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Apti Alaudinov

Since the beginning of the operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region, the commander of the special forces "Akhmat" Apti Alaudinov became a key spokesman for the Russian army, despite the contradictions in his statements. Apti Alaudinov is a prominent Chechen military officer and a close associate of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Alaudinov holds the rank of Major General and has been involved in various military operations, particularly in the context of Russia's involvement in conflicts such as the war in Ukraine. Alaudinov is known for his role as the commander of the special forces unit "Akhmat," which is affiliated with the Chechen Republic's security forces. His unit has been active in various military operations, and he has been a vocal supporter of Kadyrov's policies and the broader Russian military objectives.

Chechen human rights activist Abubakar Yangulbaev noted "Apti Alaudinov needs all this to build an independent career. He is ready to depend on the Ministry of Defense, to be its cog with general's shoulder straps, but he wants to get rid of dependence on Kadyrov, in which your fate is entirely in the hands of the "padishah": he can shower you with awards, or he can throw you away like a used napkin. Alaudinov knows this very well from his own experience." According to Yangulbaev, the commander of "Akhmat" became a compromise figure for the Kremlin, who was supposed to satisfy both the North Caucasus and the "deep people". He speaks Russian well, unlike a number of Kadyrov's close associates, he does not have an Ichkerian secessionist past, and speaks of the reconciling unity of Christians and Muslims.

Assistant to the head of Chechnya, commander of the special forces "Akhmat", deputy head of the main department for military-political work of the Russian Ministry of Defense - this is the order in which Apti Alaudinov lists his positions. In more than 20 years of service in the Russian security forces, Kadyrov's confidant has made a dizzying career and now holds the rank of major general - both in the police and in the army. He is also a State Duma deputy and member of the Duma Defense Committee.

Alaudinov was born in 1973 in the village of Gorny near Pyatigorsk in Stavropol Krai. In 2001, when fighting was still going on in Chechnya, he received a law degree in Grozny, got a job in the prosecutor's office, and then transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs as an inspector in the recruitment department. Before working in the security forces, according to sources , the future general traded at the market.

The official biography is silent about what else he did during the Ichkeria period, but there are well-known shots of Alaudinov praising Kadyrov so much that both of them end up crying. It was precisely this behavior, and not professional skills, that, according to our interlocutors, brought the Chechen security official to high positions.

During his service in the republican police, Alaudinov repeatedly proved his loyalty to his superior. For example, according to journalists, in January 2017, he was at the Akhmat Kadyrov regiment when dozens of detainees were executed there; he participated in the beating of relatives of unwanted people, intimidated local residents, and threatened critics of the head of Chechnya abroad and within the region.

In 2019, unconfirmed information emerged about Alaudinov's participation in a conspiracy against Kadyrov: he himself denied everything , but later lost his position . The general was brought back from disgrace by a full-scale war in Ukraine, he headed the Akhmat special forces, then for some time was the secretary of the Security Council of Chechnya and deputy commander of the 2nd army corps of the separatists of the so-called "LPR". Later, he received the titles of "Hero of Russia" and "Hero of Chechnya".

For numerous human rights violations and participation in the war, Alaudinov is included in the sanctions lists of the USA, Latvia, Great Britain, Poland and Ukraine. In the article by Novaya Gazeta Evropa, the Chechen general is presented as a political figure capable of making decisions. However, a source in the editorial office of Kavkaz.Realii in Alaudinov's inner circle claims that he is not capable of acting independently, and all the reshuffles associated with him depend entirely on Kadyrov personally.

In April 2024, Novaya Gazeta reported that the Russian presidential administration had finally decided on a successor to Ramzan Kadyrov amid the continuing deterioration of his health. The editorial sources named Apti Alaudinov as the next likely head of Chechnya. At the same time, he was appointed to the post of deputy head of the main directorate for military-political work of the Russian Defense Ministry. He is a compromise figure for the Kremlin, who was supposed to satisfy both the North Caucasus and the "deep people". He speaks Russian well, unlike a number of Kadyrov's close associates, he does not have an Ichkerian separatist past, and speaks of the reconciling unity of Christians and Muslims.

