Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechen Republic, has condemned the mutiny by the Wagner Group, a paramilitary organization for Russian President Vladimir Putin, and said on Saturday that his forces were ready to help put down the rebellion.
Kadyrov called the Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s actions “a knife in the back” and warned that Chechen units were headed to the “zones of tension” to “preserve Russia’s units and defend its statehood.”
HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE WAGNER REBELLION AGAINST THE RUSSIAN MILITARY
He cautioned in his Telegram statement that Russian soldiers avoid giving in to any “provocations.”
Chechen soldiers are reportedly arriving in the Rostov region Saturday morning. Various social videos showed Chechen tanks headed toward the Russian army headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, where Wagner troops have reportedly set up.
A military column of Kadyrov’s Chechen soldiers has just arrived to the Rostov region.
Looks like the battle between the Wagner Group and Kadyrov’s Chechens is about to start pic.twitter.com/jKLmm2LoSu
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 24, 2023
Other journalists’ reports on social media report that the Chechen military is “15 minutes from Rostov.”
Chechen leader Kadyrov’s Akhmat troops have reached the Aksai, 15 minutes from Rostov. Kadyrov had made statements in favor of Putin after Prizgohin’s rebellion. pic.twitter.com/iEKdWHFiDP
— Levent Kemal (@leventkemaI) June 24, 2023
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Kadyrov, who was previously a Prigozhin ally, is a close ally of Putin.
In a televised address on Saturday, Putin said that “those who have organized an armed rebellion will be held accountable.”
