Kadyrov Avoids Involving Chechens in the War Against Ukraine, The Economist Says

Kadyrov avoids involving Chechens in the war against Ukraine, The Economist says

As The Economist writes, the head of Chechnya publicly supports the war in Ukraine, but is in no rush to send his own citizens there.

The publication recalls that Kadyrov previously claimed that Chechnya had sent more than 70,880 fighters to the war. That amounts to 9% of the republic’s male population, and it would be the highest percentage among all Russian regions. However, according to Mediazona, as of July 10 the number of killed Chechens stood at only 539. That is 0.2% of Russia’s total losses, even though Chechnya accounts for 1.1% of Russia’s population.

One of the publication’s sources, closely connected to the Chechen leadership, claims that “whatever interests Moscow may have in Ukraine, we have absolutely nothing to do with them.”

According to him, “the boss understands the situation perfectly well” and does not want to sacrifice his people for the sake of the “Russian world.” Most Russians are tired of the war, but Chechens have special reasons to hate it. That is because local residents over 35 remember the bombings and Bucha-style “cleansing operations” that Russian troops carried out in Chechnya during the two wars.

As The Economist writes, so far Kadyrov has effectively managed to prevent forced mobilization for the war in Chechnya. This has allowed him to turn the war to his own advantage, strengthening his image as a “father of the nation” protecting his fellow countrymen.

Many Akhmat fighters are known less for their participation in the war than for their activity on social media. Videos of their “heroic battles” are often filmed far from the front line. Even Russian military bloggers call them “TikTok troops.” “They do seem to take part, but they are under orders not to overdo it and to watch themselves,” says a source close to the Chechen leadership.

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