Ramzan Kadyrov, the current head of Chechnya, has declared that 3,000 former Wagner mercenaries will join the “Akhmat” special forces unit.
One of the commanders of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) with the call sign “Ratibor” will join the Chechen special forces along with 3,000 former Wagner mercenaries, stated Ramzan Kadyrov.
“Ratibor has been undergoing treatment for injuries sustained during artillery shelling for quite some time. As soon as he recovered, he decided to return to the combat zone as part of ‘Akhmat’,” Kadyrov revealed.
He referred to the decision to incorporate former PMC fighters into the special forces as a “strategically important step in strengthening the country’s defence capabilities.”
According to Kadyrov, the Ministry of Defence has already allocated the necessary number of vacancies in the special forces.
Organisational matters will soon be resolved, and the fighters will commence operational and combat tasks.
On February 16th, the commander of the special forces, Apty Alaudinov, stated that three full-fledged units comprising Wagner fighters had been formed within “Akhmat,” with 1,060 individuals joining two new units.
In October, Kadyrov reported over 170 former Wagner mercenaries joining “Akhmat,” emphasising that fighters had been joining earlier as well.
Wagner PMC fighters, founded by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, were actively involved in the fighting in Ukraine, such as in the battles for Bakhmut.
On June 24th of the previous year, a revolt within the PMC occurred. A day before this, Prigozhin accused the Ministry of Defence of striking the Wagner fighters’ camp, a claim the ministry denied.
Prigozhin stated that his forces had blockaded Rostov-on-Don, after which Wagner columns moved towards Moscow.
Negotiations between Prigozhin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko facilitated the cessation of the revolt. As part of the agreements, some PMC fighters relocated to Belarus.
Two months later, on August 23rd, Prigozhin’s plane crashed in the Tver region, with Wagner PMC commander Dmitry Utkin also on board, among ten individuals in total.
Main Image: http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/57797/photos
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