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Chechen soldiers in the Russian-besieged town of Bakhmut, in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast.
Not all Chechen combat troops are on Moscow's side in the Russian war of aggression.
This unit fights in the service of Ukraine.
But for her it is about much more.
»Maga«, Chechen soldier:
“We don't fight just for the sake of fighting. We also want to achieve freedom and independence for our country.«
The Chechen fighters, who are under Ukrainian military command, hope that a Ukrainian victory will trigger a political crisis in Russia - and with it an end to tyranny in the Russian republic of Chechnya.
"Tor", Chechen soldier:
»People now understand that we have to break away from Russia. We need to de-Russify ourselves as much as possible. We have to get rid of their (Russian) language, their alphabet, their culture, everything that connects us with them.«
Chechnya is ruled by a brutal regime headed by Ramzan Kadyrov.
The notorious tyrant helped the Russian president win the Chechen war in 2004 by bloodily crushing uprisings in the predominantly Muslim Caucasus republic.
Kadyrov has not only achieved fame as »Putin's bloodhound«.
He presents himself and his followers confident of victory, also on social media.
Videos of him and his fighters have been shared thousands of times.
In early October, Kadyrov announced that he would have his sons, aged 14, 15 and 16, trained by Chechen soldiers and fighting for the Russians in Ukraine.
Days later, Kadyrov published this video.
It is intended to show how his sons handed over three Ukrainian prisoners of war to their father - that would be a participation of minors in combat operations.
However, none of these videos can be independently verified.
The Ukrainian counterpart often jokes about “Kadyrov's TikTok squad”.
But they are not feared without reason or only because of their jihadist ideas and brutal actions.
As Russia admitted losses in Ukraine and mobilized at home, Kadyrov said Moscow should consider using a low-yield nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechen leader:
“We will not capture these devils, we will burn them. We won't stop anywhere. It's our territory."
Unlike Kadyrov's troops, the Chechens fighting for Ukraine are holding back.
According to their own statements, most of them come from European countries to which they fled during the two Chechen wars in the 1990s.
»Maga«, Chechen soldier:
“The older ones have combat experience, they fought in Chechnya. The younger ones are mostly the sons of those who were killed or fought then, but are now too old to pick up a weapon themselves.”
Even if they go to war against their own compatriots, the Chechens, who are involved in this war, obviously have an unbroken will to win, on both sides