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Deadly Explosion Rocks Occupied Melitopol, Kills Five Kadyrov’s Elite Fighters

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Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
Author
Deadly Explosion Rocks Occupied Melitopol, Kills Five Kadyrov’s Elite Fighters
Russian armored vehicle carrying Chechen troops exploding, April 3, 2025. (Source: HUR)

An armored Russian vehicle carrying troops from Chechnya’s “Akhmat Vostok ” unit was destroyed on the outskirts of temporarily occupied Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) reported on April 4.

The explosion occurred on April 3, targeting a Russian “Tigr ” armored vehicle. Onboard were members of the vehicle crew and additional personnel from the “Akhmat Vostok” unit, a formation linked to Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed head of Chechnya.

According to HUR, the blast killed at least five of the Kadyrov’s fighters.

Russian armored vehicle carrying Chechen troops exploding in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine on April 3, 2025. (Source: HUR)
Russian armored vehicle carrying Chechen troops exploding in Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine on April 3, 2025. (Source: HUR)

In addition, this marks yet another destruction of Russian military equipment in Ukraine, as the price for a single “Tigr” is estimated at approximately $200 thousand.

Earlier, reports emerged that Kadyrov intended to deploy 84,000 residents of Chechnya to the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine. This move is framed as a “voluntary” enlistment rather than a mobilization effort.

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The Akhmat Special Rapid Reaction Squad is a unit of the Russian Federal Guard, actually subordinated personally to the head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov. The unit was created in 2009 to fight supporters of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Novaya Gazeta journalists have noted in investigations that Akhmat has been involved in kidnappings, torture and extrajudicial executions, and the unit is home to at least one secret prison. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Akhmat was ironically referred to as “tiktok-voyska” because its fighters did not participate in combat operations but filmed videos in the rear in which they simulated a fierce confrontation with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Which means “Tiger” in Russian.