'Ukraine can keep them' — Chechen commander renounces compatriots who surrendered to Kyiv

Chechen commander Apti Alaudinov on Sept. 15 said that fighters who willingly surrendered to Ukrainian forces do not deserve to live and should "do everything they can to get themselves killed."

"I'm telling the Ukrainians: keep them for yourselves... I can exchange anyone, but not the Chechens who voluntarily surrendered," Alaudinov said in a video address on his Telegram channel.

Chechen units fighting on Russia's side were deployed in Kursk Oblast during Ukraine's surprise incursion launched in early August.

A number of Chechen fighters ended up in Ukrainian captivity, while the Akhmat unit was accused by Russian milbloggers of offering little resistance when the incursion began.

Alaudinov said it is necessary to secure the release of wounded Chechen captives, but those who surrendered without a fight should attempt suicide.

"Chechens have always considered surrendering to captivity to be the greatest disgrace. Such a disgrace cannot be washed away with anything else but your blood," Alaudinov said.

"Just stand up, pick up something and attack somebody, do everything you can to get yourself killed."

The commander previously denied that Chechen fighters were captured during battles in Kursk Oblast.

Russia launched a counterattack in Kursk Oblast last week in an effort to dislodge Ukrainian troops from the region. Moscow claimed to have recaptured a number of settlements in a "rapid" advance, while Kyiv said the push did not achieve "serious" success as of Sept. 13.

Russia launches counteroffensive in Kursk – can it push Ukraine off its own turf?

More than a month after Ukraine launched an unprecedented incursion into Russian territory, Russian forces have begun counterattacking in Kursk Oblast, aiming to eventually drive Ukrainian troops out of the partially occupied border region. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed reports about the K…

The Kyiv IndependentDinara Khalilova