Putin's 'Foot Soldier' Ramzan Kadyrov Promises Volunteers 300,000 Rubles To Fight Ukraine

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who is currently in Ukraine along with Russian troops, has reportedly promised every volunteer a one-time payment of 300,000 rubles ($3,700.83) to fight against Ukraine.

The criteria for recruitment are minimal, reported Radio Svoboda, the Russian language site under Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The volunteers just have to be "healthy men" under 50, and military service or combat experience is not necessary. The volunteers will be sent to Ukraine through a recruitment center functioning in Grozny, the capital city of Chechnya.

The volunteers will be given a 10-day briefing, after which they will head to the battleground. There will be no formal contract with them.

Many have responded to the call for volunteers. Videos doing rounds on social media show the training sessions for the volunteers in Grozny. The report, quoting local news agencies, says many of the volunteers are convicted criminals, citing the example of Yury Tatarintsev, a 47-year-old resident of Tambov. Court records prove that Tatarintsev was previously convicted of murder, kidnapping and possession of a weapon.

Kadyrov, who describes himself as Vladimir Putin's foot soldier, had earlier spoken about his troops fighting against Ukraine. He had uploaded a video of himself in a room full of soldiers, saying he was with Chechen forces near the capital, Kyiv. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, however, maintained that he had "no information" about Kadyrov being in Ukraine. Last week, Kadyrov had said more than 1,000 Ukrainian marines had surrendered in the besieged port city of Mariupol, while urging remaining forces holed up in the Azovstal steel mill to surrender.

He had also claimed that there will be an offensive by Russian forces on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. "There will be an offensive ... not only on Mariupol, but also on other places, cities and villages," Kadyrov said in a video posted on his Telegram channel. He added that Russia will first "liberate" Luhansk and Donetsk and "then take Kyiv and all other cities."

He added that there should be no doubt about Kyiv. "I assure you: not one step will be taken back," Kadyrov said.

Called a "dragon fostered by Kremlin," Kadyrov has been accused of gross violations of human rights dating back more than a decade, including torture and extrajudicial killings. The U.S. had imposed sanctions against Kadyrov in 2020.