After Wagner’s forces withdrew, Chechen Special Forces Akhmat was ordered to leave the Rostov province in southern Russia and return to combat positions.
“After being temporarily deployed to the city of Rostov-on-Don and the province of Rostov to deal with the armed rebellion, the Akhmat soldiers are returning to the combat zone of the special military operation,” Apty Alaudinov said. , commander of the Akhmat task force of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, said on June 25.
A day ago, Chechen special forces Akhmat was ordered to move to Rostov province to deal with the rebellion of Wagner’s private military group, taking control of the Russian Southern Military District headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said special forces Akhmat arrived in Rostov “to control the situation if necessary.”
However, Alaudinov said that special forces Akhmat did not withdraw all forces from the battlefield in Ukraine but only mobilized units that had just been replaced. “Now Akhmat units are gradually returning to the war zone to continue the operation in Maryinka,” he said, referring to the city in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province.
Kadyrov described the Chechen units that marched quickly to the city of Rostov-on-Don with the mentality of being ready for the task, but the crisis ended without a direct confrontation between Akhmat and Wagner.
The Chechen Republic’s Akhmat special forces unit has long been known as a force loyal to President Vladimir Putin. This force has also repeatedly been at odds with Wagner regarding the hostilities in Ukraine.
Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev also announced today that Wagner forces are about to complete their withdrawal from the province. “The withdrawal process has been steady, and there have been no incidents,” Gusev said, adding that travel restrictions would be lifted.
Voronezh province will estimate the damage and pledge compensation to families affected by Wagner’s rebellion. Gusev also thanked locals for being “resilient and rational” on June 24.
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin accused Defense Minister Shoigu of going to Rostov and directing a missile attack on the Wagner barracks on June 23 in Ukraine, which killed many of the group’s fighters. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the allegation.
Prigozhin then summoned men and weapons and organized a “march for justice” into Russian territory with a claim to demand that the army leader be responsible for the ambush.
In less than 24 hours, Wagner troops from the Donbas region entered the Rostov province, taking control of military facilities in the cities of Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh.
When the Wagner units moved about 200 km from Moscow, Prigozhin suddenly announced the withdrawal of troops to avoid bloodshed according to the agreement agreed with the President of Belarus. After Prigozhin’s announcement, Wagner’s forces began to withdraw to the barracks.
The Kremlin later confirmed that Wagner would leave Russia for Belarus and not be prosecuted. However, observers believe that this will also be the end of all the political ambitions of Prigozhin.
