Kadyrov's Chechens in the Ukraine War

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/russian-special-forces-halt-advancement-of-ukrainian-troops

I've written many times about Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, the son of a rebel leader who turned into Moscow's faithful satrap. Usually when Kadyrov's name comes up, it's in reference to his corruption, authoritarian rule, or the hunting down of Chechen rebels abroad - men that would consider him to be a traitor and thus he's proven quite zealous in pursuing these men.

Kadyrov has a regiment fighting in the Ukraine War and as expected there has been some controversy surrounding them. But there's been some other recent developments that are noteworthy.

One, elements from the now fractured Wagner Group have been integrated into the Kadyrovtsy and some view the Chechen regiment as a successor to Wagner.

Two, they have (it would seem) been tasked with the rollback of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region. There are online debates over to what extent this is true and whether or not they are capable. By virtually all accounts the offensive has been halted and there are reports that the Akhmat Unit (the Chechen Kadyrovtsy) played a primary role. The leader of the unit, one Apti Alaudinov is also noteworthy. His name should be marked because he may be tapped to lead Chechnya in the near future.

There have long been reports suggesting that Ramzan Kadyrov (b. 1976) is quite sick and his situation seems to have worsened in the past year or so. He may be out of the picture in the near future and so Russia and Chechnya watchers are taking note. Alaudinov was the subject of a poison attack in 2023 and not a few believe Kadyrov was behind it. Kadyrov is fearful of rivals. It's hard to say this for sure but Alaudinov's relationship with Grozny has not always been the best - though he is in good standing in Moscow. At present Alaudinov stands poised to fulfill two roles - the paramilitary function of Wagner and perhaps in the near future, the administration of Chechnya. This would make him a very powerful man. But there will be rivals including family members and those from within Kadyrov's inner circle.

Both Washington and Kyiv will be watching closely, looking for intelligence and any angle that can be exploited.

See also:

https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-chechnya-kadyrov-wagner/32673388.html