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Chechen Leader, a Close Putin Ally, Says His Forces Have Deployed to Ukraine

Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov addresses service members while making a statement, dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine, in Grozny, Russia February 25, 2022. (Reuters)
Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov addresses service members while making a statement, dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine, in Grozny, Russia February 25, 2022. (Reuters)
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Chechen Leader, a Close Putin Ally, Says His Forces Have Deployed to Ukraine

Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov addresses service members while making a statement, dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine, in Grozny, Russia February 25, 2022. (Reuters)
Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov addresses service members while making a statement, dedicated to a military conflict in Ukraine, in Grozny, Russia February 25, 2022. (Reuters)

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechnya region and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Saturday that Chechen fighters had been deployed to Ukraine and urged Ukrainians to overthrow their government.

In a video posted online, Kadyrov boasted that Chechen units had so far suffered no losses and said Russian forces could easily take large Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, but that their task was to avoid loss of life.

"As of today, as of this minute, we do not have one single casualty, or wounded, not a single man has even had a runny nose," Kadyrov said, denying what he said were false reports of casualties from Ukrainian sources.

"The president (Putin) took the right decision and we will carry out his orders under any circumstances," said Kadyrov.

Kadyrov has often described himself as Putin's "foot soldier" and his words echoed those of the Russian leader who on Friday urged Ukrainians to rise up against their own government, which he said was made up of "neo-Nazis". Ukrainian officials say that description of them is absurd.

Kadyrov has deployed his forces abroad to support Kremlin military operations before - in Syria and Georgia.

Kadyrov released his video as Russian forces pounded Ukrainian cities with artillery and cruise missiles on Saturday for a third day running and a defiant President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the capital Kyiv remained in Ukrainian hands.

A short video published by the state-backed Russian news channel RT, which it said was from Friday, showed thousands of Chechen fighters gathered in the main square of the region's capital Grozny in a show of readiness to fight in Ukraine.

It was not immediately clear whether those fighters, who numbered some 12,000 according to RT, had already been deployed to Ukraine. RT said on Friday that they were awaiting an order from Putin to go in.

Moscow fought two bloody wars with separatists in Chechnya, a mainly Muslim region in southern Russia, after the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union, but has since poured huge sums of money into the region to rebuild it and given Kadyrov a large measure of autonomy to run things.

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World

UK's Starmer Welcomes Trump Move to Drop Greenland Tariff Threat

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as he hosts a reception to celebrate Hanukkah at Downing Street in London, Britain December 16, 2025. Alastair Grant/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as he hosts a reception to celebrate Hanukkah at Downing Street in London, Britain December 16, 2025. Alastair Grant/Pool via REUTERS
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UK's Starmer Welcomes Trump Move to Drop Greenland Tariff Threat

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as he hosts a reception to celebrate Hanukkah at Downing Street in London, Britain December 16, 2025. Alastair Grant/Pool via REUTERS
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as he hosts a reception to celebrate Hanukkah at Downing Street in London, Britain December 16, 2025. Alastair Grant/Pool via REUTERS

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told his ​Danish counterpart on Thursday that US President Donald Trump's decision not to pursue tariffs on European countries who opposed his plans to take control of Greenland was a pragmatic and common sense step.

Trump abruptly stepped back on ‌Wednesday from ‌threats to impose tariffs ‌as ⁠leverage ​to ‌seize Greenland, ruled out the use of force and suggested a deal was in sight to end a dispute over the Danish territory.

"In terms of recent developments and the withdrawal of the threat of ⁠tariffs, I see that as a reflection of ‌pragmatism, common sense and sticking ‍to our values ‍and our principles," Starmer told Mette ‍Frederiksen.

Frederiksen said Britain was one of Denmark's oldest and most important allies and partners and thanked Starmer for his support.

"I like the ​British way of doing things... You have a cup of tea and ⁠then you think a bit about everything, you get the facts on the table, and then you find a way forward, and that's exactly what we're doing now," she told Starmer at the start of their meeting at Chequers, the British prime minister's country residence.

