The Chechen leader, who supports Putin, wants to raise a new mercenary army

The leader of Chechnya dreams of raising his own mercenary army after being impressed by the work of Ukraine’s notorious Wagner group.

Ramzan Kadyrov, a key ally of Vladimir Putin, said he would turn to the private military industry once his term as prime minister came to an end.

The Wagner group, led by oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin, consists of about 50,000 soldiers, mostly recruited from Russian prisons.

It has played a crucial role in the war in Ukraine alongside the Russian army, but separate from formal military leadership.

Kadyrov, 46, also leads a largely autonomous force in Ukraine, which includes several Chechen units.

He wrote in a Telegram post: “We can confidently say that Wagner has demonstrated his prowess in military terms and put an end to debates over whether or not such private military companies are needed.

“When my service to the state is over, I seriously intend to compete with our dear brother Yevgeny Prigozhin and create a private military enterprise.

“I think everything will be fine.”

Kadyrov appears to have formed a tacit alliance with Prigozhin against Russia’s top army, each echoing the other’s criticisms and calling for more strength in the conflict in Ukraine.

Reports last week suggested that Putin was cutting membership in Ukraine’s Wagner Group, fearing it would become too influential.

The Russian president is said to fear that he will face a leadership push from Prigozhin if he becomes too powerful in the war zone.

There are also indications that the Kremlin has ordered the mercenary chief to end his public criticism of the Defense Ministry and has advised state media to stop mentioning him and Wagner by name.

Kadyrov said that “private military companies” were “both necessary and necessary”.

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