The death or incapacitation of either or both Kadyrovs could precipitate a succession crisis in Chechnya, a region that retains a significant separatist movement and has posed serious threats to Russian internal stability since the Soviet Union's collapse. The Kadyrov family has played an outsized role in keeping the region loyal and stable for the Kremlin through close personal ties with Vladimir Putin and brutal suppression of dissent. The sudden end of Kadyrov rule would likely trigger renewed factional conflict over control of the region and potentially instigate a third Chechen War.