An extraordinary video has shown the moment several dozen captured soldiers – including Chechens renowned as “Russia’s toughest” – surrender to Ukrainian forces in their own country
The clip was shared on social media today by a Ukrainian initiative known as I Want to Live, which is known to help Russian troops who no longer want to fight.
Among the group pictured were three who identified themselves as being from Grozny, one of whom confirmed he was serving in the Akhmat special forces, otherwise known as the Kadyrovites, named after Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. The prisoners’ eyes are covered with duct tape in the footage.
An accompanying statement claims all the men were captured in the Kursk region, currently the scene of fierce fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces.
It says: “Ramzan Kadyrov once said that the fighters of Akhmat do not surrender.
“Well, usually yes, since they are sitting in the rear, but in the Kursk region, the situation was developing dynamically, and these Akhmat fighters did not even try to resist.”
Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) have been conducting military operations in the region since August. 6.
Videos began surfacing showing captured Russian troops, including conscripts, on the first day of the operation.
Apti Alaudinov, the unit commander of the Akhmat special forces, previously claimed that his unit’s fighters were stationed at positions on the border of the Kursk region with Ukraine.
He further suggested Ukrainian forces had bypassed such positions in order to avoid engaging with his men.
On August 6, the Telegram channel Cheka-OGPU suggested Akhmat unit fighters based in the Kursk’s Korenevsky district had “scattered” during the initial strikes, enabling Ukrainian forces to push deeper into the area.
At least 15 Akhmat fighters were injured as a result of the Ukrainian military’s breakthrough across the border, the report added.
Also on that day, military journalist Yuriy Kotenok said the Ukrainian offensive in the Kursk region had been countered by border guards and the Defence Ministry – but not by the Akhmat fighters.
Kadyrov, the current head of the Chechen Republic, is notorious for his brutality.
