Cleansings in Chechnya are coercion element for sending to Ukraine

Law enforcers are demanding from the men detained in Chechnya to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD), since the republic lacks volunteers to send to the special military operation (SMO), analysts believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 4, the "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD)* reported that after the attack on the "Rosgvardiya" (Russian National Guard) column, law enforcers in Chechnya are detaining men. In particular, Rizvan Batyrov, a 42-year-old disabled person, was detained in Argun. The detainees are offered to be sent to the SMO zone or criminal prosecution for visiting Telegram channels that criticize Chechen authorities.

According to a source from the "Memorial" CHRD*, some people in Chechnya are even inclined to believe that the attack on the "Rosgvardiya" column either did not take place at all or was staged by law enforcers in order to then "conduct 'cleansings' in order to replenish the ranks of contract soldiers."

Back in July 2022, it became known that Imams were involved in recruiting people into law enforcement bodies of Chechnya.

Chechen authorities are now using all methods to replenish the ranks of those sent to the SMO zone, Ruslan Kutaev, a political analyst, has noted. "They will fabricate cases in order to offer an alternative: either go to prison or to the SMO," he has explained.

In his opinion, there are currently no people in Chechnya willing to go to the SMO in Ukraine. "They wouldn't fight for Russia deliberately, because they remember the Chechen war with Russia," Mr Kutaev has summed up.

Svetlana Gannushkina**, the chair of the "Civic Assistance" Committee**, has noted that the supply of volunteers is running out.

In her opinion, these methods of replenishing the ranks of those sent to the SMO fit into Kadyrov's calls to prove his commitment to traditional values.

Let us remind you that in October, Ramzan Kadyrov named the service in the Russian Army as the best choice for "young people who lead an idle lifestyle."

*As reported on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the reason for including on March 1, 2024, the unregistered "Memorial" Centre for Human Rights Defence (CHRD) into the roster of foreign agents was the spread of "inaccurate information aimed at creating a negative image of the Russian Federation, as well as the Russian Armed Forces."

**Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.