Russian soldiers near Vovchansk in the Kharkiv region are reportedly being punished for complaining about privileges granted to the “Akhmat” unit of the Russian National Guard, according to the Atesh partisan movement .
Akhmat is composed largely of Chechen security forces and directly subordinate to Ramzan Kadyrov, head of Russia’s Chechen Republic.
Rumblings in the Russian military
In a report published on Telegram, Atesh said its agents within the Russian military reported growing discontent among soldiers deployed in the Vovchansk sector.
Rank-and-file troops from the 82nd Motorized Rifle Regiment are said to have begun recording video messages complaining about what they describe as their arbitrary treatment by commanders.
Atesh said the dissatisfaction stems from what soldiers perceive as an unfair distribution of awards and combat assignments.
“While soldiers from the 82nd Regiment bleed in brutal assaults, Kadyrov’s fighters remain behind the lines, filming staged videos and receiving undeserved honors,” Atesh said.
Rather than addressing their complaints, the Russian command has reportedly responded by cracking down on the soldiers themselves. An inspection commission is said to have been urgently dispatched to the regiment.
“Those who participated in recording the videos and expressed dissatisfaction are being threatened with being thrown into basements and sent on one-way penal assaults,” the report reads.
Atesh ended their post by urging Russian soldiers not to wait for their own command to “destroy you for trying to seek justice.”
“Help us eliminate those who are driving you to the slaughter,” they added.
Akhmat expansion in Ukraine’s occupied territories
Atesh previously reported that Kadyrov’s forces had begun expanding their presence in the Russian-occupied city of Tokmak in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.
In a Feb. 2 post on Telegram, Atesh said that fighters from the 78th “Akhmat Sever” Regiment were reportedly preparing to seize profitable local businesses with the intention of transferring them into the control of structures linked to Grozny.
Atesh said at the time that the unit had begun cataloging local assets and exerting pressure on owners of agricultural companies and retail chains.
“Repressions against local entrepreneurs are intensifying daily and are aimed at forcing them to voluntarily relinquish their property to Kadyrov’s men,” Atesh reported.
According to the partisans, their campaign has included threats of fabricated criminal cases and the use of inspections as a pretext for corporate takeovers – with residents reporting the constant presence of armed men in company offices and attempts to impose external management by individuals linked to Akhmat commanders.
Repercussions
Akhmat fighters have been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian intelligence and special operations forces in occupied territories.
On Nov. 30, 2025, Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence service said it had eliminated several fighters from the “Akhmat” unit near the Russian-occupied city of Berdyansk in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region, during a special operation targeting an illegal fuel theft scheme.
Two explosions occurred on Nov. 29 as the result of a coordinated operation by Ukrainian intelligence and the local resistance movement.
HUR said Ukrainian partisans had discovered that the fighters were involved in stealing diesel fuel and selling it from a fixed location along a highway near Berdyansk.
After the site was mined, Ukrainian operatives detonated explosives when Akhmat fighters gathered there to conduct the illicit trade. The first explosion caused panic among the Russian personnel, with survivors attempting to flee.
A second blast was triggered when a vehicle carrying more Chechen soldiers arrived at the scene.
According to the HUR, the operation destroyed two vehicles carrying Akhmat fighters, though the exact number of casualties remained unknown.
A similar operation was carried out on July 17, 2025, near the Russian-occupied village of Velyka Bilozerka in the Zaporizhzhia region.
HUR special forces advanced more than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) into Russian-controlled territory and successfully ambushed fighters from the “Akhmat” unit, before returning without losses.
Three soldiers from the Russian National Guard were neutralized after their vehicle was detonated, the HUR said at the time. The operation also allowed Ukrainian intelligence to collect information on Russian logistics, equipment, and command posts.