Kadyrov Pledges Large Chechen Force to Support Russian Campaign

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader, has declared his intention to deploy 80,000 “volunteer” fighters to bolster Russian operations in Ukraine. This announcement came in the wake of a Ukrainian drone attack on a Chechen military academy. In response, Kadyrov took to Telegram with aggressive rhetoric and revealed the placement of Ukrainian war prisoners at key Chechen facilities, including the Russian Special Forces University—an action that contravenes international law on prisoner treatment.

In his directives to military commanders, Kadyrov advocated for an uncompromising approach, explicitly calling for the elimination rather than capture of enemy forces. He promised an overwhelming response to demonstrate Chechen military capabilities in the conflict zone.

However, military experts cast doubt on the combat readiness of these Chechen forces, suggesting they lack proper training and might serve primarily as expendable units in Russian operations. This development represents a deepening of Chechen-Russian military cooperation and reinforces Chechnya’s backing of Putin’s leadership during a period of heightened global tensions.