Aleksandr Kvakhadze, a research fellow at the Georgian Rondeli Foundation and an expert on the North Caucasus, agrees that there are several possible scenarios for the development of the situation with Kadyrov’s successors – each of which has its own pros and cons for Moscow. "The appointment of Alaudinov would make it easier for the Kremlin to understand its protégé: he speaks Russian competently and is a handshake for the "political elite". In addition, he is one of the few who are trying to justify the community of peoples fighting against Ukraine under the Russian flag. And he also heads the special forces "Akhmat" - the only combat-ready unit of those that Kadyrov considers his own. But there is a big minus - Alaudinov is not integrated into the general structure of the Chechen military machine. And his appointment will lead to reshuffles and the removal of people close to Kadyrov, which will upset the balance of power that has been established today," says Kvakhadze.

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, reported 11 April 2024 on Telegram that one of the commanders of the Wagner Group with call sign Ratibor would join the Akhmat special forces and bring in 3,000 fighters along with him too. The agreement was reached as a result of negotiations between the deputy commander of the 2nd Army Corps of the Russian Armed Forces, Apta Alaudinov, and Wagner commander, Alexander Kuznetsov (Ratibor). The Russian Defence Ministry approved the initiative. Kadyrov spoke of Ratibor as "an old comrade with whom he had fought side by side before.” The Chechen commander confirmed that the Russian Defence Ministry allocated vacancies at Akhmat to the Wagner regiment. According to Alaudinov, Akhmat already has two battalions of fighters from the former PMC Wagner.

The 21st Congress of United Russia was held on December 17, 2023, in Moscow at the International Exhibition and Forum "Russia" at VDNKh. The party has the right to be called Vladimir Putin's team, noted the Hero of Russia, commander of the Akhmat unit at the plenary session of the XXI Congress of United Russia. "Today, the most important victory in a year and eight months - and this is the victory of Vladimir Putin - is the unity of our people. We have become one family, one team. Victory in the SVO is a closed question. Russia has entered a new era - moral revival. This is all thanks to our national Leader. If our Leader has the core of being a man, believing in the country and the people, do we have the right to doubt that such a person can lead us to Victory?" - said Apti Alaudinov.

He recalled that in the 1990s the country was in decline, fragmented, and torn apart from within. "Vladimir Putin was able to ensure that bloodshed in our republic stopped, that the Chechen people stood on the same level as the common family of Russia. And this was the first victory that Vladimir Vladimirovich achieved after becoming the head of state," recalled the commander of the "Akhmat" unit. He called for unity around the President in order to preserve the unity of the people and the integrity of the country.

Since the beginning of the operation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk region, the commander of the special forces "Akhmat" Apti Alaudinov became a key spokesman for the Russian army, despite the contradictions in his statements. Apti Alaudinov used the invasion of the Kursk region for personal PR, believes Chechen human rights activist Abubakar Yangulbaev. "It is not Kadyrov, roughly speaking, who is disgraced in this situation. Note that the "war correspondents" are asking about the failure of "Akhmat" and the overall situation in the Kursk region not the head of Chechnya, but Alaudinov. He took responsibility, pulled the "blanket of shame" onto himself, so that he could have the moral right to say what should be done," Abubakarov reasons.

If you are the first official to admit a mistake, the next step is to authoritatively propose steps to correct it, he continues. In his opinion, Alaudinov used the situation wisely "as a 100% careerist". At the same time, he criticizes the leadership of the Ministry of Defense in a very mild form, so as not to repeat the fate of the founder of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, he notes.

"Apti Alaudinov needs all this to build an independent career. He is ready to depend on the Ministry of Defense, to be its cog with general's shoulder straps, but he wants to get rid of dependence on Kadyrov, in which your fate is entirely in the hands of the "padishah" - he can shower you with awards, or he can throw you away like a used napkin. Alaudinov knows this very well from his own experience."

