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Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Muslim-majority region of Chechnya on Wednesday, marking his first trip to the area in 13 years. The visit has garnered significant attention, particularly after a video surfaced showing Putin respectfully kissing a gifted Quran and holding it close to his heart. Upon arrival, Putin received a warm welcome from Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, with whom he discussed strengthening bilateral relations, military, trade, and economic ties. The two leaders have consistently demonstrated strong relations, with Kadyrov frequently referring to Putin as a close friend in media interactions. During the visit, Russian president, accompanied by Kadyrov...

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov have inspected Chechen troops and volunteers preparing to fight in Ukraine in Putin’s first visit to the North Caucasus region since 2011. -snip- “As long as we have men like you, we are absolutely, absolutely invincible,” Putin told soldiers at the Russian Special Forces University, a training school in Chechnya’s Gudermes, according to a transcript on the Kremlin’s website. “It is one thing to shoot at a shooting range here, and another thing to put your life and health at risk. But you have an inner need to defend the Fatherland...

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday made an unscheduled trip to Chechnya, a mainly Muslim republic within the Russian Federation, his first visit in nearly 13 years, as Ukraine's stunning cross-border incursion into western Russia entered its third week. Putin was greeted by Chechnya’s self-styled strongman leader, Ramzan Kadyrov

Ukraine has claimed a major victory that could turn the tide of the war with Russia. Fighters loyal to the infamous Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov have been captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region during a stunning incursion on Vladimir Putin’s territory. Footage shows dozens of men blindfolded, with their hands tied, sitting in lines. Some appear bloodied, with bandages around their wounds. Two of them can be heard telling a Ukrainian soldier they are from Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. The video was released by the I Want to Live (Hochu Zhit) project run by Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence...

In recent weeks, reports have emerged from Russia suggesting a dramatic shift in allegiances involving Ramzan Kadyrov's Chechen forces. Military bloggers and analysts are abuzz with claims that Kadyrov’s troops have betrayed Russia and struck a covert agreement with Ukraine, raising serious questions about the loyalty and actions of these units, according to Ziare. According to military bloggers known for their "Z" commentary, Kadyrov's Akhmat unit allegedly backstabbed Russian forces by deliberately avoiding confrontation with Ukrainian troops during an offensive in the Kursk region. A former Wagner mercenary, who goes by the name Alex Parker, has shared on his Telegram...

The leader of Russia's Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, said early on Thursday he had met President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin and offered to send more fighters to help Moscow in its more than two-year-old conflict in Ukraine. Kadyrov, who has led his South Caucasus region as a Kremlin loyalist since 2007, posted a photo of himself with Putin and said he had discussed the region's economic problems and prospects and invited the president to visit. He said tens of thousands of "well trained and equipped fighters from the reserves" were prepared to fight for Russia in Ukraine if such...

A close ally of Chechnya’s Kremlin-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov resigned unexpectedly as speaker of parliament on Wednesday, creating a vacancy in the elite at a time when Kadyrov’s health is under close scrutiny. Magomed Daudov was widely seen as one of the most influential politicians in the southern Russian region. He gave no reason for his departure.

An ailing warlord pal of Vladimir Putin appeared to be in a bad state when he turned up at the Russian dictator’s inauguration in Moscow today (May 7). The bloated Chechen maniac Ramzan Kadyrov, 47, struggled to walk up the steps into the Kremlin for the ceremony, and then had difficulty getting his coat off. The dad-of-15 needed help from his ally Adam Delimkhanov, 54, a Russian MP, and an aide to sort himself out. It was the first public sighting of Putin lackey Kadyrov in Moscow since reports emerged last month that he was terminally ill, suffering from “pancreatic...

Vladimir Putin is no stranger to rumours about his own health – but now the health of one of his closest allies has been called into question. Exiled newspaper Novaya Gazeta Europe claims that Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov, 47, is suffering from pancreatic disease and has ‘no hope of recovery’. The news outlet says Kadyrov – a leading ally of the dictator’s war against Ukraine – has been living with ‘pancreatic necrosis’ for more than five years, which explains his frequent absences from the public stage. An extraordinary new picture shows the Chechen warlord looking unusually bloated. Novaya Gazeta Europe...

