Kadyrov claimed a video showed him ‘7 kilometers from Kyiv’ in the early days of the full-scale war. An investigation found it was actually filmed in a secret Chechen prison.

An investigation by Novaya Gazeta Europe revealed that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's claim of being just 7 kilometers from Kyiv early in Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine was false. The video, which appeared to show him meeting with commanders near Kyiv, was actually filmed in a secret prison in Chechnya. This discovery underscores the lengths to which Kadyrov and his media have gone to bolster his image and military presence in the conflict. The investigation highlights the manipulation of information to serve political ends, raising questions about the reliability of such narratives in times of war.