On the day of the Ukrainian army's offensive on August 6, the closest ally of the head of Chechnya, General Apti Alaudinov , stated that the enemy "tried to enter" the territory of the Russian Federation and "they are being rebuffed." He promised a quick destruction of "the last reserves that the enemy has accumulated" and jokingly suggested taking popcorn and "calmly watching as ours destroy the enemy."

On August 7, Adaudinov was still repeating that "nothing tragic had happened" and promised that "the matter would be resolved in the near future." At that time, he admitted for the first time that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had passed "through areas where there was a large distance from our strongholds" - these words became the cause for much ridicule , including among z-bloggers. On August 8, Apti Alaudinov hinted for the first time at the need to punish those guilty of the breakthrough of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into the Kursk region: "This event has an owner, he has a last name, first name, patronymic. I think that the Supreme Commander-in-Chief will make the appropriate decision and, probably, it is not for you and me to judge this and disperse all this talk."

At the same time, Alaudinov stated that Kiev had allegedly gathered its last military resources, which would be destroyed and "there would be nothing left to counter it with." By doing so, the general effectively refuted one of his statements that "eleven tanks and twenty-odd vehicles" had entered Russian territory, which "do not decide anything." In an interview with "war correspondent" and propagandist Sergei Pegov, the Chechen commander directly criticized the generals, saying that "some leaders of the Ministry of Defense deceived, deceived, deceived, and it turned out that they deceived themselves." Unlike the Ukrainian units, the Russian ones lack communication and interaction with each other, he admitted. In this, Alaudinov partially repeated the attacks of the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who more harshly criticized the generals in 2022-2023. On August 11, the commander of "Akhmat" stated that the situation was "slowly stabilizing" and that the Ukrainian forces stopped by the Russian army "were no longer able to move forward." Alaudinov reported on August 13, 14, and 15 that the "uncontrolled advance" had stopped and the "blocking of the Ukrainian Armed Forces" had been completed.

By the beginning of the following week, the general's forecasts had changed. From calls to "take popcorn" and watch, he had moved on to criticizing the parents of conscripts for the fact that their children were not ready to "defend the fatherland, even when the enemy attacked it." His forecasts had also changed: the fighting in the Kursk region would end only in two or three months, Alaudinov said in an interview with Chinese war correspondent Liu Yuguang.

Military analyst David Sharp emphasized that the media often confuses the "Akhmats" - Apti Alaudinov leads the special rapid response unit of the Russian Guard named after Ramzan Kadyrov's father, while there are more than a dozen units of the Ministry of Defense with the name "Akhmat". At the same time, the expert notes, it seems rather strange to apply the name "special forces" to Alaudinov's group, since the functions of ordinary special forces do not include containing the enemy at strongholds.

"I don't think that Apti Alaudinov has any authority outside of the officialdom. Even many z-bloggers constantly joke about Kadyrov's "Tik-Tok troops" that never end up in the right place - either they didn't get to Prigozhin's mercenaries who seized the center of Rostov because of a traffic jam, or the Ukrainians slipped past them," political scientist Sergei Zhavoronkov noted.

He was gradually and steadily becoming more and more independent from Kadyrov, slowly but surely gaining more and more authority within the Ministry of Defense circles. Within this influential and powerful Russian elite he neede Kadyrov less and less. And Kadirov knows this.

The party has the right to be called Vladimir Putin's team, noted the Hero of Russia, commander of the Akhmat unit at the plenary session of the XXI Congress of United Russia December 17, 2023. "Today, the most important victory in a year and eight months - and this is the victory of Vladimir Putin - is the unity of our people. We have become one family, one team. Victory in the SVO is a closed question. Russia has entered a new era - moral revival. This is all thanks to our national Leader. If our Leader has the core of being a man, believing in the country and the people, do we have the right to doubt that such a person can lead us to Victory?" - said Apti Alaudinov .

