Chechen leader explains why he backs Putin’s ‘military operation’ in Ukraine

Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow. (File/AFP)
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Updated 15 March 2022
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Chechen leader explains why he backs Putin’s ‘military operation’ in Ukraine

  • Ramzan Kadyrov accuses US and NATO of “using our people in an attempt to destroy Russia”

GROZNY: Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov has expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s signing of the independence documents of the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as his launch of a “military operation” in Ukraine. 

He hailed Putin’s signing of the independence documents of Donetsk and Luhansk as a historic decision that will put an end to the bloodshed and violence that 4 million people have been subjected to in the two provinces for eight years.

In an opinion article for Arabic news website Al-Ain published on Tuesday, Kadyrov added that the Chechen people welcome citizens of the two independent and recognized republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.

The article also included his views on international events, why Chechen forces joined the conflict in Ukraine, and claims that there were Nazis in the country.

“It gives me great pain to face the fact that the brotherly and dear Ukrainian people find themselves, after several decades, in the same tragedy that we, only a short time ago, were able to overcome,“ Kadyrov wrote.

He added: “The Chechen people have experienced a whole arsenal of malicious and cunning actions of the West. We were engaged, without realizing, in an imaginary adventure that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The West used our people in an attempt to destroy Russia.”

Kadyrov said that with Putin’s help the Chechen people “managed to repel the enemies of the country and the people and established a solid peace in the region.”

On Ukraine, Kadyrov said: “Since the 1940s, there was an organization of Ukrainian ultra-nationalists led by Stepan Bandera, and immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, their ideological followers, who had been there all this time, began to pursue an accelerated anti-Russian policy. Russophobia became a national idea, and at the same time, Ukraine continued to receive loans, energy sources at below-market prices and all kinds of concessions from Russia.”

He added: “The liberal West turned a blind eye to all this, and anti-Russian campaigns continued steadily and systematically, becoming more complex from year to year, as they were lauded by liberal Europe and the US. Ukrainian Nazis of various stripes, including those who were on the side of international terrorists, fought in Chechnya, and contributed to the killing of defenders of its honor and freedom.”

The Chechen leader referred to the secret document that he revealed last year and is kept in the British National Archives, saying: “This document is still classified as ‘secret’, but there is no secret that will not be revealed at some point. It turned out that this document is the minutes of a meeting between the heads of the foreign affairs agencies of the US, Britain and the Federal Republic of Germany, which was held in the German city of Bonn on March 6, 1991.”

He said that the released minutes “reveal a serious contradiction in the history that the West has long promoted. It turned out that NATO, the military alliance of the Western countries, during negotiations on the unification of the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic into a single German state, made a clear promise to the head of the Soviet state of NATO’s strategic military undertaking not to extend its influence to the countries of Eastern Europe on the other side of the Oder river.”

Kadyrov said that the US diplomat Raymond Seitz clearly stated: “We have made clear to the Soviet Union that we do not intend to reap any benefits from the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Eastern Europe, and NATO should not expand to the east, either officially or unofficially.”

He said that the same position was shared by the representative of the German Foreign Ministry, Jurgen Chrobog, who stated that “during the 2 + 4 negotiations (on Germany’s post-unification situation), we made it clear that NATO would not expand to the east. Thus, we cannot propose to Poland and others to join NATO.”

Kadyrov said that this promise was repeatedly violated by all the countries that took part in the meeting referred to in the protocol.

In his article, Kadyrov recounted events in Ukraine in recent years, beginning with the 2014 coup.

“In 2014, as a result of an unconstitutional armed coup (the so-called “Maidan”) with the support of the West, ultra-nationalists came to power. In the same year, real Nazi massacres began, riots broke out in Odessa in the city center, and in the same year, 2014, two regions of Ukraine (which are historically two Russian regions), the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, opposed the authority of ultra-nationalists, and as a result of the referendum, the majority of the population voted in favor of independence.

“Since then, the continuous bombing of these areas has included shelling with missiles and bombs, which resulted in the deaths of about 13,000 people, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Yet, the US and Europe looked indifferently at this ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.”

He added: “Throughout the years of war in the Donbas region, the Ukrainian army and ultra-nationalist battalions (Azov and Aidar), which are not actually under official authority, were supplied with weapons by the US and NATO countries. Ukraine was simply overflowing with Western weapons.

