Ramzan Kadyrov’s Islamist-Chechen paramilitary Akhmat group has signed an agreement to come under control of the Kremlin, Russia’s Defence Ministry announced on Monday amid attempts to consolidate control over the various forces fighting on its behalf in Ukraine.
The Akhmat special forces unit of Chechnya, also known as the Kadyrovites, has signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence, which will now have official control over its operations within Ukraine.
To date, the Islamist militia has been under the control of staunch Putin ally and head of the Russian-controlled Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, who previously launched a jihadist insurrection against Moscow but ultimately switched sides along with his Imam father Akhmad Kadyrov to support the Putin government.
In exchange for coming under the control of the Kremlin, Chechen volunteer fighters in Ukraine will now be eligible for the same benefits bestowed upon regular Russian troops, such as financial support for families if they are wounded or killed in combat, Reuters reported. It is unclear, however, exactly how much day-to-day operations of the unit will be controlled by Moscow.
The participation of the Islamist Chechen paramilitary group in the Ukraine war has been cast as a religious struggle, with the Russian republic’s Muslim mufti previously declaring that Chechnya’s fighters “are on the path of Allah.”
The Ukrainians, for their part, have previously attempted to exploit the Islamic nature of the Akhmat, with the fighters allegedly from the Neo-Nazi-linked Azov battalion filming themselves last year greasing bullets with pig fat for the Chechen “orcs”.
“I have repeatedly stated that the fight against Satanism should continue throughout Europe and, first of all, on the territory of Poland,” Kadyrov said https://t.co/JWrNcMAYsN
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 13, 2023
The agreement comes just one day after the outspoken commander of the Wagner Private Military Company, Yevgeny Prigozhin baulked at the notion of ceding control of his band of mercenaries to the Kremlin, which he has consistently accused of mishandling the war, particularly Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov.
Without mentioning the Wagner group by name, Russia’s defence ministry said that Shoigu had demanded that all “volunteer detachments” operating in Ukraine sign contracts with the Kremlin in order to consolidate efforts and increase effectiveness.
In response, Prigozhin reportedly said, according to London’s Daily Telegraph, that “Wagner will not sign any contracts with Shoigu,” going on to claim that the order did not apply to his mercenary group. Though he added that it may be used as an excuse for the defence ministry to refuse to supply arms and ammo to the paramilitary group.
“But when the thunder breaks, they will come running and bring weapons and ammunition with a request to help,” he is reported as saying.
The apparent attempt to gain control over Wagner, which was responsible for the notable Russian victory at Bakhmut last month, comes amid speculation that Prigozhin may attempt to launch a coup against Vladimir Putin and install himself as the president of the Russian Federation.
The Wagner boss has attempted to downplay such a scenario, however, claiming that his forces are not large enough to march upon Moscow and that it would be more likely for figures such as Shoigu to attempt to take over the government.
Cracking Coalition? Wagner Chief Appears to Mock ‘Grandpa’ Putin as a ‘Complete Asshole’https://t.co/f3E3qLlMkg
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) May 11, 2023
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.