Chechen leader Kadyrov admits high losses among unit in Ukraine - Al Jazeera English

Chechen person Kadyrov said 23 of his fighters were killed and 58 others wounded successful artillery shelling by Ukraine.

In a uncommon acknowledgement of battlefield woes successful Ukraine, Chechen person Ramzan Kadyrov has admitted to precocious losses successful his ranks aft artillery shelling by Kyiv’s troops.

“At the opening of this week, 1 of the Chechen units was shelled successful the Kherson region,” Kadyrov, a salient state of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the ruler of the Chechen Republic, said connected Telegram precocious connected Thursday.

“Twenty-three fighters person died and 58 person been injured.”

The Kremlin state seldom reveals defeats but admitted that losses among his fighters, who are supporting Russia, were “big connected that day”.

Ukrainian sources had reported earlier this week that a Chechen portion successful the confederate Ukrainian portion of Kherson had fixed distant its determination via photos connected societal networks, which led to it being deed by artillery fire.

Kadyrov’s comments were antithetic fixed that pro-Moscow forces person seldom admitted to large battlefield losses, and Russian officials bash not people figures connected their own casualties.

The Chechen person besides called connected his compatriots to beryllium mobilised for the warfare successful Ukraine.

Since the opening of the Russian warfare much than 8 months ago, Kadyrov has distinguished himself arsenic 1 of the fiercest supporters of the struggle and has besides sent his ain units into Ukraine.

But helium has regularly criticised the Russian service enactment – often in conjunction with the financier of the mercenary Wagner units, Yevgeny Prigozhin, for being excessively soft. Kadyrov has besides called for the usage of nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy compared his country’s combat against Russia with the Nazi absorption successful World War II, saying Moscow is pursuing the aforesaid goals arsenic Nazism erstwhile did.

“The signifier of evil has changed, but the essence is unchanged,” Zelenskyy said successful a video connection broadcast successful Kyiv connected Thursday night.

Russia, helium said, had gone from neighbour to aggressor to violent – and was blameworthy of warfare crimes.