As tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated, Putin ordered the mobilization of "all available forces" on February 24, 2022, for defensive actions in eastern Ukraine.
It was the first large-scale deployment of troops since taking office to protect the security of the areas under his jurisdiction, including Chechen forces that had been at war with Russia. So, just how fierce is the Chechen army?
There is a saying in the streets: "Chechnya is infested, and not a single grass grows." When you see a dog on the side of the road, you have to slap it twice. ”
As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensifies, the direction of the war has become difficult, but it is certain that the Russian army has fallen into the quagmire of war. At the critical juncture, some people speculated that Putin would use the last card in his hand, and there were even rumors that once Putin used this card, the Ukrainian army would completely collapse.
So, what is this hole card in Putin's hand? Is it really as powerful as it is rumored?
Among the Cossack ethnic groups of Chechnya, it is widely believed that the most powerful card in Putin's hands is his Chechen armed forces. Chechnya, a small country on the border with Russia, has a strong belief in force.
At the height of Chechnya's national power, even Russia, known as a "fighting nation", suffered a heavy price in its confrontation with Chechnya.
Under Putin's leadership, the Chechen troops have been transformed into a powerful and hard-nosed army in Russia's periphery, known as Putin's one"Ace"。
However, in fact, Putin also has an even more powerful army, that is, the Cossack national army, which is made up of Cossack soldiers. Their strength far exceeds that of the Chechen troops, which can be called Putin's last hand"Hole cards"。
During a number of battles, Putin gradually recognized the great strength of the Cossacks and decided to create a strong Cossack army. And the people to whom the members of the Cossack national army belonged were also an ethnic group that made the Chechen army very fearful.
The Cossack armed "Cossacks" took the title ** to "free and brave people", which fully corresponded to their spiritual qualities. In the middle of the 15th century, due to the exploitation of Tsarist Russia and the oppression of large landowners, a group of poor peasants living in Russia and Ukraine were forced to migrate to the steppes of Eastern Europe.
Their main way of life was hunting, trading and farming, and the vast living space and sparse population and lack of labor made it an ideal refuge for them, and the Tsarist and other regimes also extended a helping hand here.
The Cossacks fled in large numbers because they could not bear the oppression of the tsar. This wave of exodus encompassed peasants and young people living in difficult circumstances in the cities, injecting a new demographic element into the region.
Over time, in the 16th century, a military organization was born, which led to a strong interest in the Cossacks in neighboring countries. The Poles were the first to accept the Cossacks and integrate them into the army, and although the Cossacks were able to maintain a certain degree of independence, later the tsar discovered the violent tendencies of the Cossacks and controlled part of them by bribing senior commanders.
Tsarist Russia took a fancy to the fighting power of the Cossacks, especially their consistency of fugitive peasants and declining youth. To take advantage of this, Tsarist Russia used money to induce the Cossacks to be loyal to itself.
As expected, the Cossacks, attracted by money, quickly agreed to the demands of Tsarist Russia. From then on, the Cossacks became the most elite cavalry of the Russian army, and with the Tsarist army, they won many major victories.
The Cossacks were deeply appreciated by Tsarist Russia for their bravery and warlikeness, and the relationship between the two was as close as brothers. However, the Cossacks knew that their relationship with Tsarist Russia was driven by profit, and that if they were of no use, they would be ruthlessly abandoned.
Therefore, the Cossacks, while serving the tsar, were actively considering their own way out. With the outbreak of the October Revolution in 1917, the Russian army collapsed in an instant.
At this time, the Cossacks were faced with a big choice, where they would go.
In Soviet times, there were serious divisions among the Cossack soldiers, divided into two parts, supporting the Red Army and reactionary organizations. But in general, most of the Cossacks chose the wrong path, and although the era of cold weapons has passed, they are still obsessed with using cold weapons.
In this case, the Cossack soldiers could only cling to the thighs of the USSR and again became the ranks of the USSR. Despite their low level of technical knowledge, they are recognized for their courage and not considered reckless.
During World War II, the Cossack cavalry showed a tenacious fighting spirit, and they proved their bravery and determination with real actions. For them, if the opponent is strong enough, they will be even stronger.
The Chechens were known for their cruelty, but the Cossacks said they would be even more cruel. Even if the Chechens did not experience such battles, the Cossack units managed to defeat them.
After the battle, the Chechens even offered a bounty for the purchase of the heads of soldiers of the Cossack units. Despite the tremendous efforts of the Chechen troops, they were still unable to overcome the Cossack units, whose soldiers seemed to be their enemies by nature.
In the end, the ferocious Chechen troops, like tamed rabbits, were left to the slaughter of the Cossack troops.
After the end of the Second World War, some soldiers of the Cossack troops, who had come into contact with the advanced **, began to plan their own path to the restoration of power with the belief of independence and independence.
However, the turn of history is often unexpected, some Cossack soldiers actually chose to join the Soviet Red Army, and the Soviet Union ** also gave rich rewards to the Cossacks who took the initiative to join, allowing them to gradually integrate into the Soviet social family.
Of course, those Cossacks who still insisted on independence could not resist the torrent of history after all, and soon disappeared into the long river of history.
