Chechen fighters - who are some of Russia's oldest enemies - have joined forces with Ukraine in a bid to win the war, with the hope they can one day take their holy war back to their homeland of Chechnya.
In a bunker below the fiercely contested city of Bakhmut, a Chechen commander with a half a million-dollar Russian bounty on his head joins his men in prayer.
Of the allies Ukraine has gathered in its war with Russia, among the most shadowy and deadly are the Chechens.
They are some of Vladimir Putin's oldest enemies and among the hardest to film up close.
They are all marked men, wanted by Russia.
Their movements are shrouded in secrecy.
But Sky News gained access to their secret base near the frontline in one of Ukraine's most savage battles.
During the time we spent filming them they shared insights into their foes that are worth listening to in the West.
We drove in fast on back roads to evade Russian spotters calling in artillery strikes. As we entered Bakhmut we passed gutted buildings and gaping craters, the sound of shelling was close and regular.
Inside the bunker we met some of the longest serving veterans of this war. The Chechen Sheikh Mansour Battalion has been fighting Russia in Ukraine since 2014. Their enemy's tactics haven't changed since this war began, they say.
"They're sending forward troops like cattle for slaughter," Chechen fighter Idris told us. "Leaving the ground covered with corpses. They do it every day they have no pity for their own people."
It is the same kind of fighting Russia used in their homeland in the 1990s. From safe cover, commanders send conscripts in waves hoping to grind down their enemy with little care for their men. --->READ MORE HERE
A motorised rifle battalion and two tank battalions have been assigned to move to areas bordering the state border of Ukraine, said Lt Gen. Serhii Naiev, the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Source: Naiev, as quoted by the Ministry of Defence
Quote from Naiev: "A motorised rifle battalion and two tank battalions were assigned to move to the areas bordering the state border of Ukraine.
In turn, on the territory of the Kyiv Oblast, at one of the important state facilities of critical infrastructure, a training session was held with units that carry out the protection and defence of the specified object."
Details: According to the commander, the Defence Forces also worked out elements of countering the landing of air troops and sabotage and reconnaissance groups of the enemy in the area of the critical infrastructure object – inflicting fire damage by mortar and artillery batteries, encircling the enemy, crossing a water barrier, repelling a massive attack by unmanned aerial vehicles and destroying hostile forces by all available means.
Note: Naiev believes that during the recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Belarus, they were talking about the involvement of the Armed Forces of Belarus in the war against Ukraine, particularly on land. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to +++++relevant+++++ and related stories:
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