Garlic cure fails to save Putin strongman Ramzan Kadyrov from coronavirus

Chechen leader whose advice on coronavirus went from ridiculous to brutal is now fighting for life.

Chechnya's regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov presents new ambulance vehicles in Grozny, Russia.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya and one of President Putin’s most important allies, was reported to be in a critical condition yesterday (Friday) after being flown to a Moscow hospital with suspected coronavirus.

Mr Kadyrov, 43, has ruled Chechnya with an iron fist since 2007. A former separatist, he went over to the Kremlin in 2000. He has no clear successor.

Tass, a state-run news agency, said Mr Kadyrov was flown in his private plane to Moscow on Thursday evening. Baza, a website with links to the security services, said the Chechen leader had suffered damage to his lungs and was in a critical state. Tass said he was “stable”, but gave no further details.

The Kremlin has not commented. Chechen government officials have stressed that Mr Kadyrov remains in control of the republic, but have not explicitly denied the reports. Critics say Mr Putin, 67, has allowed Mr Kadyrov to turn Chechnya into his personal fiefdom in exchange for suppressing insurgency in the region. Mr Kadyrov denies accusations of rights abuses including torture and extra-judicial killings.

Russian President Vladimir Putin with Ramzan Kadyrov, right, in 2004.

Mr Kadyrov told Chechen officials in March not to worry about coronavirus and advised them to eat more garlic to boost their immune systems. By the end of the month he had imposed a strict lockdown, which has been enforced by police wielding rigid plastic piping. He has also suggested that people who violate self-isolation orders after testing positive for the virus should be thrown into pits and left to starve.

If his illness is confirmed, Mr Kadyrov will become the latest high-ranking Russian official to contract Covid-19 following Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, and Mikhail Mishustin, the prime minister.

The Times