“For eight long years, such crimes against the residents of the Lugansk People’s Democratic Republic were committed by official Kyiv, and the government did not make a single attempt to stop the bullying of people they considered their own citizens.”

Kadyrov also referred to the issue of Ukrainian nuclear weapons and said: “Recently, officials in Ukraine, in general, have made explicit threats to produce nuclear weapons, and Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans to withdraw from the Budapest Memorandum that prevented Ukraine from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“These intentions are disclosed at a time when Ukraine has enough capabilities and means to make a so-called ‘dirty bomb,’ at least. In the event of the emergence of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the time it takes for the missiles to reach Moscow is reduced to only about four minutes. During this time, it is impossible to ward off the attack.”

The Chechen president endorsed his Russian counterpart’s decision to launch a military operation in Ukraine, saying: “Because of these factors that pose a threat to the strategic security of our country, the Russian president took not only the completely natural and right decision but the only correct decision, the recognition of the People’s Republics of Luhansk and Donetsk, and the launch of a special military operation to remove the weapons of Ukraine and uproot Nazism from it. In this way, Russia prevented the inevitable strike that NATO planned to inflict on the Russian lands at the hands of Ukraine.”

He added: “Russia does not set itself the goal of occupying Ukraine. It is the people of Ukraine who will determine their destiny without the participation of neo-Nazis and in isolation from Western influence. Russia adheres to this policy all over the world, in relation to any state. It defends the rights of nations to self-determination.”


Several hurt in anti-migrant unrest in Spanish town

Updated 8 sec ago
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Several hurt in anti-migrant unrest in Spanish town

MADRID: Several people were hurt in a second night of anti-migrant unrest in the Spanish town of Torre Pacheco after a pensioner was beaten up, authorities said on Sunday.
Despite a major police presence, groups armed with batons roamed the streets looking for foreign-origin people, regional newspaper La Opinion de Murcia reported.
The regional government did not say how many people were injured but stated that at least one person had been arrested for the violence.
The unrest erupted after a 68-year-old man told Spanish media he was beaten up in the street on Wednesday by three youths of North African origin.
The attack was filmed and put on social media.
The town hall organized a demonstration on Friday that was intended to be peaceful but where far-right elements shouted anti-migrant slogans.
One group, named “Deport Them Now,” posted a message on social media calling for attacks against people of North African origin.
Spanish authorities launched an appeal for calm on Sunday in the town of 36,000 people.
“Torre Pacheco must get back to normal,” said the head of the Murcian regional government Fernando Lopez Miras in a message on X.
“I understand the frustration but nothing justifies violence,” added the conservative politician.
“I call on residents to be calm, for tranquility,” said Torre Pacheco mayor, Pedro Angel Roca Ternel, on RTVE public television.
Spain’s Youth Minister Sira Rego, a member of the extreme left wing party Sumar, condemned the violence against migrants in a message on Bluesky, blaming the role of the “ultra-right” in the unrest.


Russia takes new village in Ukraine’s Donetsk region

Updated 44 min 25 sec ago
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Russia takes new village in Ukraine’s Donetsk region

  • Russian troops advance toward the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region
  • Russia’s defense ministry say troops had captured the village of Myrne

MOSCOW: Russia said on Sunday it took another village in the west of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, as its troops advance toward the neighboring Dnipropetrovsk region.

Moscow’s offensive on Ukraine has lasted for more than three years, with attacks intensifying this summer and US-led negotiations so far yielding no results to end the fighting.

Russia’s defense ministry said Russian troops had captured the village of Myrne, calling the village by its Soviet name “Karl Marx.”

It lies close to the administrative border between the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

The ministry claimed forces had moved “deep into the enemy’s defense” to take the village.

Myrne was one of two villages Moscow claimed on Sunday.

Russia has for months refused a ceasefire proposed by the United States and Kyiv.

Moscow launched its full-scale offensive against Ukraine in February 2022.


