A Russian general was poisoned by a letter laced with an unknown toxin, close Putin ally says

• Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said his top general in Ukraine has been poisoned.
• Apti Alaudinov was poisoned after handling a letter sent to him earlier this month, Kadyrov said.

A Russian general was poisoned by a letter laced with an unknown toxin, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said in a Telegram post on Monday.

Kadyrov, who is also a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said his top general in Ukraine has been poisoned after handling a letter that was sent to him on February 8.

Apti Alaudinov, who commands the Akhmat special forces, picked up a letter that was "saturated with a poisonous substance," Kadyrov said.

The general "sensed this by the bitter, specific smell and took action in time: he treated his hands and washed his nasal cavity," Kadyrov added.

The Chechen leader said that Alaudinov and other personnel who came into contact with the envelope sought immediate medical assistance in a Moscow clinic and are now "on the mend."

"Serious consequences were avoided," Kadyrov added.

It is unclear who sent the letter or what exactly the substance was, but Kadyrov said an investigation was underway and that there are " already results."

The Akhmat special forces is a Chechen paramilitary organization, which has been fighting in Ukraine.

Before the war, Alaudinov led Chechnya's police force, which had been accused of torturing and imprisoning members of the LGBTQ+ community, ABC News reported. As a result, he was placed on a US sanctions list.

This is not the first poison-related incident since the start of Russia's invasion on February 24 last year.

In March last year, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich briefly went blind after an apparent poisoning during peace meetings with Ukrainian negotiators.