He does not send his own troops
Kadyrov calls fleeing Russians cowards
9/23/2022, 9:26 p.m
Thousands of Russians are leaving their country to avoid the threat of conscription. The Chechen ruler Kadyrov vilified the war opponents as cowards and traitors to the fatherland. However, he himself does not want to send any new soldiers to Ukraine.
Chechnya’s ruler Ramzan Kadyrov has called Russians who refuse to take part in the war in Ukraine cowards. “You know, you’re nothing more than a coward, traitor and second-class citizen,” he addressed conscientious objectors on his Telegram channel. Reasons for refusal, such as rejection of war, violence or Russia’s political leadership, are just excuses, said Kadyrov.
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin announced partial mobilization on Wednesday. As a result, many Russians of military age left the country. A total of 300,000 reservists are to be drafted for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. However, Kadyrov himself only emphasized on Thursday that Chechnya would not take part in the mobilization. Several volunteer units from the Russian republic had previously gone to the front.
Kadyrov’s self-restraint is all the more astonishing given that the Chechen ruler reacted to the successes of the Ukrainian army in the first week of September with open criticism of the Moscow leadership and called for a change of strategy. “If changes are not made today or tomorrow in the conduct of the military special operation, I will be forced to go to the state leadership to explain the situation on the ground,” Kadyrov said on Telegram.
Hardliners put pressure on Putin
On February 24, Putin ordered the attack on the neighboring country. While the Russian armed forces initially conquered larger sections of territory, the advance has increasingly stalled in recent months. Most recently, Kiev troops were able to drive the Russian army almost entirely out of the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv with a major offensive.
The partial mobilization and the sham referendums in the occupied territories on joining Russia are seen as the Kremlin’s response to this failure. The Kremlin chief was also reacting to criticism from ultra-nationalist circles within Russia, who were calling for general mobilization.
Kadyrov, who governs Chechnya with an iron fist on behalf of the Russian government, is considered a man for the rough. His private army has earned a reputation for extreme brutality, taking merciless action against insurgents, dissidents and homosexuals at home, among other things. In the first weeks of the Ukraine war, however, Kyiv repeatedly accused him of bragging rights when he boasted about the alleged heroic deeds of his units.