![Chechen troops on the Russian side in Donbass, June 2022](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Chechen_troops_on_the_Russian_side_in_Donbass%2C_June_2022.png)
The
Chechen Republic
Chechnya ( rus, Чечня́, Chechnyá, p=tɕɪtɕˈnʲa; ce, Нохчийчоь, Noxçiyçö), officially the Chechen Republic,; ce, Нохчийн Республика, Noxçiyn Respublika is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the ...
, commonly known as Chechnya, is a federal
republic
A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...
of
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
that has been noted in several roles during the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.
Kadyrovite forces have fought alongside the Russian forces, while the
Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion
, image = Батальйон_імені_Джохара_Дудаєва.png
, image_size =
, caption = Battalion sleeve insignia.
, start_date =
, country ...
,
Sheikh Mansur Battalion
, image = Insignia of the Sheikh Mansur battalion.png
, image_size =
, caption = Insignia of the Battalion
, start_date =
, country = ...
,
Separate Special Purpose Battalion
The Separate Special Purpose Battalion of the Ministry of Defense of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is a military commando formation of Chechen volunteers, functioning as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine. It ...
and the
Khamzat Gelayev Joint Task Detachment have fought on the Ukrainian side. International observers have noted a number of comparisons between the invasion and the
First
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
and
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russia, Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from Augus ...
s.
Pro-Russian ''Kadyrovite'' forces
![Ramzan Kadyrov, 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Ramzan_Kadyrov%2C_2014.jpeg)
On 26 February,
Ramzan Kadyrov
Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov ce, КъадаргӀеран Ахьмат-кӏант Рамзан, translit= (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician who currently serves as the Head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated to the ...
, the
Head of the Chechen Republic
The Head of the Chechen Republic or Head of Chechnya (russian: Глава Чеченской Республики, italic=yes, ce, Мехкада Нохчийн Республика; formerly President of the Chechen Republic or President of Che ...
, announced that Chechen military forces had been deployed to Ukraine, saying that
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
"took the right decision and we will carry out his orders under any circumstances." The same day, the Russian state media outlet
RT published a video of what it described as 12,000 Chechen soldiers gathered in the main square of
Grozny
Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia.
The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a pop ...
, the Chechen capital, preparing to go to war in Ukraine.
On 27 February, the Ukrainian military announced that it had destroyed a large convoy of Chechen special forces gathered near
Hostomel
Hostomel ( uk, Гостомель, ) is a city in Bucha Raion, Kyiv Oblast, northwest of the capital city of Kyiv. It hosts the administration of Hostomel settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. The population of the settlement is app ...
, a town in the northwest region of Kyiv Oblast.
Soon after, the Ukrainian military claimed that General
Magomed Tushayev
Muhammad (), also spelled Muhammed or Muhamad or Mohammad or Mohammed or Mohamed or in a variety of other ways, is an Arabic given male name literally meaning 'Praiseworthy'. The name comes from the passive participle of the Arabic verb (حَم ...
, leader of the 141st Motorized Regiment of the Kadyrov Guard, had been killed in action in Ukraine.
On 28 February, Kadyrov released a Telegram post saying that "the chosen tactics in Ukraine are too slow," calling for Russian forces to take more aggressive action. On 1 March, Kadyrov released a further Telegram post saying that two Chechen soldiers had been killed and six injured and saying that the invasion needed "to move on to large-scale measures."
On 3 March, ''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' reported that a group of Chechen soldiers had been sent to infiltrate
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
with the goal of assassinating Ukrainian president
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...
, but that the group had been neutralised following leaks from anti-war elements of the Russian
Federal Security Service
The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...
.
On 14 March, Kadyrov posted a video of himself on social media claiming that he was in Hostomel as part of the Russian offensive on Kyiv. There was no independent verification of his claim.
