Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to deploy Chechen forces to Syria to help stabilize the country following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
In a statement on his Telegram channel on Sunday, Kadyrov also suggested Russia remove HTS from its list of terrorist organizations and begin direct talks with the group to address humanitarian and security issues.
Kadyrov’s comments come after reports that two vessels carrying Russian wheat to Syria were rerouted due to uncertainty over the new government. Russian and Syrian sources told Reuters that wheat shipments had been suspended.
Kadyrov clarified that the disrupted deliveries were commercial and insisted that state-backed wheat supplies to Syria remain unaffected. He pledged to personally ensure Syria receives the wheat it needs if disruptions occur.
Kadyrov also proposed forming a contact group between Russia and HTS to resolve humanitarian and medical problems. He suggested including Syrians with ties to Chechnya, who could help facilitate communication and stabilization efforts.
In addition, Kadyrov said they are ready to send Chechen Akhmat forces to patrol Syrian streets alongside local law enforcement, should Putin approve. He highlighted Chechen police units’ past successes in maintaining order in Syria and offered military instructors from the Russian Special Forces University to train Syrian personnel.
Kadyrov’s proposals align with Russia’s ongoing interests in Syria, where it maintains a military presence, including its naval base in Tartus. Recent reports indicate that Russia has already evacuated 400 soldiers from Damascus in coordination with HTS to avoid further conflict.
