Kadyrov announces plans to create his own army

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has stated that is thinking about creating an army that "will protect the interests of oppressed nations."

"Recently, I've been thinking more about creating a good army so that it could move to different countries and defend the nations who today are destroying and killing the states that come with their own democracy," the TASS quoted Kadyrov as saying.

The head of Chechnya has noted that this army would comprise "patriots who are ready to give their lives for the sake of restoring the order." "This is a very difficult path, but we are striving for it and moving forward," he has stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 19, 2023, Kadyrov announced his plans to found, after leaving the state service, a private military company and compete with Evgeny Prigozhin, the head of "Wagner" PMC (Private Military Company). In November 2022, Dmitry Oreshkin, a political analyst, pointed out that there is an influence group in the Kremlin, represented in public space by Kadyrov and Prigozhin.

In his turn, Alexei Malashenko, an Orientalist and political analyst, believes that Kadyrov knows the limits of his capabilities. "The situation may change; for example, they can agree on a truce [in Ukraine]; and Kadyrov will adjust himself to the new situation," Mr Malashenko has stated.