"Ahmad Forces Alongside Wagner"

The Russian Defense Ministry stated on Friday that the "Ahmad" group of Chechen special forces launched an attack near the town of Marinka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Together with the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, Chechen forces are among the main driving forces in the Russian offensive against Ukraine. Ahmad group's leader, Apti Alaudinov, mentioned on Thursday that his troops are being relocated to "another area" in preparation for a counterattack, without disclosing the location of the forces or the area to which they would be moved. In contrast to Prigozhin, who has repeatedly criticized the Russian military leadership, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has recently refrained from voicing criticisms of the Defense Ministry. Public disputes have begun to emerge between members of the two groups, with a close ally of Kadyrov describing Prigozhin on Thursday as a blogger who constantly complains about problems.