Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed strongman who rules Russia’s restive Chechnya region, says he suffered a broken rib while boxing.
Kadyrov said in a June 6 Instagram post that his sparring partner struck him with “several good blows,” breaking one of his ribs in two places.
He told Interfax that he is not taking time off from work as Chechnya’s president but that "the injury makes itself felt sometimes."
Kadyrov is a sports enthusiast with a particular passion for fighting disciplines like boxing and mixed martial arts.
He has cultivated his athletic image on his Instagram account, where he frequently posts videos and photographs of himself working out.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has relied on Kadyrov to maintain control over Chechnya, where rights activists accuse the regional leader of condoning abuses and creating a climate of fear to keep an Islamist insurgency in check.