The leader of Russia’s Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, has expressed his dissatisfaction at the rapid withdrawal of the country’s troops from parts of Ukraine’s Kharkov Region, over the weekend.
Kadyrov pledged to discuss the situation with top officials in Moscow should there be no changes to the strategic direction of the ongoing conflict.
Over the past few days, the Russian military withdrew from multiple locations across the region in the wake of a massive offensive launched by Kiev. Its leadership has made some “mistakes,” Kadyrov said, expressing hope that “they will draw the necessary conclusions.”
“The Ministry of Defense clarified the situation, because of which they left the towns of Izyum, Kupyansk, Balakleya in the Kharkov area. It was a forced measure due to military strategy in order to [avoid] loss of life,” Kadyrov said in a voice message, posted overnight to his Telegram channel.
The Chechen leader then promised to “get all these towns back,” cryptically adding that “our people, guys specifically trained for such a job, are already there.” He added that “in the nearest future, we will reach [southwestern port city] Odessa and you will see concrete results.”