“Remarkable successes” – Wagner as a role model: Kadyrov wants his own mercenary

Kadyrov went on to explain that he wanted to set up his own professional mercenary group once he was no longer in a government position. In fact, he already has such a force, because Russia also deploys units from Chechnya in the offensive war against Ukraine, which are formally part of the police and the national guard, but are mainly under the command of Kadyrov.

Signal a Putin
The Chechen president posted a photo where he can be seen with Prigozhin – nicknamed “Putin’s chief”. Their solidarity can be seen as a political signal, as both are loyal to President Vladimir Putin, but are outspoken critics of the Russian military leadership. However, Prigozhin’s political influence seemed to be waning in recent weeks. The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) previously reported that Kadyrov distanced himself from Wagner’s founder in order not to fall out of favor with the Kremlin.

The attack on the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut was carried out with heavy casualties, mainly by the riflemen of Group Wagner. For more than six months, the mercenaries have been trying to conquer the city together with regular units. So far without success, although the Ukrainian defenders have come under considerable pressure. They recently complained that the military was not giving them enough ammunition.

battle for influence
According to the ISW, Prigozhin continues to escalate the domestic power struggle with such direct accusations. Accordingly, the 61-year-old wants to undermine the Russian Ministry of Defense under Sergei Shoigu by blaming him for the setbacks the Wagner group suffers with its strategy of attrition. By bringing together ultra-nationalists and war lawyers like Kadyrov, he is now trying to regain influence. However, Prigozhin “is unlikely to be able to count on the support of these numbers,” the ISW said.

In the opaque power struggle between the Russian elites, the conflicts within the group of hardliners – the siloviki – could thus intensify. Especially if the individual actors have their own mercenaries. According to the Ukrainian secret service, the energy company Gazprom is building its own army. According to Ukrainian sources, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu also has a private military unit called “Patriot”, which is already deployed to the front in eastern Ukraine.

spot in Ukraine
In any case, Kadyrov’s announcement is already being mocked in Ukraine. Anton Gerashenko, adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, responded on Twitter: “Russia is becoming a decentralized feudal society.”