Brutal, cruel, trusted by Putin: Who are the Kadyrovites that are fighting alongside Russians in Ukraine?
India Today
The Kadyrovites are troops from Chechen who are fighting alongside the Russians in Ukraine. They are known for being especially brutal.
The Kadyrovites, known for being especially cruel, are troops from the republic of Chechnya who have joined Russia’s war against Ukraine.
According to Ukrainians, the Chechens have been among the most brutal of the invading forces.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally who has been accused of human rights abuses such as torture and executions, regularly posts videos of his men fighting in Ukraine on Telegram. In the videos, the Kadyrovites can be seen shooting in all directions while Ukrainian victims are dragged between corpses.
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Ramzan Kadyrov is the son of a Chechen independence leader who switched sides to join the Russians. He is President Vladimir Putin's protégé, according to an AFP report.
When Vladimir Putin announced the invasion of Ukraine, he immediately said he would send forces. He said his men would fight the “Nazis of Kyiv”, speaking the same language as Russia. He is taking part in the Ukraine operation to show his loyalty to Putin, as per political expert Konstantin Kalachev.
The 45-year-old leader said last month that he had travelled to the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol. He claimed he had found and ‘punished’ with his own hands a Ukrainian soldier who allegedly tortured a Russian.
