Ramzan Kadyrov, the powerful leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya, said early Monday that Russian forces would attack not only the besieged port of Mariupol, but also Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. “There will be an attack not only in Mariupol, but also in other places, cities and villages,” Kadyrov said in a video posted on his Telegram channel. “Luhansk and Donetsk – we will fully liberate first… and then we will take Kyiv and all the other cities.” Kadyrov, who often described himself as the “infantryman” of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said there should be no doubt about Kyiv. “I assure you: not a single step will be taken back,” Kadyrov said. Kadyrov has been repeatedly accused by the United States and the European Union of human rights abuses, which he denies. Moscow fought two separatist wars in Chechnya, a predominantly Muslim region in southern Russia, after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991. But since then it has channeled huge sums of money into the region to rebuild it and given Kadyrov great autonomy. The Kremlin describes its actions in Ukraine as a “special operation” to demilitarize and “demilitarize” its neighbor, and on Sunday Russia stepped up its attacks in eastern Ukraine. The Morning and Afternoon newsletters are compiled by the Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
