Kadyrovites

Kadyrovites or Kadyrovtsy (Russian: Кадыровцы) or Akhmat (Russian: Ахмат) is an informal term of Chechnya-based detachments of National Guard of Russia ("Rosguard"), Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Russian Ministry of Defence. The name refers to Akhmad Kadyrov, 1st President of the Chechen Republic and father of Ramzan Kadyrov. While technically subordinated to Russian state agencies, they enjoy a special treatment and some describe them as "Kadyrov's private army".^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Some Kadyrovite units are in charge of guarding Chechnya oil fields and Tsentaroi, now Akhmat-Yurt, Kadyrov's home village.^[2]^[6]

In 2015 BBC reported that a considerable part of Kadyrovites were Chechen Republic of Ichkeria militants pardoned by Vladimir Putin under the word of Ramzan Kadyrov, with their numbers informally estimated in the range of 10,000–30,000.^[6]

The Kadyrovites have been criticized as being Ramzan Kadyrov's private army, and have been accused of committing widespread human rights abuses such as kidnapping, forced disappearances, torture and murder. Critics claim the Kadyrovites use extrajudicial punishment to cement Kadyrov's autocratic rule. By mid-2000s they surpassed Russian federal servicemen as the most feared organization among Chechnya's civilian population.^[7] Under Kadyrov's orders, the Kadyrovites committed anti-gay purges in Chechnya.^[8]^[9] The Kadyrovites have also been involved in international conflicts including the Syrian Civil War in 2017 and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

^ Vyacheslav Korzun, Гвардия Кадырова: на что способен чеченский спецназ
^ ^a ^b Sam Cranny-Evans, The Chechens: Putin’s Loyal Foot Soldiers, 4 November 2022
^ "The Kadyrovtsy: Putin's Force Multiplier or Propaganda Tool?". New Lines Institute. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Brutal Sect of Putin's Army Accused of Murdering Their Own Comrades". news.yahoo.com. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
^ ^a ^b Artyom Krechetnikov, (Артем Кречетников), Чеченские силовики: опора или угроза?, BBC News, Russian service, 11 March 2015
^ Unofficial Places of Detention in the Chechen Republic (PDF). Vienna: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF). 2006. p. 3. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
^ Lytvynenko, Jane; J. Lester Feder (6 July 2017). "Activists Say Chechnya Has Restarted Its Crackdown Against LGBT People". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
^ Lavers, Michael K. (11 July 2017). "State Department: Chechnya extrajudicial killings are 'troubling'". Washington Blade. Retrieved 8 May 2022.

[vyko-1] Vyacheslav Korzun, Гвардия Кадырова: на что способен чеченский спецназ

[sace-2] Sam Cranny-Evans, The Chechens: Putin’s Loyal Foot Soldiers, 4 November 2022

[:0-3] "The Kadyrovtsy: Putin's Force Multiplier or Propaganda Tool?". New Lines Institute. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.

[:1-4] Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[:2-5] "Brutal Sect of Putin's Army Accused of Murdering Their Own Comrades". news.yahoo.com. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.

[arkr-6] Artyom Krechetnikov, (Артем Кречетников), Чеченские силовики: опора или угроза?, BBC News, Russian service, 11 March 2015

[7] Unofficial Places of Detention in the Chechen Republic (PDF). Vienna: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF). 2006. p. 3. Retrieved 30 September 2022.

[8] Lytvynenko, Jane; J. Lester Feder (6 July 2017). "Activists Say Chechnya Has Restarted Its Crackdown Against LGBT People". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 8 May 2022.

[9] Lavers, Michael K. (11 July 2017). "State Department: Chechnya extrajudicial killings are 'troubling'". Washington Blade. Retrieved 8 May 2022.

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