Chechens are being kidnapped in ‘mass abductions’ and forced to fight as ‘volunteers’ in Russia’s war in Ukraine, human rights groups claim
- Chechens without military experience were ‘abducted and sent to front lines’
- Human rights groups claimed hundreds were made to fight as ‘volunteers’
- Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Chechen Republic, has threatened to attack Poland
- His troops called the abducted people ‘scum’ and used them as ‘cannon fodder’
Chechens are being snatched from their homes in ‘mass abductions’ and forced to fight as ‘volunteers’ in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, human rights groups have claimed.
A group that fights against Chechen corruption and Russian propaganda called 1Adat said hundreds were being forced to fight in Ukraine.
President Putin’s protégé Ramzan Kadyrov, 45, the leader of the Chechen Republic, is one of the Russian despot’s most ardent followers and has frequently shared strong criticisms of the West.
His fighters, known as Kadyrovites, reportedly called the people they abducted ‘scum’ and sent them to the front line as ‘cannon fodder’.
1Adat said: ‘Throughout the republic, mass abductions are again taking place.
‘We are informed about hundreds of people from different regions of our occupied state.
Ramzan Kadyrov, 45, leader of the Chechen Republic, is Russian President Putin’s loyal ‘footsoldier’
Fighters of the Chechen special forces unit stand in a street during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 21
Kadyrovites posing in front of a destroyed building in Mariupol, Ukraine, which has seen some of the most intense fighting
‘The abducted are required to sign a paper stating that they are volunteers to be sent to Ukraine, otherwise they are threatened with fabrication of criminal cases.
‘Everyone who goes to Ukraine in this way will be used on the front line, like cannon fodder.
‘The Kadyrovites themselves say: “They are scum, they are not sorry, so there is nothing to worry about.” That is, the abductions are purposefully carried out in order to send cannon fodder to Ukraine.’
Human rights association Vayfond said in May it had received ‘dozens’ of messages from Chechens without military experience saying they were being forced to go to war.
Early this month the UK’s Ministry of Defence said: ‘The so-called ‘Kadyrovites’ began to enter the territory of Ukraine in the first days of the large-scale military invasion of Russia.
‘In attempting to overcome Ukrainian resistance, Russia has made significant use of auxiliary personnel.
Kadryrov – accused of using medieval torture on his enemies in Chechnya – has been called ‘the son Putin never had’ for his devout loyalty to the Kremlin leader
This includes a deployment of Chechen forces, likely consisting of several thousand fighters primarily concentrated in the Mariupol and Luhansk sectors.
‘The combat deployment of such disparate personnel demonstrates Russia’s significant resourcing problems in Ukraine and is likely contributing to a disunited command which continues to hamper Russia’s operations.’
Kadyrov has been accused of using medieval torture on his enemies in Chechnya and has been called ‘the son Putin never had’ for his devout loyalty to the Kremlin leader.
The Chechen supremo was promoted to the rank of Lt-General in the Russian national guard in April.
His troops have been accused of war crimes in Ukraine and Kadyrov himself has been known to follow them on excursions, although he has denied taking part in any extrajudicial killings.
Kadyrov has demanded an apology after a Ukrainian activist threw red paint over Russian ambassador Sergey Andreev as he attempted to lay flowers at the Soviet military cemetery in the Polish capital earlier this month
Chechen forces were known to be at the siege of Mariupol and were said to be among occupying forces who killed civilians in suburbs of Kyiv.
Moscow fought two wars with separatists in Chechnya, a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia, after the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union, but has since poured huge sums of money into the region to rebuild it and given Kadyrov a large measure of autonomy.
Kadyrov has been repeatedly accused by the United States and European Union of human rights abuses, which he denies.
In his latest outburst, he Kadyrov threatened war on Poland for its support of Ukraine.
In a video message on Monday, Kadyrov – who calls himself Putin’s ‘footsoldier’ – said: ‘Ukraine is a done deal. What I’m interested in is Poland.
‘What is Poland trying to achieve? Once Ukraine is done, we can show you what we’re capable of in six seconds if there is an order.’
He has demanded an apology after a pro-Ukrainian activist threw red paint over Russian ambassador Sergey Andreev in Warsaw as the diplomat lay flowers at a Soviet military ceremony on the anniversary of the Allied victory in WWII.
Kadyrov warned: ‘You better take away your weapons and your mercenaries and officially apologise to our ambassador.’
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