France says Australia defense ties repaired after submarine row

Updated 56 min 35 sec ago
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France says Australia defense ties repaired after submarine row

  • Paris expressed its “strong regrets” when Australia tore up a multibillion-dollar deal to buy a fleet of diesel-powered submarines from France

SYDNEY: France’s defense relations with Australia have recovered after their 2021 bust-up over a major submarine contract, the country’s ambassador said Sunday.
Paris expressed its “strong regrets” when Australia tore up a multibillion-dollar deal to buy a fleet of diesel-powered submarines from France, Ambassador Pierre-Andre Imbert said.
Since the 2022 election of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, however, the defense relationship had been “restarted,” he said.
“Now, the first pillar of our cooperation is defense and security, so we have a very good level of cooperation,” the ambassador told AFP as French forces joined major military drills around Australia.
When Australia ditched the French deal, it opted instead to acquire nuclear-powered vessels in a new three-way AUKUS pact with the United States and Britain.
But a US defense official last month revealed that a review of AUKUS was underway to ensure it “aligned with the President’s America First agenda” and that the US defense industrial base was “meeting our needs.”
Under the AUKUS deal, Australia would acquire at least three Virginia class submarines from the United States within 15 years, eventually manufacturing its own subs.
The US Navy has 24 Virginia-class vessels but American shipyards are struggling to meet production targets set at two new boats each year.
Asked if France would ever consider discussing a new submarine deal with Australia if the AUKUS agreement was torpedoed by the review, the French ambassador said he was reluctant to speculate.
“I would say it’s more an issue for Australia for the moment. And of course, we are always discussing with our friends of Australia,” he said.
“But for the moment, they have chosen AUKUS,” he said. “If this changes (and) they ask, we’ll see.”
More than 30,000 military personnel from 19 nations are set to join the three-week, annual Talisman Sabre military exercises, which started Sunday across Australia and Papua New Guinea.


Australia PM Albanese kicks off China visit focused on trade

Updated 13 July 2025
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Australia PM Albanese kicks off China visit focused on trade

  • Anthony Albanese is set to meet business, tourism and sport representatives in Shanghai and Chengdu
  • Albanese wants to reduce Australia’s economic dependence on China, a free trade partner

BEIJING: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese kicked off a visit to China this weekend meant to shore up trade relations between the two countries.

Albanese met with Shanghai Party Secretary Chen Jining on Sunday, the first in a series of high-level exchanges that will include meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Qiang and Chairman Zhao Leji of the National People’s Congress.

Albanese is leading “a very large business delegation” to China, which speaks to the importance of the economic relations between Australia and China, he told Chinese state broadcaster CGTN upon his arrival in Shanghai Saturday.

During a weeklong trip, Albanese is set to meet business, tourism and sport representatives in Shanghai and Chengdu including a CEO roundtable Tuesday in Beijing, his office said.

It is Albanese’s second visit to China since his center-left Labour Party government was first elected in 2022. The party was reelected in May with an increased majority.

Albanese has managed to persuade Beijing to remove a series of official and unofficial trade barriers introduced under the previous conservative government that cost Australian exporters more than 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year.

Beijing severed communications with the previous administration over issues including Australia’s calls for an independent inquiry into the origins of and responses to COVID-19. But Albanese wants to reduce Australia’s economic dependence on China, a free trade partner.

“My government has worked very hard to diversify trade … and to increase our relationships with other countries in the region, including India and Indonesia and the ASEAN countries,” Albanese said before his visit, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

“But the relationship with China is an important one, as is our relationships when it comes to exports with the north Asian economies of South Korea and Japan,” he added.

Chinese state-run Xinhua News Agency, in an editorial Sunday, described China’s relationship with Australia as “steadily improving” and undergoing “fresh momentum.”

“There are no fundamental conflicts of interest between China and Australia,” the editorial stated. “By managing differences through mutual respect and focusing on shared interests, the two sides can achieve common prosperity and benefit.”


Apartment fire in Turkiye’s Ankara kills 3, including a baby

Updated 13 July 2025
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Apartment fire in Turkiye’s Ankara kills 3, including a baby

  • The blaze started late Saturday night on the fourth floor and spread rapidly, according to local media
  • Firefighters took four hours to extinguish the flames. The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that 39 suffered light smoke inhalation, including seven firefighters

Istanbul: A fire at a 26-story apartment building in the Turkish capital, Ankara, killed three people, including a three-and-a-half-month-old baby, local media said.
The blaze broke out at around 10:00 p.m. local time Saturday night on the fourth floor and quickly spread through the structure, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency. It took firefighters four hours to put out the fire.
The agency also reported that 39 suffered light smoke inhalation, including seven firefighters. Paramedics attended to 26 people on site, while 20 others have been hospitalized, one in critical condition.