Adam Kadyrov. Photo: @Kadyrov_95 / Telegram
The Kremlin-appointed head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, posted a video on Wednesday showing a meeting of the republic’s security chiefs, among whom was Kadyrov’s 18-year-old son and rumoured successor, Adam Kadyrov.
This was the first public appearance made by Adam Kadyrov since he was involved in a fatal car accident in the Chechen capital Grozny in January, after which he was flown to Moscow for medical treatment.
Adam was driving his own car on 16 January when he lost control of his vehicle at high speed, striking another car and killing its driver, US-funded RFE/RL affiliate Kavkaz.Reali reported.
Having spent almost three weeks at Moscow’s Botkin Hospital recovering from the “non life-threatening” injuries he sustained in the crash, Adam Kadyrov was discharged in February. According to a source, the only serious consequence of his accident was damage to his optic nerve.
Three of the Chechen leader’s son’s bodyguards also disappeared from public view following the accident. At least two of them — Bislan Kaimov and Apti Iraskhanov — were also evacuated to Moscow with far more serious injuries than Adam. Kaimov, according to the Chechen Telegram channel NIYCO, may be paralysed for life.
The day after the accident, Ramzan Kadyrov posted a video of Adam that turned out to have been recorded several days before the crash. In February, rumours of AI use circulated when Kadyrov shared another video featuring his son, in which he appeared to have lost a significant amount of weight.
