Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the Special Forces University in Chechnya, praising the trainees who volunteered for service as protectors of the fatherland.
Putin traveled to Chechnya on Tuesday, for the first time since 2011. He was accompanied to the SFU in Gudermes by Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the republic, who helped set up the school in 2013.
“It is my pleasure to meet you here,” Putin told the trainees preparing to deploy to the front in Ukraine. “The decision you made was difficult. It is one thing to shoot at a range, but another to put your life and limb at risk. But you feel the need to protect the Fatherland and the courage to make that call.”
“Those who make such a decision have already won,” the Russian president added. “I want to congratulate you, to thank you for such a decision, and wish you luck with all of my heart.”
So long as we have men like you, we are absolutely and utterly invincible.
Kadyrov pointed out that the SUF had trained more than 47,000 soldiers, including volunteers, since the start of the military operation in Ukraine.
“The next group of volunteers who’ve undergone training at the Special Forces University will be setting out for the special military operation zone in the coming days,” the head of Chechnya said.
Putin inspected the training complex in Gudermes, observed some of the lessons, and briefly spoke with the special forces commanders, instructors and volunteers training at the facility, according to the Kremlin.
It was his first visit to the SUF, which was established after his previous visit to Chechnya. In February this year, Kadyrov announced that the academy would be named after Putin himself.
Earlier in the day, he made stops at two other North Caucasus regions, Kabardino-Balkaria and North Ossetia–Alania.
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