E-Paper
Warning? Vladimir Putin's big ally amid Ukraine war: ‘Planning my own army’
Russia-Ukraine War: Ramzan Kadyrov is the son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov who was assassinated in a 2004 bombing in Grozny.
Russian president Vladimir Putin's ally who leads Chechnya- Ramzan Kadyrov- said that he plans to set up his own private military company in the style of Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner Group of mercenaries one day. Rise of mercenary forces outside Russian army has raised alarm among the West earlier as well.
Read more: Video of Vladimir Putin's ‘fidgety legs’ during meet sparks health speculation
Ramzan Kadyrov said Wagner, which has been fighting alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, has achieved "impressive results" and that private military companies were a necessity, as per news agency Reuters.
"We can say confidently that Wagner has shown its mettle in military terms and drawn a line under discussions about whether or not such private military companies are needed," Ramzan Kadyrov said.
"When my service to the state is completed, I seriously plan to compete with our dear brother Yevgeny Prigozhin and create a private military company. I think it will all work out," he added.
Read more: Ukraine war expected to cost Germany 160 billion euros by the end of 2023
Ramzan Kadyrov and Prigozhin lead forces in Ukraine largely autonomously of Russia and are staunch allies of Vladimir Putin. Although, they have also spoken out in public against the Russian military leadership.
Ramzan Kadyrov is the son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov who was assassinated in a 2004 bombing in Grozny while Prigozhin, who spent the final decade of the Soviet Union in prison, has been a close ally of Vladimir Putin for years.
