Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov on Sunday proposed the creation of a "special regiment" made up from Chechnya's armed forces to help defend Russia from Western aggression.

Kadyrov said his country stood firmly behind Russian President Vladimir Putin as Europe and the United States waged an "economic war" against Russia.

"For 15 years Vladimir Putin has helped our people! Now we're asking the Russian leader to consider us as his special regiment of volunteers, ready to defend Russia, its stability and its borders," Kadyrov said in a speech in Grozny, addressing some 20,000 volunteers who had undergone military training.

"We are Vladimir Putin's infantry, and everyone had better know that," the former rebel turned ardent Putin supporter said, just a month after proposing that Chechen army conscripts carry out their military service in the Russian naval base at Sevastopol, located on the Crimean peninsula Russia annexed from Ukraine in March.

image with source