A deadly, multiple-car accident on the streets of Chechnya’s capital has added to uncertainty about the future in the southern Russian region, the volatile site of two wars and an Islamist insurgency since the Soviet collapse.
Amid persistent speculation about the health of Kremlin-backed regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov, sources say his 18-year-old son Adam, seen as a possible successor despite his age, was injured and flown to a Moscow hospital after the crash in Grozny on January 16.
In Chechnya and in Russia as a whole, authorities and state media are silent.
Here’s what we know and why it matters.
What Happened?
Accounts from multiple sources who spoke to RFE/RL’s North Caucasus Service; Telegram channels including that of the Chechen opposition movement NIYSO; and media outlets such as Novaya Gazeta Europe, an exiled Russian newspaper that closely covers Chechnya, say that at least one of the vehicles in a convoy hit a car that was not part of the convoy. According to Novaya Gazeta Europe, the crash occurred because the driver of the lead car in the convoy ran a red light.
Sources and reports differ on whether Adam Kadyrov was driving a vehicle in the convoy, possibly the lead vehicle, or was a passenger. The 18-year-old and members of his circle were celebrating the 29th birthday of Khamzat Kadyrov, a nephew of Ramzan Kadyrov, and their convoy was moving at a high speed on a major thoroughfare when the initial crash occurred.
"As a result, the cars began crashing into one another, which is why we are receiving information that there are many injured," NIYSO wrote on Telegram at the time.
One person was killed – according to some reports, the driver of the car that was hit by the convoy. Adam Kadyrov and three bodyguards were first taken to a Grozny hospital and then flown to Moscow, sources and reports said, while about 18-20 other people – mostly from the convoy -- were hospitalized in Grozny and later released.
Several sources and reports said that Adam Kadyrov’s condition was serious, but NIYSO said on January 17 that his life was not in danger. One RFE/RL source said he was unconscious and in intensive care after the crash, while another said he regained consciousness before the flight to Moscow.
What Are Officials Saying?
Nothing. Senior authorities in Moscow and Grozny have made no public comments on the matter, and state media – both regional and national – have not reported on the crash.
Moreover, in what may have been an attempt to cover up the matter, Ramzan Kadyrov’s Telegram channel and several state-linked media outlets published footage showing Adam Kadyrov meeting with commanders of police and security forces and bestowing state awards on medal recipients.
But evidence indicates that footage was filmed on January 15 -- a day before the accident. While it’s unclear how often this is done in Chechnya, showing older footage and saying or suggesting that is fresh is a common practice for the Kremlin when it comes to Putin, Systema, RFE/RL’s Russian investigative unit, has found.
At the same time, Chechen authorities may be moving to punish anyone deemed to have leaked information about the crash: On January 17, security forces checked the mobile phones of doctors and other personnel – and some patients – at the Grozny hospital where Adam Kadyrov was initially taken along with others who were injured, sources said.
A source close to the regional Health Ministry said a senior doctor at the hospital warned personnel there would be consequences for themselves and their families if they were found to have linked sensitive information.
Who Is Adam Kadyrov?
Ramzan Kadyrov reportedly has at least 12 children, some of them with women other than his wife of 30 years, Medni. Adam, the youngest of the six who are best known -- three brothers and three sisters -- is sometimes described as the favorite.
Long before he turned 18 in November, his father began handing Adam prominent roles in the region. The head of Ramzan’s security service since November 2023, he was named secretary of Chechnya’s Security Council last April and has oversight of the security and law enforcement agencies, charitable affairs, and tax collection.
As a minor, he was also awarded medals including Hero of the Republic of Chechnya, the region’s highest honor.
Adam Kadyrov received that medal and other awards after an incident that increased his prominence and underscored the violence and lawlessness that critics say encapsulates the rule of his father, who is given wide leeway by Putin and the Kremlin in exchange for keeping the region under control.
A video circulated online showed Adam, then 15, beating a prisoner who had been arrested and accused of burning a copy of the Koran.
The awards, attention, and roles bestowed upon Adam Kadyrov have coincided with growing indications that Ramzan Kadyrov may be seriously ill, stoking speculation that the teenager could be his father’s first choice as a successor – perhaps to hold power though a regent at first, if necessary, as Chechnya’s constitution says its leader must be at least 30 years old.
How Will This Affect An Eventual Succession?
That’s not yet clear, as it depends on numerous factors including whether the crash has any longstanding effect on Adam Kadyrov’s health. At this point, an even bigger factor is the condition and the intentions of his father.
For the moment, the developments add to uncertainty about who may hold power in Chechnya in the near and distant future. It’s a question that is of intense interest in Grozny of course, but also in Moscow, given Putin’s reliance on Kadyrov.
Putin appointed Ramzan Kadyrov as president of Chechnya in 2007, who is now 49, when he reached the minimum age for the office in 2007. He is frequently accused by Russian and international human rights groups of overseeing grave human rights abuses including abductions, torture, extrajudicial killings, and targeting the LGBT community. At the same time, he has vocally supported Putin and has sent Chechen men to fight alongside Kremlin forces in the invasion of Ukraine.
Critics say the Kremlin has turned a blind eye to rights abuses and violations of the Russian Constitution by Kadyrov and those under his control because Putin relies on the former rebel commander to control separatist sentiment and violence in Chechnya, which was devastated by two post-Soviet wars pitting Moscow against rebels and an Islamist insurgency that spread to other mostly Muslim regions in the North Caucasus.
As for Ramzan Kadyrov’s plans, while a lot of attention has been focused on Adam Kadyrov, he has also handed high-level jobs and honors to several of his other children as well. Earlier this month, he named Akhmat Kadyrov, 20, as a deputy prime minister.
He has also installed some of his sons and daughters in influential financial and commercial roles, and analysts say he may be more intent on ensuring his family retains control of the region after his death or retirement than on putting any particular successor in place.
What’s Happening With Ramzan Kadyrov?
Speculation about Ramzan Kadyrov’s health has swirled for years. Novaya Gazeta Europe reported that in 2024 that he suffered from pancreatic necrosis, and his bloated appearance and slurred speech was notable in social media videos.
Last May, Novaya Gazeta Europe said that Kadyrov’s health had worsened, and in late December, it reported that he had been urgently hospitalized in Moscow ahead of a major meeting overseen by Putin. He has appeared visibly ill or uncomfortable in a number of videos circulated online in 2025.
A somber video published in May shows a dark-hooded Kadyrov walking slowly forward while a voice attributed to him does not directly deny what it calls “rumors of my sickness.” The voice states that “illness and death is the path of every person: nobody who has lived has ever avoided this road.”
