Former mercenaries from the Wagner Group have recently joined the Akhmat battalion in Chechnya and are now being deployed to the war in Ukraine, according to Akhmat Battalion Commander Apti Alaudinov in an interview with the Institute for the Study of War on Oct. 28.
Alaudinov revealed that a significant number of Wagner soldiers have integrated themselves into various units of the Akhmat forces and are currently operating in undisclosed sectors of the Ukrainian front.
Moreover, Alaudinov stated that these former Wagner soldiers have willingly followed their former commanders to join the Chechen Akhmat units. Notably, Alaudinov emphasized that the Wagner fighters have always shown great respect towards the Akhmat forces, likely as an attempt to quell speculations about potential tensions between the Wagner Group and the Chechen forces in light of the recent conflict involving deceased Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin and Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov.
In its latest report, the Institute for the Study of War maintains its assessment that the fragmented factions of former Wagner forces, now aligned with both the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Rosgvardia Chechen units across different sectors of the front, are unlikely to regain their former strength as a cohesive military organization. The Institute believes that these fragmented forces lack the unified structure and clear leadership that the Wagner Group once possessed, ultimately diminishing their effectiveness.
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