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19 Feb. () –
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadirov is considering running a private security company, similar to the Wagner group, once his term as head of the Chechen Republic ends, according to a message posted on his Telegram account.
“I seriously plan, once I finish my job in the civil service, to compete with our dear brother Yevgeni Prigozhin,” referring to the founder of the Wagner group, “and create a private military company,” Kadirov said in his message, picked up by the Russian news agency TASS.
Kadyrov’s forces operate largely independently of the Russian Defense Ministry, but are staunch allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Kadirov noted that Wagner’s mercenaries have achieved “impressive results” during the Russian invasion of Ukraine despite “always taking on an extremely difficult part of the job.”
“Despite all the difficulties, Wagner achieves his goal in any situation,” added the Chechen leader.
Despite Kadirov’s declared admiration, it should be remembered that international experts quoted by Sky News perceive that the Kremlin has tried, for some time now, to diminish Prigozhin’s growing influence, through the dismissal of his allies in the Ministry of Defense and avoiding any mention of Wagner in the state media.
