Did Putin just get played by Kadyrov and the Chechens?

Putin meeting with Chechen leader Kadyrov in happier days

Haven’t seen this mentioned yet, but the Swedish media site Dagens News has an explosive report out that Ukraine’s recent invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast may have been facilitated by ‘treason’ of the Chechens who were supposedly manning the border posts there and refused to fight against the Ukrainian invasion force:

Military bloggers and analysts are abuzz with claims that Kadyrov’s troops have betrayed Russia and struck a covert agreement with Ukraine, raising serious questions about the loyalty and actions of these units, according to Ziare.

According to military bloggers known for their "Z" commentary, Kadyrov's Akhmat unit allegedly backstabbed Russian forces by deliberately avoiding confrontation with Ukrainian troops during an offensive in the Kursk region.

A former Wagner mercenary, who goes by the name Alex Parker, has shared on his Telegram page that Kadyrov's forces were well-informed about the Ukrainian advance and intentionally allowed them to proceed.

The deal was reportedly facilitated through an intermediary, Hussein Djambetov, a former Ukrainian soldier who later returned to Chechnya.

…

Russian military propagandists have expressed outrage, accusing Kadyrov of betraying Russia by orchestrating a secret non-aggression pact with Ukraine.

This alleged treachery has fueled claims that Kadyrov’s men abandoned their positions and avoided combat rather than defending the Russian frontier.

My first rule of thumb in these situations is to never assume ‘treason’ when simple cowardice will suffice — but if this report has some factual foundation, wow!