Chechen Akhmat Special Forces Halt Ukrainian Advance Into Kursk

Akhmat Special Forces from the Russian Chechnyan region were on May 4 reported to have thwarted a Ukrainian incursion into the embattled Kursk Region, according to a report by Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov. "The Kashtan group of the Akhmat Special Forces, a unit of the Russian Defence Ministry, in coordination with assault teams from the 2nd Special Forces Brigade and 15th Tank Regiment have prevented Ukrainian gunmen from penetrating into the Kursk Region," he stated, adding that the coordinates of Ukrainian personnel were obtained using drones, and subsequently shared with supporting tank crews. “The enemy group was wiped out by high-precision strikes," he added.

In late April Ukrainian sources reported that Ukrainian units had neutralised the commander of the Akhmat Special Forces  in the region, Buvaysar Umkhanov. Formally known as the 141st Special Motorised Regiment, Akhmat Special Forces have been heavily involved in operations against Ukrainian and supporting Western personnel in the Kursk region. Deputy chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ Main Military-Political Department and commander of the Akhmat special forces commando unit Major General Apty Alaudinov was among multiple sources to have reported engagements not only with Ukrainian forces, but also with a large number of French and Polish military contractors who have supported the assault on Kursk. Russian forces in Kursk have themselves received considerable support from the Korean People’s Army, including the deployment of artillery, ballistic missile systems, and advanced beyond visual range anti-tank missile systems. Ukraine is reported by both Russian and Western sources to have lost many of its most capable forces in Kursk, and to have taken tremendous casualties.