Chechen soldiers await orders to enter Bakhmut

Chechnya's leader, General Kadyrov, said soldiers from the Akhmat special regiment were awaiting orders to enter Bakhmut, after Wagner threatened to withdraw troops there.

"Akhmat fighters are ready to go to Bakhmut. We are waiting for orders. Some units have already started marching," Colonel General Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia's Chechen Republic, announced on Telegram on May 6.

Kadyrov said he had signed a letter to Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin, stating that units of the Akhmat special regiment were ready to take control of the city of Bakhmut and "clear it of Ukrainian and NATO forces".

General Kadyrov said Chechen forces and the Russian Defense Ministry had studied their own tactics in Bakhmut and believed the new way of fighting would "be effective".

President Putin and Russian Defense Ministry leaders have not responded to this information.

Leader of Russia's Chechen Republic, Colonel General Ramzan Kadyrov during a meeting on April 27 in Moscow. Photo: Sputnik — Colonel General Ramzan Kadyrov, leader of Russia's Chechen Republic, during a meeting on April 27 in Moscow. Photo: *Sputnik*

Chechnya's 141st Special Forces Mechanized Regiment, also known as the Akhmat Regiment, coordinated with Russian units to attack the city of Lysychansk, the last Ukrainian stronghold in Lugansk Oblast last year.

Chechen leaders previously announced that the Akhmat regiment would replace the Russian private military group Wagner in Bakhmut, after Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin threatened to withdraw all forces from the city from May 10 due to a lack of ammunition from the Russian Defense Ministry.

Prigozhin said he decided to withdraw troops to prevent Wagner members from "losing their lives in vain" due to lack of ammunition, adding that "the fault lies entirely with the Russian Defense Ministry." He also asked the Russian Defense Ministry to allow the transfer of positions in Bakhmut to General Kadyrov.

Fierce fighting has been raging in Bakhmut for months as both Russia and Ukraine have focused their efforts on the city in Donetsk province. Wagner forces have been the main attackers, with regular Russian units providing support. The White House estimates that around 10,000 Wagner fighters have been killed in five months of fighting.

Location of the cities of Bakhmut and Chasov Yar. Graphics: RYV — Location of the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. Graphic: *RYV*

Ukraine has declared Bakhmut as the “key to containing Russian forces” in the Donbass region and is determined to hold on to the city to the end. Western military experts say control of Bakhmut could allow Russian forces to advance further west and directly target Ukraine’s strategic targets in the west, including Chasov Yar.

Duc Trung (According to TASS )

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