital in Moscow. His condition is assessed as serious. Before being transported to Moscow, he was initially taken to the Republican Emergency Hospital in Grozny. According to Kavkaz.Realii, the medical facility's staff were subjected to security checks. Their phones were checked and they were warned about the consequences of communicating with journalists and opposition bloggers, threatening not only them but also their families. Deputy chief physicians held meetings with the medical staff, warning them against subscribing to "undesirable" websites.

Some sources reported that UFC champion Khamzat Chimaev was in the car with Adam Kadyrov at the time of the accident. He had not appeared publicly for two days. However, on January 18, the fighter posted a photo with Adam and the caption: "As long as some bastards are alive, nothing will happen to us." However, not a word was said about the accident or its consequences.