The leader of the autonomous Chechnya region of Russia has said that he has sent 70,000 of his best fighters to the war in Ukraine to fight alongside Russian troops.
Ramzan Kadyrov is a close ally of Putin and has significant control over the Chechnya region.
In a video announcing his actions, he said that no Chechens had been hurt in the fighting and that the Russians could easily take the large cities of Ukraine.
He said in a video:
"As of today, as of this minute, we do not have one single casualty, or wounded, not a single man has even had a runny nose."
He went on to say that the decision to invade Ukraine was the right decision:
"The president (Putin) took the right decision and we will carry out his orders under any circumstances."
Later on, he echoed Putin's call that Ukraine was being run by neo-Nazis, a claim strongly rejected by Ukraine and most international observers and analysts.
In a short video broadcast on Russian state television, thousands of Chechen fighters could be seen lined up before leaving their station points in Russia. Some estimates suggest there could be as many as 12,000 soldiers in the footage.
Chechnya is a mainly Muslim area of the Caucasus in southern Russia. Russia and Chechen separatists fought two years-long bloody wars in the area before the region was finally subdued by Russian force. Kadyrov now runs a regime that is highly loyal to Putin from the capital Grozny.
The Chechen regime has been accused of significant human rights abuses in its territory, including the imprisoning of LGBTQ individuals and other acts of brutality against those who oppose the government. Kadyrov has a huge Instagram following through which he has for many years portrayed his glamorous and sometimes bizarre lifestyle as a tough leader who leads through strength.
[Based on reporting by: Reuters]
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