Head of Chechnya takes offence at his soldiers captured by Ukraine

Ramzan Kadyrov, Head of Chechnya [Federal Subject of Russia], has blamed his soldiers for being captured by Ukraine and did not meet them after the prisoners of war (POW) exchange.

Source: Kadyrov on Telegram

"Five Chechen soldiers have come back to Grozny [capital of Chechnya] from Ukrainian captivity.

The journalists asked my opinion about this. I believe that a Chechen soldier should have no reason to be in captivity.

There may be different excuses, but no matter what, the soldier must prove that he had no other choice. And he has to prove it by returning to the front line.

That is why I did not meet with those who came back. This is a matter of honour not only for the individual soldier but also of the honour of the entire unit, and the whole regiment in which the soldiers serve. Let them prove that they did not avoid combat, were not afraid to meet the enemy and did not seek to lay down their arms and escape bullets.

Of course, captivity is not a crime. I understand it. And we are glad that the soldiers are alive. An hour before they were captured, they communicated by radio and reported running out of ammunition. But every warrior should not just shoot chaotically but think about every shot and save every round. I realise that this is also my fault, that they were not sufficiently prepared for such a situation and did not fully understand that a soldier must plan his ammunition."

Details: Kadyrov says that the soldiers "now have a chance to prove to themselves, their comrades, their commander and the whole country that it was a forced step".

Background: Ukraine and Russia have held a major Easter POW exchange.

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