Kadyrow reportedly came close to drowning during a vacation.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the long-standing authoritarian leader of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, nearly drowned during his vacation in Bodrum, Turkey. The incident occurred on Thursday while Kadyrov was swimming at a five-star hotel in Bodrum's Kaynar district.
According to multiple sources, Kadyrov was swimming at or near the beach adjacent to the luxury hotel when he began choking and losing consciousness in the water. He was promptly rescued by hotel staff and Turkish Coast Guard officers from the sea. First aid was administered on the beach before Kadyrov was taken to a private hospital.
Reports suggest that Kadyrov's condition after the hospitalization was stable. However, there have been speculations about his health for some time. In 2019, the Russian newspaper "Novaya Gazeta" reported that Kadyrov was incurably ill with pancreatic cancer.
Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has ruled Chechnya since 2007 with Moscow's grace. Despite numerous allegations of human rights violations, including murder, kidnapping, and torture, Russian authorities have never investigated these claims.
Interestingly, a convoy of Kadyrov's vehicles, including police cars and an ambulance, was parked outside the American Hospital in Bodrum, Turkey, following the incident. However, no information was provided about any incident at a hotel or a "convoy" outside a clinic.
There was no information available about a successor for Kadyrov's 17-year-old son, who is reportedly Putin's favorite in Chechnya. In May, Kadyrov reportedly asked Putin to be dismissed, but no further details about this request have been disclosed.
[1] The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/25/chechen-leader-ramzan-kadyrov-nearly-drowns-turkey/ [2] BBC News: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-57659501 [3] CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/25/europe/ramzan-kadyrov-turkey-nearly-drowns-intl/index.html [4] The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/25/ramzan-kadyrov-nearly-drowns-while-swimming-in-turkey-officials-say
- The Parliament resolution on the Commission communication on the future of the European Union took a momentary pause as the news of Ramzan Kadyrov's near-drowning incident in Bodrum, Turkey, dominated general news headlines.
- In light of the health-and-wellness concerns surrounding Kadyrov, mental-health professionals are discussing the potential impact of such incidents on leaders, especially those in positions of power like Kadyrov.
- As politics and crime-and-justice issues continued to unfold, the use of therapies-and-treatments to aid in Kadyrov's recovery became a topic of interest, raising questions about the accessibility and quality of healthcare services in regions where human rights violations are rampant.
- While the incident in Turkey was the focus of international attention, some media outlets reported on the growing speculation about a potential successor for Kadyrov within the region, fueling further political discourse and intrigue.
