DAccording to Ukrainian media, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is said to have fallen into a coma. This is reported, among other things, by the Ukrainian newspaper “Obozrevatel” citing information from the Ukrainian military intelligence service (GUR): “The information is confirmed by various sources in medical and political circles. It’s not about injuries. Other details still need to be clarified. He has been ill for a long time and we are talking about systemic health problems,” Obozrevatel quoted GUR spokesman Andriy Yusov as saying.
Also the television station Nexta reported Kadyrov’s deteriorating health. Accordingly, doctors in Moscow could have helped, but he was now flown abroad for treatment, possibly to the United Arab Emirates.
The former Duma deputy Gennady Gudkov claims that Kadyrov underwent a kidney transplant, but it was unsuccessful. These reports could not be independently verified.
However, there has been speculation about Kadyrov’s health for a long time after Kadyrov’s appearance changed during appearances. At the beginning of 2023, the now exiled former Chechen Deputy Prime Minister Akhmad Zakayev then claimed that Kadyrov had been suffering from kidney disease for years. This is also supported by his absence from important appointments in Moscow, such as Putin’s speech in Moscow on February 21st.
The head of the Ukrainian secret service Kyrylo Budanov also said in May 2023 that Kadyrov had health problems as a result of drug addiction because he had used doping substances. Kadyrov’s sons indirectly confirmed their father’s illness by releasing an emotional video and talking about their worries about losing their father.
Kadyrov himself has repeatedly tried to deny rumors about his illness, saying “he doesn’t want to live much longer anyway.”
All developments in the live ticker:
10:58 a.m. – New Russian attacks on Ukrainian power grid possible
Britain believes new Russian attacks on the Ukrainian power grid are likely in the coming winter. Russian leaders have been emphasizing efforts to increase production of air-launched cruise missiles for months, the Defense Ministry in London said on Saturday. There are also indications that Russia has been using fewer of these projectiles since April. This also makes it likely that Russia will be able to build up a significant inventory of cruise missiles. “There is a realistic possibility that Russia will again use these weapons against Ukrainian infrastructure targets this winter.”
Between October 2022 and March 2023, Russia massively attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure such as thermal power plants. Some people had to endure long periods without electricity or heating. The attacks used cruise missiles such as the modern Ch-101 (NATO code: AS-23A Kodiak), which launched strategic bombers from deep within Russian territory.
The British Ministry of Defense has been publishing daily information on the course of the war since the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine began in February 2022. Moscow accuses London of disinformation.
10:42 a.m. – Russia wants to sell Ukrainian real estate
The authorities appointed by Russia on the Crimean peninsula want to sell around 100 properties owned by Ukrainians. The nationalized land should be sold soon, writes Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament, on Telegram. One belongs to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The first eight auctions for the properties of Ukrainian businessmen took place. Russia annexed Ukrainian Crimea in 2014.
7:30 a.m. – Biden welcomes Zelenskyj to the White House on Thursday
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Joe Biden at the White House on Thursday. This was announced by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. New aid for Ukraine should also be announced next week.
6:52 a.m. – Two Ukrainian drones shot down
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian forces shot down two Ukrainian drones over the Russian regions of Kaluga and Tver.
06:01 a.m. – Ukrainian ex-minister arrested on treason charges
A Ukrainian court has ordered the arrest of a former minister on suspicion of pro-Russian sentiments and treason. Nestor Shufrych is accused, among other things, of having maintained contacts with a fugitive Ukrainian parliamentarian.
“This is exactly what the authorities need,” Shufrych said in a video released by Public Suspilne Television as court officers handcuffed him and led him away. According to media reports, his lawyers want to appeal the decision.
As a minister in the second government of the pro-Russian Viktor Yanukovych from 2007, Shufrych was responsible for civil protection and the fire service.
The Ukrainian leadership has taken particularly tough action against corruption and nepotism in recent weeks. Among others, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s former confidant, businessman Igor Kolomoisky, was imprisoned for money laundering.
On Saturday night, his bail was increased from $14 billion to $105 billion. He is now also accused of forging documents and illegally taking over property.
5:53 a.m. – Kim Jong-un meets Russian Defense Minister
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited Russian fighter jets, hypersonic missiles and warships together with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Saturday. Kim and Shoigu met in the town of Knevichi, 50 kilometers from Vladivostok in eastern Russia. The Russian minister showed Kim strategic fighter jets Tu-160, Tu-95 and Tu-22M3, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons.
“It can fly from Moscow to Japan and then back again,” Shoigu said of one of the planes. He also showed Kim the MiG-31I supersonic jet equipped with “Kinzhal” missiles, which can be equipped with nuclear or conventional warheads. The North Korean then paid a visit to the Russian Pacific Fleet in Vladivostok.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has already met with President Putin
Source: AP/Vladimir Smirnov
According to the Tass agency, Kim had already visited an aircraft factory on Friday. Russia wants to help North Korea build satellites and also sees the possibility of military-technical cooperation.
Kim has been visiting Russia since Tuesday, his first official trip abroad since the corona pandemic. On Wednesday he met Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny cosmodrome in eastern Russia.
04:08 a.m. – Spacecraft with two Russians and an American arrives at the ISS
Amid tensions over Ukraine, a spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts and a US astronaut on board has reached the International Space Station (ISS). The Soyuz capsule docked with the ISS on Friday after a three-hour flight, the Russian space agency announced.
The two Russians Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Tschub as well as their US colleague Loral O’Hara took off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. For O’Hara and Tschub it was the first flight into space. The 39-year-old Tschub and his colleague Kononenko, who is 20 years older, are supposed to spend a year on the ISS, while O’Hara is supposed to stay there for six months.
12:24 a.m. – Kim Jong-un visits Russian fighter jet factory
According to a media report, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was impressed by Russian aviation technology during a visit to a Russian fighter jet factory. In his opinion, it is experiencing rapid development and can easily ward off potential attacks from outside, reports the official North Korean news agency KCNA. The military aircraft factory is under Western sanctions.