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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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The head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, said he has asked "to be relieved of my post" amid rumors of ill health that will soon force him from office.
Kadyrov, 48, was appointed to his position by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2007 following the assassination of his father, Akhmad Kadyrov, three years earlier.
Kadyrov is now preparing his 17-year-old son Adam to be his successor, according to a report from Novaya Gazeta Europe.
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"I also heard these rumors. They write all sorts of different things," Kadyrov said in response to the report, the government-run Chechnya Today reported.
"On the contrary, I myself ask to be relieved of my post. The other will have his own initiatives, his own vision. I hope that my request will be supported," Kadyrov said.
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Kadyrov Walks Back Resignation Comments
He later walked back his comments in a post on his Telegram channel.
"Many did not understand the meaning of my words about resignation. I do not decide whether I will remain in the position of the Head of the Chechen Republic or not," Kadyrov wrote.
"Yes, I can ask or suggest. But no matter how much I say, no matter how much I ask, such a decision is made by only one person—our Supreme Commander-in-Chief, President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
"I am an infantryman! I am a team person. If there is an order, I carry it out."
Kadyrov has previously said he would leave the position at the helm of the Muslim-majority republic, only to stay on.
In 2017, Kadyrov was asked in a television interview if he would consider resigning, to which he replied, "It is possible to say that it is my dream."
"Once there was a need for people like me to fight, to put things in order," Kadyrov told Rossiya 1, Reuters reported. "Now we have order and prosperity...and time has come for changes in the Chechen Republic."
Kadyrov's Rule Over Chechnya
Kadyrov's authoritarian rule keeps a tight grip on Chechnya, within which there are pro-independence rebels and Islamist extremists, and human rights groups accuse his authorities of various abuses, including torture and extrajudicial killings.
Before Putin appointed him, Kadyrov led his father's militia.
His paramilitary force, known as the Kadyrovtsy, has supplied troops for the Russian war on Ukraine, as well as in Syria when Moscow was propping up the Assad regime.
Beyond military contributions, Kadyrov has positioned himself as a key player in Russia's relations with the Muslim world.
He has advocated for introducing Islamic banking in Russia and has been involved in diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, leveraging his religious and cultural ties to bolster Russia's influence in the region.
Update 5/6/25, 12:13 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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