No sight of Kadyrov’s Ahmat unit near Bakhmut, says battalion commander Kuzyk
Ukrainian servicemen on a T-80 tank previously captured from the Russians (Photo:Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty/Serhii Nuzhnenko via REUTERS)
Ukrainian military personnel have not encountered invaders from the Ahmat unit near Bakhmut, the commander of the Freedom Battalion, Petro Kuzyk, said in an interview with RFE/RL on July 10.
Kuzyk also said that Ahmat is not a formidable combat unit and lacks battlefield coordination skills.
“They do not pose a significant threat as they essentially serve as a well-armed personal police force for Kadyrov. While they may excel in a sports hall and possess good equipment, they lack highly skilled specialists,” Kuzyk said.
“It is possible that these units are newly formed; however, practical experience demonstrates their ineffective coordination with artillery and their absence of a comprehensive systematic approach.”
Kuzyk said that Chechen fighters from the Ukrainian Defense Forces had encountered them in Bakhmut as early as winter. Attempts were also made to engage them in battles in Rubizhne and Severodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast, as well as near Horlivka in Donetsk Oblast.
“However, when the Ahmat units somehow tried to outflank these recruits, it led to their complete defeat in battle. I was personally surprised,” Kuzyk said.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader known for his support of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, recently made a statement asserting that the Ahmat special forces unit was being deployed to the Bakhmut direction, specifically in the Klishchiivka area.
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