Geostrategic Media Political Commentary, Analysis, Security, Defense
According to Russian media reports, two of Chechnya’s most elite battalions will be deployed to Syria and tasked with protect the Khmeimim Air Base in Latakia.
Rare footage released by Russia TV this week, revealed to the world that Russian special forces units are already on the ground in Syria, actively engaged in combat operations alongside the Syrian army in the war against terrorism. And if the recent Russian Izvestia news report is true – more elite soldiers are on their way.
Both battalions have extensive combat experience, having been actively engaged in fighting terrorism at home as well as in missions abroad, including Russia’s brief war with Georgia in 2008.
In fact, Kadyrov has repeatedly described himself and his troops as “Putin’s foot soldiers”. Earlier this year, he said in a Russian documentary that he had sent Chechens to infiltrate ISIS in Syria and gather intelligence.
Should this latest report prove to be accurate, it will speak to the miraculous transformation which Chechnya has undergone over the last decade – turning from what was once known as Russia’s Achilles’ heel and the epicenter of separatism, into a stable regional shield and training ground for the country’s elite counter-terrorism forces.
Sergey Gladysh
Source: The Duran
