Kadyrov refused to send Chechens en masse to fight in war against Ukraine for Kremlin’s "Russian world," - Economist
Ramzan Kadyrov, despite his overt support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and claims of tens of thousands of trained fighters, is in fact avoiding sending large numbers of Chechen residents to war.
According to Censor.NET, The Economist reports this, citing a source close to the Chechen leadership.
"Whatever interests Moscow has in Ukraine, we are a world apart from them," the publication's source said.
According to him, although Kadyrov publicly refers to himself as "Putin's foot soldier," he does not want to sacrifice the people of Chechnya for the sake of the Kremlin's "Russian world."
He claimed 70,000 fighters, but Chechnya’s losses are significantly lower
At a meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in April, Kadyrov claimed that Chechnya had trained and sent more than 70,000 soldiers to the war.
The Economist notes that such a number would amount to approximately 9% of Chechnya’s total male population and would represent one of the highest rates of mobilization among Russian regions.
However, casualty data paint a different picture. According to Mediazona’s calculations, only 540 confirmed deaths of Chechen nationals have been reported since the start of the full-scale war. This represents about 0.2% of confirmed Russian casualties, even though Chechnya is home to approximately 1.1% of Russia’s population.
The Economist attributes this discrepancy to the fact that military units formed in Chechnya are largely staffed by people from other regions of Russia.
Chechens are a minority in "Akhmat"
Following the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a volunteer special forces unit called "Akhmat" was formed in Chechnya, recruiting Russians from across the country.
Its commander, Apti Alaudinov, has previously acknowledged that Chechens make up only about a quarter of the unit’s personnel.
A source close to the Chechen leadership, cited by The Economist, also claims that Chechen residents fighting as part of "Akhmat" have allegedly been ordered "not to try too hard and to look out for themselves."
According to the publication’s assessment, Kadyrov has thus effectively managed to avoid large-scale forced conscription of Chechens into the war against Ukraine. At the same time, this helps him maintain an image within the republic as a leader who protects his fellow Chechens.
Chechens remember Russian bombings
The Economist notes that attitudes toward the war among Chechens also have historical roots. A significant portion of the republic’s residents over the age of 35 remember the Russian bombings, the so-called "cleansing" operations, and the mass killings that took place during the Chechen wars of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Kadyrov himself fought alongside his father, Akhmat Kadyrov, against Russian troops on the side of Chechen forces during the First Chechen War. Later, the Kadyrovs switched sides to support Moscow, and after Akhmat Kadyrov’s assassination, Ramzan Kadyrov took the helm of Chechnya with Putin’s backing.
