Chechnya's President Hospitalized with Coronavirus in Moscow

Chechnya's President Ramzan Kadyrov was admitted to a hospital in the Russian capital, Moscow, on Thursday, on suspicion of contracting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to Russian local media.

"Ramzan Kadyrov has been transferred by plane to Moscow, and we suspect he (is infected) of the novel coronavirus. He is now under the supervision of doctors," a medical source told Russia's Tass news agency.

The source added that Kadyrov’s condition was "stable", while the agencies of RIA Novosti and Interfax also reported that the President of the Republic of Chechnya was hospitalized in Moscow on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Russia recorded, on Wednesday, the highest daily death toll from the novel coronavirus on its soil, reaching 135 deaths, raising the total number of deaths in the country to more than 3000.

The total number of infections in Russia due to the COVID-19 exceeded 317 thousand people, while recovering from the virus more than 92 thousand people.

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Russia has recorded significantly fewer deaths than reported by countries that have experienced a large outbreak of the pandemic, but observers have questioned the official death rate, accusing the authorities of not disclosing the true figures to reduce the scale of the crisis.

Russian health officials attribute the low number, compared to that recorded in the United States and parts of Europe, that Russia only counts deaths caused by the virus.

Reports: Chechen President Had Flu-Like Symptoms

The 43-year-old Kadyrov was reportedly flown to the Russian capital Wednesday, a few days after reporting flu-like symptoms, the Baza Telegram channel reported earlier Thursday. Chechen doctors recommended that Kadyrov seek treatment there after his “condition began deteriorating rapidly,” Baza said.

The Chechen president was last active on his Telegram account on Tuesday, while Instagram blocked his page last week.

[caption id="attachment_128122" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The Chechen President (L) and Russian President (R)[/caption]

Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya, which was devastated by two bloody separatist conflicts in the 1990's and early 2000s, with a strong hand since he was appointed its leader in 2007.

The Republic of Chechnya has reported a total of 1,026 coronavirus cases out of Russia’s overall total of 317,554.