Journalists say Telegram channels were barred from reporting Adam Kadyrov crash; evacuation to Moscow reported

Three Telegram channels close to Russian security services were reportedly ordered not to write about a car crash on Jan. 16 in Grozny that involved Adam Kadyrov, the son of Chechnya’s leader, the morning program Utro on Nastoyaschee Vremya reported on Jan. 19.

The program cited initial posts on the Telegram channel NISO and reporting by the outlet Кавказ.Реалии (Caucasus.Realii), whose journalist Zakir Magomedov joined the broadcast. Magomedov said his sources described the incident "as an accident caused by Adam Kadyrov’s motorcade," but that accounts differ on who was driving and on the number and severity of casualties.

"Наши источники описывают это как аварию, которая случилась по вине кортежа Адама Кадырова," Magomedov said on air. He told the program that some sources named Kadyrov as the driver while others pointed to the head of his security detail, and that precise casualty figures remain unclear.

Program hosts and cited reports said the motorcade collided with another car after reportedly running a red light; Novaya Gazeta Europe published an eyewitness account saying a lead vehicle ignored a red signal. The broadcast said Adam Kadyrov and three bodyguards were taken to the Republican Clinical Emergency Hospital named for Khanbiev. The program reported that one of the bodyguards, identified in reporting as Aptiy Eraskhanov, was diagnosed with a cervical vertebra fracture and that others sustained concussions and cuts described as not life-threatening.

The show also reported that regional authorities arranged an urgent flight to transfer Kadyrov and his guards to Moscow on a special aircraft of the republican emergency ministry. Journalists told the program that investigators had not registered the incident in the official book of reports on crimes, administrative violations and incidents, and that a formal criminal inquiry may not begin.

The day after the crash, a video appeared on Ramzan Kadyrov’s Telegram channel showing Adam Kadyrov presiding at a meeting; program guests noted metadata on the clip suggesting it may have been edited before the crash, which raised questions about whether the footage was produced earlier and released in response to the incident.

The program did not present official confirmation from Chechen authorities about the crash, the identities of those driving, or the final casualty tally. Magomedov said more reliable information might emerge in the days after the broadcast.

The program identified the main sources for its reporting as the Telegram channels NISO and other regional channels, Novaya Gazeta Europe and Кавказ.Реалии (Caucasus.Realii).