Chechen leader Kadyrov rescinds order against capturing Ukrainian soldiers, citing mass appeals
In a recent announcement on his Telegram channel, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said that he has rescinded an order to stop taking Ukrainian soldiers as prisoners, a command he claimed to have issued after a drone attack on the Russian University for Special Forces in Gudermes on October 29. Kadyrov stated, "Those willing to surrender to Russian troops will live. I don’t envy the others."
He alleged that over the past few days, the department for handling petitions in the Chechen administration supposedly received more than two thousand letters from Ukrainian citizens pleading with him to cancel the publicly announced order. However, Kadyrov has not presented any evidence to support his statements.
Such remarks by the Chechen leader could be considered public calls for extremist activity. Conviction under the law for public incitements to extremist activities through media can lead to up to five years in prison and a ban from holding certain positions or engaging in specific activities for up to three years. In the wake of the drone attack, the Chechen leader also, without providing evidence, claimed that Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed, despite earlier reports indicating no fatalities or injuries.
Through prisoner exchanges, Ukraine has successfully repatriated over three thousand individuals from Russian captivity, mostly military personnel but also civilians. Despite the Geneva Conventions, Russia continues to capture civilians, who are reportedly abducted, held in detention centers, and often return home deeply traumatized—both physically and psychologically. Ukrainians exchanged for Russian soldiers have recounted harrowing experiences of being beaten with planks during their "reception," being forced to memorize the Russian anthem, sing patriotic songs, punished for speaking Ukrainian, and subjected to starvation.