Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechen Republic and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has declared his intention to create his own private military company in the style of the Wagner Group. Kadyrov made this announcement in a post on Telegram on Sunday, praising the Wagner Group for its “impressive results” in Ukraine.
Kadyrov and Yevgeny Prigozhin, the man behind the Wagner Group, have formed a tacit alliance and have been vocal in their criticism of Russia’s military brass. The Wagner Group has been active in Ukraine, spearheading an assault on the eastern city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region.
The rise of Wagner outside of traditional Russian military command structures has raised concerns among Western diplomats that such groups could one day pose a threat to stability in Russia. Prigozhin, who is known as “Putin’s Chef” due to his catering company’s government contracts, has deployed Wagner mercenaries to fight alongside Russian servicemen in Syria and to conflicts across Africa. Last year, he admitted his links to Wagner and said he had interfered in US elections.
In response to this, the Kremlin has reportedly moved to curb Prigozhin’s political clout, ordering him to halt his public criticism of the defence ministry while advising state media to stop mentioning him or Wagner by name. Despite this, Kadyrov believes that private military companies are “both needed and necessary”. He believes that when his service to the state is completed, he will be able to compete with Prigozhin and create a successful private military company.