Home » World » Part of Chechen Troops Defect to Attack Russian Army All

Part of Chechen Troops Defect to Attack Russian Army All

ZAPORIZHZHIA, KOMPAS.com – Part of the squad Chechnya reportedly defected by not attacking soldiers Ukrainebut the team Russia.

Islam is one of those who claim to act so.

He was a Chechen who fought with the Ukrainian army near the front.

“If the Russians took me, I wouldn’t be swapped. They would torture me then show me on television,” he said AFP.

Also read: Chechen Leader Warning: Ukraine Done, Poland Next

The 33 -year -old dissident is a refugee who has been in Poland for nearly two decades, joined Sheikh Mansur’s battalion in April 2022.

Founded in 2014 after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, the battalion is made up mostly of veterans of the Chechen war.

It is named after the 18th-century Chechen military commander who fought against Russian expansion in the Caucasus, a reminder that the Chechen independence campaign is nothing new.

Several hundred men with shaved heads and long beards like Islam have reportedly volunteered to help Ukraine fend off Russian invasion.

Islam did not reveal exactly how many troops were in the battalion or where they were stationed.

He wanted to keep their identities a secret for fear of reprisals against relatives in Chechnya.

Because right across the front line, there were Chechens loyal to the Kremlin who served with the “Kadyrovites,” Chechen militias with a bad reputation, deployed with the Russian troops.

Also read: Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechen leader and Putin ally ready to attack Poland

They are said to be made up of 8,000 fighters – a figure that has not been verified.

“We want to show that not all Chechens are like them. Many of us see Russia as an aggressor and occupier,” Islam said as bomb sirens blared.

For him, the war in Ukraine had an air of deja vu.

“It’s like a trip to the past, a continuation of what started in the Caucasus,” he said calmly, getting out of the van with the broken windshield and hasty spray paint job.

The Chechen capital, Grozny, which was destroyed by Russian bombs more than two decades ago, suffered a similar fate to the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

The small Muslim-majority republic was ravaged by two brutal wars.

Also read: Ukrainian Troops Withdraw from Popasna, Chechnya Claims Takeover

The latter, initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 1999, led to the deployment of Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been accused of ruthlessly suppressing the opposition.

As a result, an estimated 250,000 Chechen diaspora has formed in Europe, Turkey and the UAE.

“I decided to join the battalion (for) the honor of the Chechens who Moscow is trying to disguise as terrorists,” said Islam, who has received threats for documenting alleged Russian war crimes online.

He takes orders from Deputy Commander Mansour, a 40-year-old soldier with battle scars.

“Two of us have died and others have been injured. But the important thing is that we are here,” said Mansur.

“We have things to teach local soldiers about war,” he said.

Chechen fighters are not officially part of the Ukrainian army.

Also read: The Role of Ramzan Kadyrov and his Chechen Troops in Putin’s War in Ukraine

The equipment they used was taken from Russia, and they were fed by the locals.

“We are not here to impose the Islamic belief. We are here to fight a common enemy and defend freedom,” Mansour said.

Get updates news of choice and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram group “Kompas.com News Update”, how to click the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must first install the Telegram application on your cellphone.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.