A sign appeared behind him, exposed the leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov After he announced that he was among his soldiers who are fighting fierce battles in Ukraine, especially in the southern city of Mariupol
A photo of Kadyrov published by media loyal to him, taken near the “Pulsar” gas station, located exclusively in Russia, revealed the manipulation of the man who is one of the most loyal to Moscow, according to the British newspaper “Telegraph”.
The Chechen leader, who is prominent on social media, on Monday posted a photo of himself at a gas station he claimed was taken outside the besieged city of Mariupol, where he was seen kneeling on a prayer mat and with a machine gun nearby.
However, the sign on the pump behind him reads “Pulsar”, the brand name of the state-controlled Russian oil company Rosneft, which does not own fuel stations in Ukraine.
Kadyrov with his fighters, published yesterday, Wednesday (Archyde.com)
It is noteworthy that this photo is the second attempt by Kadyrov to appear as if he is engaged in the war on Ukrainian soil.
Similar incident
In a separate incident, Kadyrov previously also broadcast a video claiming that he is among his forces, which were fighting in the vicinity of Mariupol, but on the same day he was seen hosting a Russian official in Grozny, which made many doubt his visit to the front line, considering that it was impossible.
A strong ally of Putin
The Chechen leader announced on February 25, just one day after the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, that the Chechen fighters loyal to him are fighting alongside the Russian forces.
While the number of its fighters who were deployed in Ukraine is not known for certain, but some press reports talked about ten thousand fighters, and a number of them fell in the battles there.
Kadyrov in an old meeting with Putin (AP)
It is reported that Kadyrov expressed his strong support for the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and for Russia’s annexation of Crimea. It is included in the European Union and the United States sanctions lists targeting those close to Putin.
On the other hand, his account on Telegram is active in publishing the latest field developments of his forces, especially in the city of Mariupol, where he recently published pictures of combing operations in neighborhoods of the city, which he said had taken control of 90-95 percent of them.
In 2020, Kadyrov’s page was closed by Instagram, where he had more than one and a half million followers on the site, due to the US sanctions imposed on him. Facebook had previously closed his account in 2017, according to a report by the BBC.