Apti Alaudinov posted a video message on 19 August 2024 regarding the participation of conscripts in combat operations. In it, the commander of Akhmat says that he has recently been observing "sobs and outbursts about the fact that conscripts should not fight at all, and in general, why they are even in the Kursk region." "Friends, and if your 18-year-old children, who are already in the Ministry of Defense, they are employees, they should not defend the fatherland, even when it is attacked by the enemy and when it is on our territory. I have one question for you: Why does this country need you and your children?" the major general reasoned.

"We don't need to make children out of 18-year-old male conscripts, to whom we have to give a pacifier and send him to bed. He is the same defender of the Fatherland as we are. He needs to be prepared for this. We don't need to prepare him for the fact that he shouldn't be anywhere at all, shouldn't take part in anything, and he should just come, eat the state's bread for free, wear the clothes that the state will give him, and then go home and talk about how he served," Alaudinov emphasized.

The Akhmat commander noted that "the supreme commander made a decision" that conscripts "should not serve anywhere except on the territory of their own state" in times of peace for Russia. "But today there is a war, the enemy has come to us," Alaudinov said. According to Alaudinov, now “in our country everyone must stand in one line, from the youngest to the oldest.”

"No one will die who is not destined to die. But if you die defending your homeland, your faith in God, you will go to heaven. And what could be better for a person than heaven on the path of the Almighty? Nothing," the major general is sure.

In the context of recent events, Alaudinov gained attention for his statements and involvement in military activities, particularly those related to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. His close ties to Kadyrov and his active role in military operations have made him a significant figure in discussions related to the Chechen military and its influence within the broader Russian military framework.

In an interview with the Kavkaz.Realii website, military analyst David Sharp emphasized that the media often confuses the "Akhmats" - Apti Alaudinov leads the special rapid response unit of the Russian Guard named after Ramzan Kadyrov's father, while there are more than a dozen units of the Ministry of Defense with the name "Akhmat". At the same time, the expert notes, it seems rather strange to apply the name "special forces" to Alaudinov's group, since the functions of ordinary special forces do not include containing the enemy at strongholds.

"At the initial stage of the offensive, the Russian defense was completely non-functional; the Ukrainians, with not very large forces, not only penetrated very far and deep, but also consolidated their positions in the Kursk region. The Akhmat units probably participated in its defense, but it is unclear in what role and in what numbers. There is no objective open information about this," Sharp summarizes.

Many Russian "war correspondents" are "ideological", so they do not remain silent when they see outright lies against the backdrop of failures, he notes. This was the case, for example, with the occupation of Sudzha: the Ukrainian Armed Forces effectively controlled the city from the very beginning, having surrounded it, although they were not there in the first days of the invasion of the Kursk region. Against this backdrop, Alaudinov's words about Russian troops remaining in the city sounded ridiculous, he continues.

"I don't think that Apti Alaudinov has any authority outside of the officialdom. Even many Z-bloggers constantly joke about Kadyrov's "TikTok troops" who never end up in the right place: either they didn't get to Prigozhin's mercenaries who seized the center of Rostov because of a traffic jam, or the Ukrainians slipped past them," political scientist Sergei Zhavoronkov noted in a comment to a Kavkaz.Realii journalist.

Apti Alaudinov used the invasion of the Kursk region for personal PR, believes Chechen human rights activist Abubakar Yangulbaev. "It is not Kadyrov, roughly speaking, who should be disgraced in this situation. Note that the "war correspondents" are asking about the failure of "Akhmat" and the overall situation in the Kursk region not the head of Chechnya, but Alaudinov. He took responsibility, pulled the "blanket of shame" onto himself, so that he could have the moral right to say what should be done," Yangulbaev reasons.

Natives of Chechnya serving in the Russian army were captured in the Kursk region during the breakthrough of Ukrainian troops. After the start of the fighting, the commander of the special forces "Akhmat" Apti Alaudinov and Ramzan Kadyrov stated that the military from the republic were participating in the defense of the border region. At the same time, Russian "war correspondents" claim that Kadyrov's men hid behind the backs of conscripts and filmed staged videos. Military analysts interviewed by the Kavkaz.Realii website confirm that Akhmat's men often remain in forest belts far from the line of combat contact.

