Former Wagner Group mercenaries join Chechnya's Akhmat battalion, raising concerns of coercion and violations

Former Wagner Group mercenaries are reportedly joining Chechnya's Akhmat battalion and deploying to the war in Ukraine, according to Akhmat Battalion Commander Apti Alaudinov. He attributes this "mass influx" to similarities in ethos, high training standards, and the provision of necessary resources by the Akhmat battalion. In June, Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Russian Defense Ministry of attacking a Wagner camp, leading to a short-lived rebellion. Prigozhin died in a plane crash in August. Recently, a Ukrainian soldier claimed that Wagner mercenaries had returned to the Ukrainian battlefield.