The authoritarian leader of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said on Telegram on November 6 that former Wagner Group mercenaries were training in Chechnya with his forces. He did not say how many ex-Wagner fighters were involved in the drills. Wagner played a key role in several of the toughest battles in Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In August, Wagner's founder and leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a mysterious plane crash. In June, Prigozhin led a mutiny against Russia's top military officials in what was one of the biggest threats to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his 23 years in power.
Kadyrov Says Group Of Former Wagner Mercenaries Training With His Forces
Ramzan Kadyrov attends a ceremony to open a newly built 4,000-capacity mosque in Grozny in October.