Kadyrovites

141st Special Motorized Regiment
141-й специальный моторизованный полк
Emblem of the 141st Motorized Regiment
Founded1999
Country Russia
Allegiance Ramzan Kadyrov
TypeParamilitary
Gendarmerie
RoleMotorized infantry
Size12,000 (2022), 1,200+ of which deployed to Ukraine[1]
Part of Russian National Guard[2][3]
Garrison/HQGrozny, Chechnya
Nickname(s)Kadyrovites (Russian: Кадыровцы)
Motto(s)"Akhmad is strong!" (Russian: Ахмат — сила!)
ColorsA-TACS
Engagements
Commanders
Current
commander		Adam Delimkhanov
Notable
commanders		Akhmad Kadyrov
Ramzan Kadyrov
Magomed Tushayev
Apti Alaudinov
Rakhman Abdulkadirov
Insignia
Flag of Chechnya

The 141st Special Motorized Regiment,[a][b] colloquially known as the Kadyrovites[c] or the Akhmat special forces unit, is a paramilitary organization in Chechnya, Russia, that serves as the protection of the Head of the Chechen Republic. The term Kadyrovtsy is commonly used in Chechnya to refer to any armed, ethnically-Chechen men under the control of Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, although nominally they are under the umbrella of the National Guard of Russia.[11] As of 2023, the regiment's official commander was Adam Delimkhanov, a close ally of Kadyrov.[citation needed]

Akhmad Kadyrov, the then chief mufti of separatist Chechnya, defected to the Russian side in the Second Chechen War in 1999, and the Kadyrovites began fighting separatists and jihadists during the "guerrilla phase" as a de facto unit of the state police after he was appointed Chechen President in July 2000. Kadyrov was assassinated in 2004. Control of the militia was inherited by his son, Ramzan Kadyrov. In 2006, the Kadyrovites were legalized as a motorized regiment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, as the 141st Motorized Regiment. When Kadyrov was elected Chechen President in 2007 its current official role as a personal protective service was established. Besides the 141st, units considered "Kadyrovites" also include the Chechen branches of OMON and SOBR.[12][13]

The Kadyrovites have been criticized as being Ramzan Kadyrov's private army, and have been accused of committing widespread human rights abuses such as kidnapping, forced disappearances, torture and murder. Critics claim the Kadyrovites use extrajudicial punishment to cement Kadyrov's autocratic rule. By mid-2000s they surpassed Russian federal servicemen as the most feared organization among Chechnya's civilian population.[14] Under Kadyrov's orders, the Kadyrovites committed anti-gay purges in Chechnya,[15][16] including operating concentration camps for gay men.[17][18] The Kadyrovites have also been involved in international conflicts including the Syrian Civil War in 2017 and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

  1. ^ "The real role of pro-Russian Chechens in Ukraine".
  2. ^ "The Kadyrovtsy: Putin's Force Multiplier or Propaganda Tool?". 4 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Russia's Chechen speartip in Ukraine". 8 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Кадыровцев, которые ехали напасть на Зеленского, уничтожили, – детали разведки". March 2022.
  5. ^ "ЗСУ знищили кадирівців, що планували вбити Зеленського - розвідка".
  6. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma (22 March 2022). "Chechnya's losses in Ukraine may be leader Ramzan Kadyrov's undoing". The Guardian.
  7. ^ Farmer, Ben; Bodkin, Henry; Smith, Benedict (18 March 2022). "Chechen special forces tighten grip on Mariupol as house-to-house fighting erupts". The Telegraph.
  8. ^ "Ukrainian fighters grease bullets against Chechens with pig fat".
  9. ^ Stepanenko, Kateryna; Hird, Karolina; Mappes, Grace; Wolkov, Nicole; Barros, George; Clark, Mason. "Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 12, 2023". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Опубликовано видео с колонной чеченских военных, которая направляется в сторону Ростова-на-Дону". Meduza (in Russian). Archived from the original on 24 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  11. ^ "The Kadyrovtsy: Putin's Force Multiplier or Propaganda Tool?". New Lines Institute. 4 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ "Brutal Sect of Putin's Army Accused of Murdering Their Own Comrades". news.yahoo.com. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
  14. ^ Unofficial Places of Detention in the Chechen Republic (PDF). Vienna: International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF). 2006. p. 3. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  15. ^ Lytvynenko, Jane; J. Lester Feder (6 July 2017). "Activists Say Chechnya Has Restarted Its Crackdown Against LGBT People". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  16. ^ Lavers, Michael K. (11 July 2017). "State Department: Chechnya extrajudicial killings are 'troubling'". Washington Blade. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  17. ^ "Chechnya detains 100 gay men in first concentration camps since the Holocaust". International Business Times UK. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  18. ^ "Report: Chechnya Is Torturing Gay Men in Concentration Camps". The Advocate. 10 April 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2022.


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