Former American intelligence officer Scott Ritter has visited the Russian republic of Chechnya, offering its leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his fighters "friendship" with the United States. Ritter, a former United Nations Special Commission weapons inspector, U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer, and a convicted sex offender, made the remarks in an address during his visit to Chechnya's capital, Grozny.

Russia's Ramzan Kadyrov once again demanded that the United States lift sanctions against members of his family—and his horses—this time offering Ukrainian prisoners of war in exchange, Russian state media reported on Friday. Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya and Russian President Vladimir Putin's loyal ally, made the offer via former American intelligence officer Scott Ritter, who was visiting Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.(snip)"We have prisoners whom we took in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions," Kadyrov was quoted as telling Ritter, a former U.S. official and, more recently, a Russian media darling. "I am passing on to our guest the list...

Russia's Ramzan Kadyrov once again demanded that the United States lift sanctions against members of his family—and his horses—this time offering Ukrainian prisoners of war in exchange, Russian state media reported on Friday. Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya and Russian President Vladimir Putin's loyal ally, made the offer via former American intelligence officer Scott Ritter, who was visiting Grozny, the capital of Chechnya. -snip- It is not immediately clear why Kadyrov decided to reach out to U.S. authorities via Ritter, a disgraced former UN weapons inspector and Marine Corps analyst, who is also a convicted sex offender. Ritter was guilty...

The Head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, wants the United States to lift sanctions against his family, for which he is ready to give up Ukrainian prisoners of war, APA reports citing Pravda EN. During a visit to Chechnya by American ex-intelligence officer Scott Ritter, the head of the republic Ramzan Kadyrov offered to exchange captured Ukrainian servicemen for the lifting of US sanctions against his family, RIA Novosti reports. "We have prisoners whom we took away in Donetsk and Lugansk. I am passing (the list) to our guest... if they lift the sanctions on my mother, my daughters...

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a key ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has called for the execution of family members of suspected criminals who cannot be found. During a Dec. 30 meeting of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic, Kadyrov told security commanders that relatives are acceptable recipients of punishment for criminal suspects who are not apprehended. -snip- "As is customary from time immemorial, if one of the relatives has done wrong and the criminal cannot be found, their brother, their father would be killed."

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Monday that another 3,000 of his fighters were ready to go to fight in Ukraine as part of new units of the Russian defence ministry and the Russian National Guard forces. -snip- "They (the fighters) have the best equipment and modern weapons," Kadyrov said on the Telegram messaging app. "In addition, the guys are highly combative and very motivated to achieve results." In May, Kadyrov said that Chechnya, which is a federal republic of Russia, had sent more than 26,000 fighters to Ukraine from the start of the war, including 12,000 volunteers and that...

Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Russia’s Chechnya region and close ally of President Vladimir Putin, proposed on Saturday that a presidential election due next March should either be postponed due to the war in Ukraine or limited to one candidate- Putin.

The head of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has expressed support for the Palestinians and called for a ceasefire and offered to send his troops to Palestine as part of a peacekeeping mission. In a statement, Kadyrov appealed to the international community to "make a fair decision regarding Palestine at least once."

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov declared his support for Palestinians and offered to send his soldiers to “mediate in the conflict” between Israel and the Hamas. In a video recorded on Monday and released on his Telegram channel, Kadyrov who is also known as a long-time ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, urged the international community to call for a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “I address the leaders of Muslim nations to create a coalition and reach out to those who you call friends, Europe and the whole West to demand stopping the bombing of peaceful civilians in Palestine...

After posting a video on Telegram, Ramzan Kadyrov said he was “proud” of his son for assaulting a man accused of burning the Quran. The leader of Russia's Chechnya region, Ramzan Kadyrov, said on Monday he was pleased with his son for beating a prisoner accused of burning the Quran. Kadyrov posted his comments on Telegram along with a video of a young man dressed in khaki kicking and slapping a man in a chair, before throwing him to the ground. The 46-year-old, often referred to as "Putin's mad dog", said he released the video to clear up any doubts...

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman refused to comment on Tuesday on the beating of a prisoner by the teenaged son of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, an incident that drew condemnation even from some pro-Kremlin hardliners. Kadyrov said on Monday he was proud of his son Adam, 15, for the attack on Nikita Zhuravel, a Russian man accused of burning the Koran, and posted a video of the beating. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at the start of his daily briefing that he would not be commenting on the incident. When asked why, he said: "I don't want to." In the...