-21d0b63c17f6020e4df75f6c6f9a2f4f.jpg "Ivan Khomenko")
The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, intends to deploy 84,000 residents from the republic to the ongoing Russia’s war agaist Ukraine. This move is framed as a “voluntary” enlistment rather than a mobilization effort, as reported by the National Resistance Center (NRC).
Kadyrov claims that Chechnya has fulfilled all Kremlin assignments to avoid formal mobilization, suggesting that this large contingent of fighters has been recruited “voluntarily” and that the people should be grateful for this initiative.
According to the NRC, the Russian political leadership is struggling to manage the prolonged war, which has led to a shortage of personnel to sustain military operations. Consequently, Russia is reportedly seeking any opportunity to send Chechens and representatives of other ethnic minorities in Russia to the front lines.
Earlier in October, Chechnya was struck for the first time in the ongoing war: a drone targeted the Russian Special Forces University named after Vladimir Putin in Gudermes, Chechnya. According to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the attack set the roof of one of the campus buildings on fire. While there were no casualties, the incident marks the first recorded drone strike on Chechen soil, with the fire quickly extinguished afterward.
Following the attack, Kadyrov made a forceful statement on Russia’s state TV channel “Russia-1,” ordering his forces not to take Ukrainian soldiers as prisoners but to execute them on the spot. He emphasized that fighters should “intensify the fight by 100%” to, in his words, demonstrate the strength of Chechen forces. Kadyrov stated, “We will not allow anyone to play games with us. We will show them retribution they never dreamed of.”
In another statement he added, “They’ve bitten us—we will destroy them. In the very near future, we’ll show them the kind of vengeance they could never imagine.”
