Kadyrov's 'Akhmat' Special Forces Mobilize Near Border

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has deployed his Akhmat battalion to border areas in the Belgorod region amid fears of raids from Russian territory. The move is likely part of a "continued effort to align himself with the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD)." Two Russian rebel groups have entered Belgorod in early June, and intense fighting has been ongoing since. Shelling attacks and drone strikes have increased intensity in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine. Kadyrov claimed that his Chechen Akhmat battalion arrived to the Nekhoteevka and Kozinka border checkpoints in Belgorod region on orders to protect the border from raids into Russian territory.