Ramzan Kadyrov: Empty Words and Endless Swagger

On August 8, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, heroically declared that in two or three days there would be “good results” in the Kursk region. Federal media widely spread this statement by Kadyrov. Everyone who could quoted him.

Five days have passed since the statement, and the situation in the Kursk and neighboring Belgorod regions remains critical. The Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) continue their operation, taking control of more and more settlements. The UAF’s advanced units are already approaching the E-38 highway, the main road along the border with Ukraine, connecting not only Rylsk with Kursk but also the Bryansk and Kursk regions. It all points to the highway either being cut off or coming under heavy fire control.

What else has happened during this time? The area controlled by the UAF now covers about a thousand square kilometers. And these are conservative estimates. Things are much worse. A thousand square kilometers is more than the area of Kyiv and almost half the size of Moscow.

The number of captured Russian soldiers is off the charts. Ukrainians complain that it is difficult to organize the logistics for transporting prisoners to the rear. Various sources report that the number of prisoners has already exceeded 1,000.

Of course, Kadyrov doesn’t care much about this number of prisoners, as only a few of the Chechen leader’s warriors have been captured. And this is not because they are such tough fighters, but because when hostilities approached, the “Akhmat” warriors simply retreated. It is not their business to die and defend the Kursk region. Let others deal with that, while Kadyrov’s men are few and hold a privileged position in Russia. Their main leader can spout any nonsense on air, promise anything, and flaunt his bravado.

For show, it was also necessary to fire a few shots in the air from a Stechkin or a Glock, preferably gold-plated. And to dance a fiery lezginka to the cheerful cheers of the “Akhmat” warriors. It’s also important to add “Akhmat-power” at the end, and of course, mention Allah. Then everyone will surely believe.