Russia wants to send more Kadyrovites and prisoners to Ukraine to patch up holes at the front – Bloomberg

European intelligence officials believe that Russia is preparing to send more Chechen militants and convicts to Ukraine to fill in the holes left by Wagner Group mercenaries who left the battlefield.

Source: Bloomberg

Details: Unnamed officials say that due to the fact that Ukraine is reportedly on the offensive on the Bakhmut front, Russian defence lines risk being "overstretched".

In particular, Russia transferred a large number of troops to Bakhmut after Wagner Group announced its withdrawal from the city at the end of May, which led to a shortage of forces in the occupied territories of the southern part of Ukraine.

Unnamed European officials say that while the departure of Wagnerites is not expected to change the course of the war, Vladimir Putin's determination to avoid full military mobilisation means Russia is likely to send more Chechens and prisoners to the front line in the coming weeks.

It is unclear how many additional troops the Republic of Chechnya can provide. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who professes loyalty to Putin, in May stated on Telegram that 7,000 military personnel were already in Ukraine, and another 2,400 were being trained for two new regiments of the Ministry of Defence.

Chechen militants haven't yet been noticeably effective during the war. Some critics have dubbed them "TikTok battalions" for being more active on social media than in combat.

The Kremlin may see them "as an untapped assault force that could restore Russia's ability to support simultaneous offensive efforts," analysts at the Institute for the Study of War stated in a 31 May report.

However, their participation mainly in rear operations last year "may indicate that Kadyrov is in no hurry to involve his troops in offensive operations," the Washington Research Center believes.

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