“My old commander was a Chechen. One of the best guys I’ve ever served with. He’s actually the only reason I was able to serve and gave me the chance.

It’s just strange though to see how quickly public opinion has changed for Russia in Chechnya. Their fathers fought and died against Russia and now their sons are Russians pets.

To be honest when I saw the video of Chechens getting ready to come I was nervous only because of the stories you hear during the first Chechen war where Russians were beheaded for fun or had ears, nose, lips cut off. Now they mean nothing to me. They are no different from a Russian, or Belarusian soldier who decides to come to Ukraine and fight against us because they will all suffer the same fate.

Most of them are already dead by our drones not even a day into entering Ukraine so their reputation has definitely suffered a HARD BLOW. “

– Ukrainian soldier. Invasion of Ukraine. March 1st, 2022.

This story was documented by Nicholas Laidlaw.

Every soldier has a story, and every story deserves to be told.