The Separate Special Purpose Battalion of the Ministry of Defense of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, also known as OBON, is a spetsnaz formation of Chechen volunteers, functioning as part of the

International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine The International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine, or the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, is a military unit of the Ukrainian Ground Forces composed of foreign volunteers. It was created on 27 February 2022 by the Government of Ukraine, Ukrainian ...

. It is one of several Chechen armed volunteer formations on the side of Ukraine. It was created by

Akhmed Zakayev Akhmed Halidovich Zakayev (; ; born 26 April 1959) is a Chechen statesman, political and military figure of the unrecognised Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI). Having previously been a Deputy Prime Minister, he now serves as Prime Minister o ...

on July 29, 2022, on the basis of a Chechen formation that has been fighting on the side of the

Ukrainian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine to combat the purposes of their common enemy.

History

On July 29, 2022, at a meeting with the leaders of the Chechen volunteers in Kyiv,

announced the creation of a new Chechen armed formation on the side of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are the Military, military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the president of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rad ...

. This formation was named OBON (Separate Special Purpose Battalion) and included in the

. According to Zakayev himself, as the battalion becomes bigger, it will be transformed into a "Separate Special Purpose Brigade" as part of the International Legion. The unit is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense of the government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria abroad, headed by

. It includes fighters from among the representatives of the Chechen nationality who serve in the Ukrainian army, as well as volunteers from the Chechen diaspora in Europe and abroad. The officer of the Ukrainian army Khadzhi-Murat Zumsoevsky who served for several years in the ranks of the

was appointed as the commander of the battalion. His deputy is , a participant in the second Russian-Chechen war and Syrian civil war.

Participation in the Russo-Ukrainian war

In the beginning of August 2022, the battalion took part in the battles in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. In August–September 2022, the battalion has taken part in the Ukrainian counteroffensive of the southern regions. On May 13, 2023, a member of the battalion Hussein Dzhambetov defected to the Russian side. In September 2023, the unit is fighting on the Verbove- Novopokrovka front. On September 26, 2024, the media outlet of the Chechen government in exile announced the formation of a new UAV unit to participate in

drone warfare Drone warfare is a form of warfare using military drones or military robots. The robots may be remote controlled or have varying levels of autonomy during their mission. Types of robots include unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) or weapon ...

against the Russian Armed Forces, called “Stiglara Tajzar” (meaning “Heavenly Wrath” in Chechen).

Structure

*Hadzji-Murad Zumso Group. *Abdul-Hakim Shishani Group. *Muslim Sadayev's Group. *Khavazhi Amaev's Group. *Stiglara Tajzar

Commanders

* Rustam Azhiev – colonel of the CRI Armed Forces * Hadji-Murad Zumso – Battalion commander * Khavazhi Amaev – Deputy battalion commander * Muslim Sadaev – Captain of the CRI Armed Forces

References

{{Russian invasion of Ukraine Regiments of the International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine Battalions of Ukraine Chechen armies in exile

History

Participation in the Russo-Ukrainian war

Structure

Commanders

See also

References