Brutal Chechen warlord joining Russia’s bloody onslaught taunts Ukrainian resistance by saying ‘You don’t have long’
- 45-year-old Ramzan Kadyrov warned those who defend Kyiv, they will be hunted
- He promised to “finish” those who would not surrender after he declared that he was near Kiev
- But the Ukrainian newspaper established that he was in Grozny, in Russia, and not in Ukraine.
The brutal Chechen leader said Ukrainian resistance “didn’t last long” after joining Russia’s bloody assault on the country.
Commander Ramzan Kadyrov warned those defending Kyiv that they would be hunted down and killed as he claimed he was approaching the heavily shelled capital.
He announced his arrival in Ukraine by posting a video online and promising to “finish” those who refuse to surrender.
Claiming to be close to the Gostomel airport, north of the Ukrainian capital, he wrote online on Sunday: “The other day we were about 20 km away from you Kiev Nazis. [the Kremlin’s propaganda term for the resistance] and now we’re even closer.
– You don’t have long. You’d better give up and stand by our side… or your end is near.
Commander Ramzan Kadyrov (pictured) warned those defending Kyiv that they would be hunted down and killed as he claimed he was approaching the heavily shelled capital.
A Ukrainian newspaper said it had established that Kadyrov, pictured, was actually in Grozny, Russia, when he claimed to be near Kyiv by sending him a Telegram message and forcing him to click on a link that revealed his whereabouts.
The 45-year-old Chechen leader, who calls himself “Putin’s foot soldier”, is said to lead an army of 10,000 militias, including his three sons.
But his fighters, who have previously been accused of war crimes, have so far been held back by fierce Ukrainian resistance, along with Russian forces.
His entry into the war suggests that his Chechen forces could play a key role in Russia’s quest to seize the capital after its invasion has largely stalled.
Ramzan Kadyrov and Vladimir Putin were photographed together on social networks
Experts say it could also play a role in Moscow’s propaganda war, as video updates of Kadyrov and images of Chechen troops are widely shared on social media.
According to unconfirmed reports, Chechen soldiers killed people and drove them out of their homes on the outskirts of Kyiv.
Kadyrov is accused of violating human rights in Russian Chechnya, where he rules with an iron fist.