The power of battle can only be demonstrated by confrontation. Although Chechnya is only a small border country, its combat effectiveness is terrifying, which has caused headaches for Russia and even caused a lot of trouble for the Russian army.
It was only after Putin came to power that the problem of Chechnya was resolved. Although the Chechen armed forces were no less powerful, when it came to a real fighting nation, I am afraid that only the Cossacks were worthy of it.
In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. Although the collapse of the Soviet Union did not affect the interests of the Soviet Union, Russia still faced great chaos after seizing power.
* From the Internet, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Chechen Republic began to create frequent chaos. At that time, Chechnya and Russia were locked in a fierce territorial dispute, and war became a desperate choice in order to find a peaceful solution.
In 1994, the artillery fighting between Russia and the Chechen Republic continued, and this event was recorded in history as the "First Chechen War". Russia has a huge nuclear arsenal after the collapse of the USSR, and they are absolutely confident that there is no threat to the Chechen forces.
However, the Chechen soldiers were familiar with the terrain and were extremely brave, skilled in horsemanship and marksmanship, and adept at using **.
This symbolizes Russia's first defeat in the campaign against the Chechen army. There are fears that the defeat of this small country will bring indelible humiliation to Russia's heartland.
Fortunately, however, after the battle, the Russians quickly learned from the lessons of the battle. In 1999, Russia rose again, and everyone thought that the moment had finally come.
That year, Putin became the most powerful figure in Russia. Immediately after taking office, Putin won support among the Russian population for his rebellious methods and tough military strategy.
Walk the talk. After Putin took office, he still did not forget the humiliation of Russia and was determined to regain control of the Chechen region.
Putin went deep into Chechnya, selected elite soldiers, and was fully prepared. In the same year, the Second Chechen War broke out. Although the Chechen forces still stuck to their traditions, Putin managed to bring out their potential in the battle and studied ways to destroy them.
In the end, Russia won a resounding victory and recaptured the Chechen region. However, the victory was not flashy, but a thrilling narrowly, with heavy losses for the Russian army. Some Chechen activists took advantage of the chaos to flee to the mountains and took refuge in the mountains and began to attack the Russian border areas.
Putin eventually ran out of all patience, believing that this situation could not continue any longer. After careful consideration, he decided to use his last ** - Cossack troops.
In 2005, Putin decided to form a team of Cossack mercenaries in the form of a mercenary, whose task was to eliminate the remnants of Chechnya. The Chechens are like grasshoppers in autumn, with only a short lifespan.
It turned out that the appearance of Cossack mercenaries frightened the Chechen troops, and all of them quickly fled. Even if a few tried to resist, they ended up at the hands of the Cossack mercenaries.
The indomitable indomitability of the Cossacks towards the Chechen army was awe-inspiring, and it all stemmed from their ties and differences.
Although both the Cossacks and Chechnya had excellent cavalry and excellent warriors, and were also very physically strong, their national ideas and consciousness were very different.
The Cossacks had a strong sense of nationality and loyalty, while Chechnya had a weak sense of state and was always in danger of defecting and fleeing. In the first engagement between Russia and Chechnya, Russia was taught a hard lesson by Chechnya for underestimating the enemy.
However, when the Chechens fought with the Cossacks, the Chechen army did not have the upper hand, but was defeated by the Cossack army and even suffered heavy losses. This shows that the loyalty and national consciousness of the Cossacks made them excellent in battle, while the weak concept of the Chechen state put them at a disadvantage in battle.
After one encounter with the Cossack cavalry, the Chechen troops developed a fear of the Cossack ethnic group. This fear was further exacerbated during the Second Chechen War, even to the point where the name of the Cossacks would turn colored.
Here's how it happened, when the Russian army deployed Cossacks to guard their positions in the Second Chechen War, due to the transfer of combat forces, there were only more than ninety Cossacks on this task.
When the Chechen army received this news, it immediately sent more than 2,000 fighters to encircle and suppress these Cossacks. However, despite the large number of people, the Cossacks put up stubborn resistance.
In fierce battles for three days and three nights, the Chechen rebels paid a huge price, more than a thousand **, and only ten Cossacks survived. This heroic and fearless spirit terrified the Chechen troops, and in order to save the defeat, they began to offer bounties for warriors.
However, despite the Cossack leaders' offers of a bounty of up to 2,000 dollars, few brave men dared to challenge them.
Faced with the plight of Ukraine, the Cossack army was ready to go to war. Now, this army, which has more than half a million Cossacks, equipped with the most advanced ** in Russia, has become a "hole card" in Putin's hands.
The Cossacks are becoming an important force in the Russian army and Putin's last cards. After the end of the war in Chechnya, most of the Chechens joined Putin's armed forces and became his loyal supporters.
The prosperity of Chechnya is the result of Kadyrov's wise leadership and the Cossacks' resolute fight against terrorism, which strengthens the position of the Cossack army in Putin's heart. After the Chechen rebels were put down, the Cossacks were still the main force of the Russian army, active in various wars, and were a trump card in Putin's hands.
Putin's resourcefulness and talent have allowed him to draw on a wide range of talents, including Chechnya and Cossacks into his camp, and bringing them closer together to serve Russia.
This fully shows Putin's mind and model.