Support The Moscow Times!

Kadyrov Announces 'World-Class' Training Center for Special Forces

"The Chechen republic will become one of the top world centers for training special forces," the republic's leader Ramzan Kadyrov has announced. Maxim Stulov / Vedomosti

Chechnya will soon host a state of the art special forces training center the size of a city, the republic's leader Ramzan Kadyrov has announced.

"The Chechen republic will become one of the top world centers for training special forces," Kadyrov announced via Instagram late Wednesday.

It was unclear when construction would be completed, but Kadyrov said the project involved an entire city that would exist specifically for counter-terrorism training purposes.

"In the unique tactical city there are high-rises, schools, hospitals, kindergartens and a theater, all meant for drills on freeing hostages and destroying terrorists," Kadyrov wrote. "The center can accommodate parachute, mountain, forest, water and other kinds of training. Construction on a wind tunnel is under way as well," he wrote.

The announcement comes after thousands of special forces gathered at a stadium in Grozny last December to declare their "readiness to fulfill any order or task of the president of Russia," according to the BBC's Russian service. The statement was broadly interpreted at the time as a vow to fight in Ukraine if the conflict there escalated.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysis and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more