"I think we've got to get by with ‌a little help from our friends."

World

Iran Guards Chief Says 'Finger on Trigger', Warns US against 'Miscalculations'

Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Mohammad Pakpour (Archive - Reuters)
Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Mohammad Pakpour (Archive - Reuters)
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Iran Guards Chief Says 'Finger on Trigger', Warns US against 'Miscalculations'

Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Mohammad Pakpour (Archive - Reuters)
Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Mohammad Pakpour (Archive - Reuters)

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Thursday warned Israel and the US against "miscalculations" in the wake of mass protests, saying the force had its "finger on the trigger".

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly left open the option of new military action against the Iranian republic after Washington backed and joined Israel's 12-day war in June.

A fortnight of protests starting in late December shook the clerical leadership under supreme leader Ali Khamenei, but the movement has petered out in the face of a crackdown that activists say has left thousands dead.

Guards commander General Mohammad Pakpour warned Israel and the United States "to avoid any miscalculations, by learning from historical experiences and what they learned in the 12-day imposed war, so that they do not face a more painful and regrettable fate".

"The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and dear Iran have their finger on the trigger, more prepared than ever, ready to carry out the orders and measures of the supreme commander-in-chief -- a leader dearer than their own lives," he said, referring to Khamenei.

His comments came in a written statement quoted by state television marking the national day in Iran to celebrate the Guards, a force whose mission is to protect the 1979 Iranian revolution from internal and external threats.

Activists accuse the Guards of playing a frontline role in the deadly crackdown on protests. The group is sanctioned as a terrorist entity by countries including Australia, Canada and the United States and campaigners have long urged similar moves from the EU and UK.

Pakpour took over as Guards commander last year after his predecessor Hossein Salami was one of several key military figures killed in an Israeli strike during the 12-day war, losses which revealed Israel's deep intelligence penetration of Iran.

Giving their first official toll from the protests, Iranian authorities on Wednesday said 3,117 people were killed.

The statement from the Iranian republic's foundation for martyrs and veterans sought to draw a distinction between "martyrs", who it said were members of security forces and innocent bystanders, and what it described as "rioters" backed by the US. 

Of its toll of 3,117, it said 2,427 people were martyrs. 

However, rights groups say the heavy toll was caused by security forces firing directly on protesters and that the actual number of those killed could be far higher and even extend to over 20,000. 

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said "the future for the Iranian people can only be in a regime change", adding that the Iranian “regime is in quite a fragile situation". 

World

Merz Warns Great Power Politics Makes World 'a Dangerous Place'

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
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Merz Warns Great Power Politics Makes World 'a Dangerous Place'

Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 22, 2026. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned Thursday that the international order is "unravelling at a breathtaking pace" and that "a world where only power counts is a dangerous place".

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Merz pointed to Russia's war in Ukraine, a rising China and a United States that is "radically reshaping its foreign and security policy".

"A world where only power counts is a dangerous place," he said. "First for small states and for the middle powers, ultimately for the great ones."

The conservative leader of the top EU economy said Germany went down this road "to its bitter end" during the 20th century, reported AFP.

"It pulled the world into a black abyss," he said.

"So let us bear in mind: our greatest strength remains the ability to build partnerships and alliances among equals based on mutual trust and respect."

Merz called Russia's invasion of Ukraine "the most drastic expression" so far of a global "new era". He added that China, "with strategic foresight, has worked its way into the ranks of the great powers".

"The United States' global pole position is being challenged," Merz said, with Washington responding by "radically reshaping its foreign and security policy".

"We have entered a time of great power politics. The international order of the past three decades anchored in international law has always been imperfect. Today, its very foundations have been shaken."

He said Europe's power rested on three pillars.

"First we must invest massively in our ability to defend ourselves, and we are doing this," he said.

"Second, we must rapidly make our economies competitive, and we are doing this. Third, we must stand closer together among Europeans and among like-minded partners. We are doing this."