The authoritarian leader of Russia's North Caucasus region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said on Telegram on November 6 that former Wagner Group mercenaries were training in Chechnya with his forces. He did not say how many ex-Wagner fighters were involved in the drills. Wagner played a key role in several of the toughest battles in Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In August, Wagner's founder and leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a mysterious plane crash. In June, Prigozhin led a mutiny against Russia's top military officials in what was one of the biggest threats to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his 23 years in power.
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