Moscow [Russia], August 21: RT reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Chechnya on the evening of August 20 (local time), in his first visit to the Russian republic in the North Caucasus region since 2011.
He was accompanied by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov to visit the Special Forces University (SFU) in Gudermes, where he praised cadets who volunteered to serve in the armed forces.
"As long as we have people like you, we are absolutely invincible," he said at the school.
Mr Kadyrov said the SFU had trained more than 47,000 soldiers, including volunteers, since the beginning of Russia's campaign in Ukraine. "The next group of volunteers who have undergone training at the SFU will leave for the zone of special military operations in the coming days," the leader said.
President Putin inspected the training area in Gudermes, observed some classes and briefly talked with commanders, instructors and volunteers there.
This is his first visit to SUF, which was founded after his previous visit to Chechnya. In February, Mr Kadyrov announced that the school would be named after Mr Putin.
Before arriving in Chechnya, the Russian president visited two other regions in the North Caucasus: Kabardino-Balkaria and North Ossetia-Alania.
Mr Putin appointed Mr Kadyrov in 2007 at the age of 30, after Mr Kadyrov's father, Mr Akhmat Kadyrov, was assassinated by a bomb at a stadium in 2004. Arriving in Chechnya , the Russian president laid flowers at Mr Akhmat Kadyrov's grave before participating in activities there, according to Interfax.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper