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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Kadyrov: No Chechen battalions in Ukraine, only 14 volunteers are in south-east

“I have to reiterate once again, where Ukraine’s media report about a special Chechen division in south-east of Donets, it is not true,” Kadyrov said

© AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda

PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY, May 31 /ITAR-TASS/. There are none so-called Chechen Battalions in Ukraine’s south-eastern regions; and the number of volunteers from Chechnya is not above 14 people there, head of Russia’s Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov said in an interview with anchorman Sergei Briliev on Saturday.

“I have to reiterate once again, where Ukraine’s media report about a special Chechen division in south-east of Donets, it is not true,” Kadyrov said.

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Kadyrov denies media reports about participation of combat units from Chechnya in Donetsk

At the same time he confirmed that among the South-East self-defence militia “there are Chechens, right,” but nobody had sent those people to Ukraine, that was their own choice. Kadyrov continued saying among the militia was “a former member of a battalion,” but he did not know whether the person had served at the Vostok (East) battalion, which was dismissed back in 2008, or at the Yug (South) battalion of Russia’s Interior Ministry Forces.

“We have not sent them over there, they have not been enrolled,” Kadyrov said. “They, I mean the former members, one or two, were there, but this does not mean we have a division there. According to our calculations, there are only 14 Chechens there.”

The republic’s head stressed the authorities did not have a right to stop a person if he volunteered to go to Ukraine’s south-east.

“If there in Donetsk there are Chechens, it does not mean there are Chechen divisions there,” he said. “The fact is there is not a single representative of the interior ministry, the interior forces or defence ministry in the territories of Donetsk or Slavyansk.

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Eastern Ukraine Ramzan Kadyrov

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