war in Ukraine
Notorious Chechen leader Kadyrov admits heavy casualties in Kherson
Supports Russia in its war in Ukraine: Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov
© Itar-Tass / Imago Images
Ukraine reported earlier this week that it had eliminated dozens of soldiers from Ramzan Kadyrov’s units in Kherson. Now the Chechen leader and Putin supporter has confirmed the attack.
It is an unusual step: the notorious ruler of the Russian republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has admitted the death of 23 soldiers from his units in a Ukrainian attack. 58 other fighters were injured in the attack in the Russian-occupied Cherson region. “Yes, our losses in the morning hours of that day were great,” Kadyrov wrote, followed by slogans of perseverance. Normally, the Russian army and the troops supporting it are very reluctant to give concrete information about casualties.
Kadyrov’s admission confirms Ukraine’s report
Ukraine reported on Tuesday evening that more than 100 Chechen soldiers had been hit by artillery in Cherson. “Precise artillery strikes by the defense forces killed 30 occupiers in the village of Kajiry in the Kherson region and more than 100 enemy soldiers remained under the rubble,” said the evening situation report of the Ukrainian general staff.
The Ukrainian military governor of the Kherson region, Serhiy Khlan, said that after leaving the city of Kherson across the Dnipro, the Chechen unit was stationed in a school in a village on the other bank of the river. The men themselves revealed their whereabouts through photos on social networks. “All our forces had to do was keep at it,” Chlan said. He reported more than 40 dead and 60 buried.
Kadyrov initially did not comment on the incident himself, but on Tuesday he expressed his dissatisfaction with Russia’s allegedly too soft action in Ukraine on social networks. For the shelling of Russian territory – to which Kadyrov counts Kherson after the annexation – Ukrainian cities must be razed to the ground, he demanded.
Kadyrov, known for his brutal leadership in Chechnya in the North Caucasus, has emerged as one of the most ardent supporters of the war since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, sending troops of his own into Ukraine.
Sources: Telegram, DPA