The official festivities on occasion of the 25th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence have been cancelled, BBC reports. 

During the previous years, the President Islam Karimov usually appeared in public at this time. But it was found out on Monday, that he suffered a stroke and was hospitalized in a critical state. It is yet unknown whether the festivities have been cancelled exactly due to the president’s serious illness. It is also unknown whether public festival, which usually takes place on September 1, will be held.

News on Karimov’s hospitalization with brain haemorrhage became known when her daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva wrote about that on her Facebook page on Monday.

In the evening of the same day, Fergana news agency reported that Karimov died in hospital on Monday. The Russian news agencies wrote that the information on the death of the Uzbekistan leader didn’t correspond to reality, citing the sources in the President’s administration.

On Tuesday, information on Islam Karimov’s death reappeared in media outlets and social networks. Spokesperson for the Russian President Dmitry Peskov didn’t confirm the information. “We dispose of no new information and can say that the night news hasn’t been confirmed. We stem from this,” he said.

In Peskov’s words, Kremlin knows about Karimov’s health but has no details on the incident.