Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov stated on Saturday that his forces were ready to assist in putting down a mutiny led by Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, adding that severe tactics will be used if required.

In a Telegram statement, Kadyrov termed Prigozhin’s behavior “a knife in the back” and urged Russian military not to give in to “provocations.”

He said that Chechen units were moving towards the “zones of tension” and would act to “preserve Russia’s units and defend its statehood”.

Kadyrov, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin who commands extensive military forces in Chechnya, had previously been seen as a Prigozhin ally, sharing some of the Wagner boss’s criticisms of the Russian military hierarchy.

In recent weeks, however, Chechen commanders aligned with Kadyrov had begun criticising Prigozhin’s regular outbursts against the defence ministry.