Ramzan Kadyrov, the ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who leads Chechnya, has been living with pancreatic necrosis, the Moscow Times said in a report. Kadyrov was diagnose with the disease five years ago, the outlet further said citing sources at the Moscow presidential hospital where he was allegedly treated. The Kremlin has now started working on a succession plan to maintain stability in the region in the wake of his deteriorating condition. Kadyrov's forces have been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine.
Last year, claims circulated on social media claiming Kadyrov was suffering from kidney problems, prompting him to appear in videos to dispel the rumours.
Quoting Novaya Gazeta Europe, the Moscow Times report said that doctors had initially diagnosed Kadyrov with acute pancreatic necrosis - a serious condition that can lead to death - in January 2019.
Pancreatic necrosis is an extreme complication of acute pancreatitis, an inflammation that causes part of the organ to die. Complications can include organ failure and even death.
"The old leader will no longer be there, the illness will seriously affect him. Even if he recovers now, he'll be neither alive nor dead," it quoted a source close to Kadyrov ally Adam Delimkhanov as saying.
Newsweek too reported about Kadyrov's health and cited a source at the Moscow Clinical Hospital as saying that n MRS scan of the Chechen leader's brain "left his relatives in a depressed state".
Russian authorities have not reacted to Kadyrov's health news officially.
Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya, a Russian region that was devastated by two bloody wars between Moscow and separatist forces in the 1990s and early 2000s, with an iron fist since Mr Putin formally appointed him in 2007.
