Adam Kadyrov at risk of losing sight in one eye following involvement in fatal Grozny car accident

Adam Kadyrov, the youngest son and presumptive heir of Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov, may lose the sight in one eye following his involvement in a fatal car crash in the republic’s capital Grozny last month, sources have told Novaya Gazeta Europe.

Kadyrov, 18, has now been discharged from Moscow's historic Botkin Hospital, where he had his spleen removed and was also diagnosed with a fractured jaw, after being airlifted there from Chechnya for treatment almost three weeks ago following the accident in which one person was reportedly killed. 

Hospital dietitians also placed Kadyrov on a strict diet for the next six months, according to Novaya Europe’s sources, and the latest footage, posted on his father’s Telegram channel on Tuesday, suggests that three weeks of hospital food have led to some rapid weight loss.

However, the most serious consequence of the accident, according to the sources, was the damage done to Kadyrov’s optic nerve. “It remains unclear what the consequences are. There is a risk that he will be blind in one eye,” Novaya Europe was told.

The three bodyguards who were travelling with Kadyrov at the time of the accident on 18 January have disappeared from public view. According to sources, at least two of them, Bislan Kaimov and Apti Iraskhanov, suffered far more serious head and spine injuries and were also evacuated to Moscow with Kadyrov. Iraskhanov is the nephew of Chechen Interior Minister, Aslan Iraskhanov, and is believed to have been at the wheel when the accident occurred.

Ramzan Kadyrov has been keen to play down the accident in recent days, dismissing reports of the accident as “fake news” on Monday. Even though the accident caused the death of the driver of a second car, it was not officially logged with the police, making it highly unlikely to result in an investigation. 

Kadyrov’s own well-documented health issues have significantly worsened over the past year, to the point where he has largely ceased to be involved in the day-to-day running of the republic. Despite having two other adult sons who are both older than Adam — 20-year-old Akhmat, whom he recently appointed acting deputy prime minister of Chechnya, and 19-year-old Zelimkhan — Kadyrov doesn’t appear to view either as successor material.