The Iranian cargo ship Rona is sinking in the Caspian Sea while heading to Astrakhan on a regular route used to transport weapons from Iran to Russia, according to Sternenko reports published over the past hour from 2:46 PM to 3:46 PM UTC on January 14, 2026. Sternenko detailed that the dry cargo ship visited Russian ports including Astrakhan, Makhachkala, and Azov more than 20 times from October 2024 to December 2025, departing each time from Iranian ports. Separately during the same period, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov drove through Grozny on an inspection tour to deny rumors of kidney failure, attributing them to Ukrainian intelligence services, as reported by Nexta TV citing Sternenko. Kadyrov called the rumors nonsense and stated Ukrainian intelligence was doing a 'very poor job.' Video showed green grass outside his car window and radio reports of price adjustments after New Year holidays. Sources in Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) stated Kadyrov’s kidneys have failed, the Kremlin is urgently seeking a new strongman for Chechnya, and Kadyrov is in his private hospital with family gathered, according to a Nexta TV post on X.