Online newspaper ''
Ukrayinska Pravda
''Ukrainska Pravda'' ( uk, Українська правда, lit=Ukrainian Truth) is a Ukrainian online newspaper founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000 (the day of the Ukrainian constitutional referendum). Published mainly in Ukraini ...
'' claimed that on 16 March they tricked Kadyrov into accessing a link under the guise of the Russian media ''
RIA Novosti'' to obtain Kadyrov's
IP address
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label such as that is connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.. Updated by . An IP address serves two main functions: network interface ident ...
, which revealed the geolocation of Kadyrov's phone to be Grozny, Chechnya, instead of Ukraine.
Dmitry Peskov
Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov ( rus, Дмитрий Сергеевич Песков, p=pʲɪˈskof; born 17 October 1967) is a Russian diplomat and the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin.[Ukrainian Navy
The Military Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Військо́во-морські́ си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни, ВМС ЗСУ) is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Arme ...]
503rd Battalion surrendered to Russia. Former US
Navy SEAL
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...
Chuck Pfarrer
Charles Patrick Pfarrer III (born April 13, 1957) is an American writer, film producer, and former United States Navy SEAL. As an author, he has penned published screenplays, novels, comic book, and non-fiction works. Regardless of medium, his wo ...
believed the claim to be spotty, explaining that the captives appeared to be nearly unscathed and wore outfits which did not match the official Ukrainian marines uniform.
In late June 2022, Kadyrov announced the creation of four new battalions consisting only of ethnic
Chechens
The Chechens (; ce, Нохчий, , Old Chechen: Нахчой, ''Naxçoy''), historically also known as ''Kisti'' and ''Durdzuks'', are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group of the Nakh peoples native to the North Caucasus in Eastern Europe. "Eu ...
. These battalions would be named "North-Akhmat", "South-Akhmat", "West-Akhmat," and "Vostok-Akhmat", according to Kadyrov, and that they would be sent to fight in Ukraine.
In early September 2022, Kadyrov announced the dispatch of a further two Chechen battalions to Ukraine and published a video on telegram showing their departure. This announcement was made amid the
Russian retreat from Kharkiv Oblast.
Pro-Ukrainian forces
Many Chechen groups have formed or moved to Ukraine throughout the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Several hundred fighters have joined the war, most joining one of several Chechen groups. Some of these groups started operations during the Donbas war in 2014. Most fighters see fighting in Ukraine as a way of continuing the fight against Russia, getting them closer to their ultimate goal of Chechen Independence. Chechen groups in Ukraine have in the past been criticized for having Islamist elements.
One of these groups is the
Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion
, image = Батальйон_імені_Джохара_Дудаєва.png
, image_size =
, caption = Battalion sleeve insignia.
, start_date =
, country ...
, the Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion named after
Dzhokhar Dudayev consists of several hundred fighters and started operations during the Donbas war. Another Chechen Group that has been fighting since 2014 is the
Sheikh Mansur Battalion
, image = Insignia of the Sheikh Mansur battalion.png
, image_size =
, caption = Insignia of the Battalion
, start_date =
, country = ...
, a group criticized for recruiting Islamist members and having ties with Islamist groups. The Sheikh Mansur Battalion is headed by Cheberloevsky. The Sheikh Mansur Battalion helped 25 members of the Chechen-led Syrian Islamist group
Ajnad al-Kavkaz
, war = Syrian Civil War
, image = Ajnad Al-Kavkaz flag.svg
, caption = Flag of Ajnad al-Kavkaz.
, groups =
, active = 2015–''present''
, ideology = *Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamic ...
including its commander
Abdul Hakim al-Shishani join the fight in Ukraine. The Sheikh Mansur Battalion announced in July 2022 that they would be spreading their operations to Chechnya proper.
