Chechen Special Forces Enter Ukraine's Bakhmut

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has announced that his Akhmat special forces have been deployed to the embattled city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, where heavy fighting has been reported. This deployment comes as fighting near Bakhmut has intensified, despite the Wagner mercenary group claiming to have captured the city in May. Ukraine's military has been conducting a counteroffensive in the region and has recently liberated 24 square kilometers of territory surrounding Bakhmut. Kadyrov's Akhmat special forces, which operate under the Defense Ministry's command, have been involved in the conflict, with Kadyrov claiming that Chechnya has sent 26,000 fighters to Ukraine.