Shootout Between Russian Soldiers and Kadyrov-Linked Akhmat Unit Kills One in Occupied Mariupol

A shootout between Russian servicemen and fighters from the “Akhmat”  unit broke out near a local club in the temporarily occupied city of Mariupol, killing one Russian soldier and seriously wounding one Akhmat fighter, the Atesh resistance movement said on January 14.

Atesh said the clash began as an argument inside the club and escalated into close-range gunfire in front of passersby. It said the dispute was triggered by competition over local women, with verbal insults quickly turning into a shooting.

Citing Atesh, the group said that with the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, having officially declared 2026 the “Year of Friendship of Peoples,” news of an interethnic shootout in the center of what it called a “liberated” city would be politically embarrassing for the Kremlin, and it said military commanders were trying by any means to conceal the incident.

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Atesh said it had sources inside Russian units in Mariupol and claimed it could track events within occupying forces, arguing that public messaging about cohesion contrasted with what it described as violent internal conflict.

Earlier, Atesh said Russian officers were reportedly issuing battlefield orders while heavily intoxicated, causing significant casualties and disorganization within a Russian military unit.

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