Another two armed battalions fighting for Ukraine are the Khamzat Gelayev Joint Task Detachment and the
Separate Special Purpose Battalion
The Separate Special Purpose Battalion of the Ministry of Defense of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is a military commando formation of Chechen volunteers, functioning as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine. It ...
both formed recently. The
Separate Special Purpose Battalion
The Separate Special Purpose Battalion of the Ministry of Defense of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is a military commando formation of Chechen volunteers, functioning as part of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine. It ...
which is part of the
Foreign Legion of Ukraine was formed in July 2022 and claims to be the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria's Government in exile's armed force. The Separate Special Purpose Battalion is headed by Zumso Hadji-Murad and fought in the
2022 Ukrainian southern counteroffensive. The Khamzat Gelayev Joint Task Detachment a relatively secretive groups is yet another Chechen group operating in Ukraine.
Reactions
On 28 February, the
National Guard of Ukraine
The National Guard of Ukraine (NGU; uk, Націона́льна гва́рдія Украї́ни, Natsionalna hvardiia Ukrainy, , ) is the Ukrainian national gendarmerie and Internal Troops, internal military force. It is part of the Minist ...
published a video showing members of the far-right
Azov Battalion
The Special Operations Detachment "Azov" (), also known as the Azov Regiment ( uk, Полк «Азов», translit=Polk "Azov") and formerly the Azov Battalion ( uk, батальйон «Азов», translit=Batalion "Azov"), is a unit of the ...
greasing bullets with pig fat, with the speaker in the video saying "Dear Muslim brothers. In our country, you will not go to heaven. You will not be allowed into heaven. Go home, please."
A number of analysts have stated that the presence of Kadyrovite forces in Ukraine is more focused on creating a psychological effect than on participating in fighting. Writing for
Foreign Policy
A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...
, Justin Ling stated that Russian media was "leveraging the very presence of Chechen soldiers in Ukraine as a psychological weapon against Ukrainians," while
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
professor Jean-François Ratelle that it was "about making people believe that what happened in Chechnya will happen in Ukraine—that they'll rampage the city, loot, rape, and kill." Aleksandre Kvakhadze of the
Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies has stated that "the footage and metadata show most Chechen forces are at least 20km away from the frontline, the only things they do is record videos to motivate people inside Chechnya and promote the warrior image of Kadyrov and his forces."
Comparisons to the Russia–Chechnya conflict
A number of commentators have made comparisons between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the
Chechen wars of the 1990s, notably the
Battle of Grozny.
Russian human rights group
Memorial
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...
director Aleksandr Cherkasov stated that "Putin started the same way in Chechnya as he has in Ukraine and continues as we move to a new stage of the conflict. It also began with a war that was originally called a 'counterterrorist operation' and was not described as an armed conflict." Tracey German of
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
wrote that:
Putin appears to have anticipated a repeat of Russia's decisive seizure of Crimea in 2014 or its invasion of Georgia in 2008 – but what we have seen is more similar to its intervention in Chechnya in December 1994 when the Russian armed forces were initially unable to convert their military superiority (certainly in terms of numbers) into military and strategic success, and thousands of Russian troops proved unable to secure the North Caucasian republic...
There are echoes of the Russian intervention into Chechnya in late December 1994 here, when the Russian leadership planned a massive armoured offensive against the Chechen capital, Grozny, intending to stage a decisive strike with air support, relying on speed to take the Chechen leadership by surprise and ensure Russia held the initiative. But the Chechen forces had been long prepared for a strike against the city and the attack was a dismal failure.
Scottish journalist
Neal Ascherson
Charles Neal Ascherson (born 5 October 1932) is a Scottish journalist and writer. He has been described by Radio Prague as "one of Britain's leading experts on central and eastern Europe". Ascherson is the author of several books on the history ...
wrote that "Putin's plan seems to have two stages. First, military victory, achieved mainly by isolating resistance in a few cities and then shelling them to blackened husks, as the Russians did to Grozny in Chechnya."
References
{{2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
2022 in Russia
Wars involving Chechnya
Politics of Chechnya
Ramzan Kadyrov