Russia-Ukraine war: Chechen troops release Kremlin forces trapped in troubled Mariupol

Amid incessant Russia's military offensive toward Ukraine, reports have emerged that Chechen troops have intervened in the violent clashes and come to the rescue of Kremlin special military forces. Sources informed that Russian military men were trapped in a Ukrainian encirclement for a while before the Ramzan Kadyrov-led forces released them. The release surfaced simultaneously to Vladimir Putin's army's continued aggression in the city of Mariupol which sheltered 500 civilians, Belkis Willie, a senior researcher with Human Rights Watch told on March 16.

On the other hand, the Russian embassy in the US on March 17 accused the American media of running a "disinformation campaign" after reports emerged that bombardment hit Ukraine's Mariupol theatre where hundreds of people had taken shelter.

Who are Chechen troops in Ukraine?

The Ramzan Kadyrov-led Chechen troops fighting for Vladimir Putin's forces in Ukraine have been identified as members of the Russian National Guard, a paramilitary internal security force that purportedly communicates directly to Vladimir Putin. For the unversed, Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic since 2007, was responsible for gay hate crimes, the kidnapping of government officials, journalists, and citizens. On Monday, Kadyrov and his Chechen forces were reportedly assisting the Russian military near Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv. 

Kadyrov is accused by international NGOs of serious human rights violations in the tightly controlled Caucasus Republic. The hardline leader posted a video on Telegram of himself in military uniform studying plans in a room with soldiers, which he said was shot at Hostomel, an airfield near Kyiv which was captured by Russian forces in the initial days of the war.

Advocating for Putin, he had said that Russians will show that the Kremlin teaches 'warfare better than foreign theory'. However, the authenticity of the video was not independently verified. 

The Chechnya Republic is ruled by Kadyrov with an iron fist policy and he is regarded as a former militant turned Russian ally with a force at his dispense. 

Historically speaking, two Chechen volunteer forces combatted Russia-backed separatists and regular Russian forces in the rebel region of Donbas in 2014. Putin's recent decision to announce Donbas as an autonomous state was lauded by Kadyrov. 

Image: AP