The units of the Russian Guard stationed in Chechnya, while formally part of the federal agency, are in fact subordinate to Kadyrov personally. Kadyrov's men have become famous in Ukraine as "TikTok troops" : according to military experts and eyewitnesses, Chechen soldiers are in territory already captured by Russia. The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) claimed that Chechen formations practically do not participate in combat operations and are used mainly in the rear. The same was said by natives of the North Caucasus who are fighting on the side of Ukraine.

On August 7, Alaudinov was still repeating that "nothing tragic had happened" and promised that "the matter would be resolved in the near future." At that time, he admitted for the first time that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had passed "through areas where there was a large distance from our strongholds" - these words became the cause for much ridicule , including among Z-bloggers. On August 8, Apti Alaudinov hinted for the first time at the need to punish those guilty of the breakthrough of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into the Kursk region: "This event has an owner, he has a last name, first name, patronymic. I think that the Supreme Commander-in-Chief will make the appropriate decision and, probably, it is not for you and me to judge this and disperse all this talk."

At the same time, Alaudinov stated that Kiev had allegedly gathered its last military resources, which would be destroyed and "there would be nothing left to counter with." By doing so, the general effectively refuted one of his statements that "eleven tanks and twenty-odd vehicles" had entered Russian territory, which "do not decide anything." In an interview with "war correspondent" and propagandist Sergei Pegov, the Chechen commander directly criticized the generals, saying that "some leaders of the Ministry of Defense deceived, deceived, deceived, and it turned out that they deceived themselves." Unlike the Ukrainian units, the Russian ones lack communication and interaction with each other, he admitted. In this, Alaudinov partially repeated the attacks of the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, who more harshly criticized the generals in 2022-2023.

On August 11, the commander of "Akhmat" stated that the situation was "slowly stabilizing" and that the Ukrainian forces stopped by the Russian army "were no longer able to move forward." Alaudinov reported on August 13, 14, and 15 that the "uncontrolled advance" had stopped and the "blocking of the Ukrainian Armed Forces" had been completed.

By the beginning of the following week, the general's forecasts had changed. Chechen Akhmat commander Apti Alaudinov demanded that conscripts be tasked with defending the area from Ukrainian forces. Apti Alaudinov had taken on the role of spokesman for Russian troops in the Kursk region. But his statements contradict Putin's position on conscripts. Russian media are full of pompous appeals from the commander of the Chechen special forces "Akhmat". Alaudinov demands that conscripts stop being treated like children and be thrown into battle on a general basis.

Alaudinov escalated a situation that the Kremlin has historically treated with extreme caution. Relatives of conscripts have complained, and Putin has tried to calm them down. The Russian dictator promised in 2022 that conscripts would not fight, but now he may face a political crisis. Kadyrov had also limited comment on the events in Kursk, but Alaudinov had not. A video of Alaudinov's appeal was shared on X on Aug. 19. According to Alaudinov, parents of these young conscripts—many of them fresh out of high school—have nothing to worry about. He claims that if their children are killed, they’ll supposedly “go straight to heaven.” In fact, the Akhmat leader insists that only those destined to die will perish in war. "No one dies unless it’s their fate to die. But if you die defending your homeland and your faith in God, you will enter paradise. And what could be better for a person than paradise on the path of the Almighty? Nothing!"

He assured the parents of Russian conscripts, behind whom Chechen forces so often like to hide. "If your 18-year-old children, who are already serving in the Ministry of Defense, aren’t supposed to defend their homeland, even when it’s under attack and the enemy is on our territory, then I have just one question for you: Why do this country and your children even need you?" the top Kadyrov ally raged in response to what he called the parents' “sniveling.”

Alaudinov said 19 August 2024 "The NATO bloc and America fight a proxy-war through Ukraine against Russia. We realise this. And if today, they are trying through such actions to make Russia use its nuclear weapons, Russia shows restraint.... It's either you stand up and stop your fascist Satanic leadership and forces, or you also appear to the Third world war zone under nuclear bombs falling onto your head, as you've been trying with all means to make Russia cross the red line and start protecting itself using all these nuclear weapons.... In any case, if you want Russia to lose the war, you have to understand: the Russian nuclear state will not lose the war. After all, why do we need the world if there is no Russia?"

