Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Wednesday that one of his commanders, Adam Delimkhanov, is alive and well, denying reports that he was killed or wounded in Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Commander Adam Delimkhanov heads the Chechen division of the Russian National Guard and is also a member of the Russian parliament. Many see him as the second-ranking official in the Caucasus after Kadyrov himself.

Kadyrov, who has ruled Chechnya since 2007 and is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that Delimkhanov was “alive and well and not even injured.”

Kadyrov added that he knew Delimkhanov was unharmed in what he called a “disinformation attack” but remained silent to embarrass the Ukrainian media, which reported the commander’s alleged wounding.

Delimkhanov, who has an active presence on social networks and has more than half a million followers on Telegram, did not comment.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Russian TV channel “Zvezda” reported with reference to the press service of the parliament that Delimkhanov was wounded in Ukraine. This happened after rumors appeared in Ukrainian social networks that a Chechen commander had died during an artillery strike in southern Ukraine.

Asked about widespread reports of Delimkhanov’s wounding, the Kremlin said on Wednesday it was “concerned” and awaiting clarification on what actually happened.

Delimkhanov, a former Chechen separatist who fled with most of the region’s current leadership, played a prominent role in Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, commanding Chechen forces in Mariupol in the early days of the conflict.