Chechnya

Amid rumors about his health. the Chechen leader has opposed Russian school books and angered lawmakers for posting a video of his teenage son.

A post has appeared on the Chechen leader's Telegram channel, saying that he is alive and well.

The Chechen leader is said to be receiving treatment for kidney failure although the Kremlin has said it has no information about Kadyrov's condition.

Kadyrov is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's key allies and has committed his "Kadyrovtsy," or pro-Russian Chechen fighters, to Moscow in Ukraine.

Ramzan Kadyrov blamed Elkhan Suleymanov for his deteriorating health, the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reported.

"The fact that you imposed sanctions on my mother, I won't forgive you for that," said Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Pro-Russian Chechen fighters have been nicknamed the "TikTok army" for their enthusiasm in posting wartime clips of themselves online.

Several Chechen battalions have joined Kyiv's ranks, but forces loyal to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov also fight for Moscow.

Prigozhin won notoriety last month by marching his paramilitary forces toward Moscow, but Russian President Vladimir Putin also faces an unexpected threat from another warlord.

Chechen forces in Ukraine could be "pioneering" the use of vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, the British Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has praised Chechnya's fighters in Ukraine, and has been a staunch supporter of the war.

The journalist, Elena Milashina, has a long history of covering human rights abuses in Chechnya.

Yevgeny Pisarenko had fought in Ukraine since the invasion in February 2022.

Two Russian rebel groups—the Freedom of Russia Legion and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC)—entered Belgorod in early June.

Russia fought two bloody wars in Chechnya, which moved towards independence as the USSR disintegrated but which is now firmly under Moscow's control.

"Prigozhinites" collaborated with "enemy intelligence," said Roman Venevitin, who was recently captured and held briefly by the Wagner Group.

In a Telegram post, the Chechen leader said "the answer is obvious" as to whether his troops or Wagner forces were more effective.

The controversial visit of a Chechen businessman has sparked fresh anger as partially occupied Georgia struggles with a wave of Russian migrants.

Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Sunday that the mercenary fighters would receive "as much ammunition and weapons as we need."

Both Wagner and Chechen fighters have been present in Ukraine since the outbreak of full-scale war, but have performed different roles.

Ramzan Kadyrov said he will provide Chechen units to Bakhmut after Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin angrily announced he is leaving the city.

The five soldiers fighting for Kadyrov's forces in Ukraine had been taken prisoner on December 14.

The head of Russia's Chechen Republic has responded to rumors that he is gravely ill with severe kidney problems.

Chechnya's leader likely felt pressure to paint the southern Russian republic in a "positive and productive light," to Vladimir Putin, the ISW think tank said.

"Shoot to kill," Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Russia's Chechen Republic, said on his Telegram channel.

"Already now we can confidently say that the Wagner has indisputably proved its effectiveness in military terms," said Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

Ramzan Kadyrov may already have an "exit strategy" prepared for the aftermath of his "special relationship" with Vladimir Putin, Newsweek has been told.

Chechnya's president Ramzan Kadyrov said an investigation was underway into the "assassination attempt" on Apti Alaudinov.

Chechnya President Ramzan Kadyrov predicted that Russia will win the war in Ukraine "by the end of the year."

Chechnya's Akhmat battalion members allegedly carried out the attack on a Russian state television crew in Melitopol in southeastern Ukraine.