MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Russia's Izvestia newspaper reported that the servicemen from Chechnya's elite Vostok and Zapad battalions would be sent to Syria in order to protect Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria.
"Local media are spreading messages about 'sending' of 'servicemen of Vostok battalion,' 'Zapad batallion' and 'Chechen special forces' to Syria. I declare with full responsibility that there are no any battalions dubbed Vostok and Zapad in the Chechen Republic," Kadyrov wrote on his Instagram account.
"One groups [of troops] are coming [to Syria], the other ones are leaving [it]. If the servicemen of the units deployed at Chechen Republic are ordered to serve their duties protecting the airbase in Syria, then they will be lucky," Kadyrov said.
According to the Chechen politician, he is always ready to join the ranks of people fighting against international terrorism and the terrorists should be killed in their "lair" before they could reach your own country.
Russia began its air campaign against the terrorists in Syria on September 30, 2015, at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Russia's Aerospace Forces have been carrying airstrikes from the Hmeimim air facility located in western Syria.