Among the foreign mercenaries of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region there are NATO soldiers. This was stated by the commander of the special forces "Akhmat" Apti Alaudinov. Scott Ritter expressed confidence that the United States and the North Atlantic Alliance are behind the attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Kursk region.

The Russian Armed Forces have stopped Ukrainian troops throughout the Kursk region, while their main resources have been destroyed. This was reported to RIA Novosti by Major General Apti Alaudinov. He added that work is currently underway to clear populated areas of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Some statements by the commander of the Akhmat special forces, Major General Apti Alaudinov, "smell of dangerous bragging," Komsomolskaya Pravda military observer Viktor Baranets told NEWS.ru 20 Augus 2024. According to the expert, forecasts for the Kursk region should be made more carefully. He said it is important not to mislead the army and society. I understand that in this situation it is necessary to give society positive signals, but not to embellish the situation. This is forced positivism. For me, these statements smack of dangerous bragging. The president, the minister of defense, the army and society listen to him. I think it is necessary to talk with Alaudinov and agree on the rules of the information game, so as not to mislead the army, society, including the commander-in-chief , - Baranets explained.

"The open calls by Alaudinov, a widely promoted Russian authority, for relatives of conscripts to stop complaining, for conscripts to take part in military operations in the border zone of Russia, and for Russian citizens to come to terms with losses among conscripts and other military personnel could exacerbate tensions in Russian society and potentially threaten the stability of the Putin regime," Institute for the Study of War [ISW] stated.

Alaudinov's calls were especially cynical, recalling the stories of the conscripts themselves. Kadyrov's men repeatedly raped and abused conscripts, who took revenge by surrendering the positions of the Akhmatovites.

Alaudinov recorded an audio message on his Telegram channel, in which he addressed the Akhmat special forces fighting the Ukrainian Armed Forces nationalists in the Kursk region. On August 20, a photo of a female soldier of the Ukrainian army appeared on the Internet against the backdrop of a Pyaterochka store near Kursk. War correspondents of Telegram channels wondered whether Chechen units would take a painted Ukrainian woman captive who had put a weapon on herself. Some observers warned that it was better not to take such people captive, since they could catch "officer's cold."

Alaudinov also spoke on this matter. He said that his guys had done a great job over the past few days, capturing several dozen Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters. Regarding women in the ranks of the Ukrainian army present near Kursk, Alaudinov responded very succinctly. "Apparently, all the cockerels in the Ukrainian Armed Forces have run out, so now they are sending sluts to the front lines. I will ask my fighters to take them prisoner if possible, and if none are available, simply eliminate them on the spot."

Some units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces are already being withdrawn from the Kursk region, probably to be redeployed to other areas, Alaudinov said 21 August 2024 on Channel One. "The enemy has been stopped and has suffered very heavy losses. And in principle, as you correctly noted, some of the units are being withdrawn in order, as I understand it, to be sent to other directions and a new attack," Alaudinov said.

Alaudinov, denied rumors about the death of the commander of "Akhmat" with the call sign "Shustry". In an interview with RT war correspondent Sargon Khadai, Alaudinov showed that the information about the death of "Shustry" is fake. According to Alaudinov, Ukrainian media had previously reported on Shustry's "liquidation." In response to these reports, the general held a video conference with the commander, confirming his presence.

August 22, 2024, information was received that the Russian military destroyed an American Abrams tank in the Kursk region, Apti Alaudinov revealed in his telegram channel. "The situation at the front is quite stable and under control. The enemy was not active today, but we managed to destroy a number of vehicles, including pickups and one Abrams tank." The Russian military disrupted the planned rotation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF), which was supposed to take place on the night of August 19-20, 2024. Alaudinov noted that the Ukrainian military was going to carry out a rotation, unaware that the Russian forces had their radio transmitter.

Alaudinov is in the combat zone and regularly reports on the situation in the Kursk direction.

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