Russia signs treaty with Chechen private army Akhmad
The Russian Defense Ministry has signed an agreement with the Chechen Akhmat group fighting in Ukraine that aims to bring all paramilitary units under its control. The contract was signed, the ministry announced on Monday. In doing so, the Achmat unit, often referred to as the private army of Ramzan Kadyrov, the ruler in Chechnya, followed an instruction from the Russian government. On the other hand, the head of the Wagner mercenaries, who are immensely important for the Russian military, Yevgeny Prigozhin, had refused to sign the document a day earlier.
The Russian government is trying to bring all so-called volunteer units under the control of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu by July 1. In return, all of their fighters are to receive the same benefits and protections as regular Russian soldiers. This includes state support for them and their families should they be injured or killed in combat.
Prigozhin, who is in constant disputes with Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov and has repeatedly accused both of their incompetence, refused to sign such a contract on Sunday. Shoigu could not properly manage military formations, he criticized. Prigozhin has repeatedly accused the military leadership of deliberately undersupplying its units with ammunition and weapons.
Kadyrov, on the other hand, recently refrained from criticizing the Ministry of Defence. Its commander, Apty Alaudinov, who attended the signing ceremony, said the unit had prepared and sent tens of thousands of volunteers to Ukraine over the past 15 months. After signing, he was quoted on the Department of Defense website as saying, “I think that’s a very good thing.”
After signing with the Chechens, Russian Deputy Chief of Staff Alexei Kim said he hoped other volunteer units would follow suit. According to Russian sources on Friday, the Akhmad force is leading an offensive near the town of Marjinka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.