Russia's Chechen unit has suffered record losses since 2022 due to Ukrainian special operation in Sumy Oblast
From February to April, pro-Ukrainian Shamanbat fighters carried out a complex operation working with the 104th Horyn Territorial Defence Brigade and a Defence Intelligence agent operations unit on the Sumy front against pro-Russian Kadyrovites from the Akhmat unit. Shamanbat is composed of fighters from the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria who are fighting for an independent Chechnya, while the Kadyrovites are Chechen forces aligned with Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader backed by Moscow, and serving the Kremlin's interests.
Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU)
Details: DIU said information about the Russian plans and intentions was passed to military intelligence officers by an agent, a former Akhmat fighter with whom the agency had established contact in early 2025. Intelligence officers later arranged the agent's safe passage to territory under Ukrainian control.
He installed a listening device, delivered across the front line by an FPV drone, in an Akhmat meeting room. DIU operatives recorded conversations involving the unit's entire command staff.
Detailed awareness of the Ahmat unit's plans and capabilities enabled the Ukrainian special forces to strike Kadyrovites precisely as they moved and in areas where they were concentrated.
As a result of the two-month special operation, Akhmat suffered its heaviest losses since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine: 41 soldiers dead and 87 wounded. More than 100 other mercenaries have been listed as missing, DIU said.
DIU reports also indicate that more than 160 armoured vehicles and other military vehicles were destroyed or damaged, along with more than 25 UAVs of various types, communications equipment, electronic warfare and signals intelligence systems, engineering equipment and vehicles, warehouses storing weapons and fuel, and other means of warfare.
Abdul Hakim, commander of Ichkerian volunteers in DIU's Shamanbat special unit, urged Chechens not to sign contracts with Russia's armed forces and to avoid mobilisation. He said those who are unable to avoid joining it should immediately contact Ukrainian intelligence and surrender to save their lives.
Quote from Hakim: "What have Ukrainians done to you? Which of you have they killed? Take care of yourselves and come over to our side. Save your souls. You will be saved both in this world and in the afterlife. We know that many of you want to come over to our side. Come over to our side. Here's a feedback bot for you for this purpose."
For reference: The Chechen Republic, also known as Chechnya, is a federal subject of the Russian Federation; the Ukrainian parliament has recognised it as the temporarily Russian-occupied territory of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
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