Two battalions of Chechen special operations forces are being deployed to Syria to guard the Russian airfield at Hmeimim in Latakia province and to guard Syrian government-controlled territory in Aleppo and elsewhere, Caucasus-based Kavkaz Realii and Russia's Kommersant reported. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, however, denied on his Instagram profile that the battalions supposedly being deployed even exist. They are reportedly part of the highly elite Zapad (West) and Vostok (East) units, which are constantly drawn up and then disbanded by Kadyrov. They specialize in both mountain and urban warfare and have a reputation for brutality and human rights violations. They were allegedly last disbanded in 2008 during a political conflict between Kadyrov and his opposition. Videos and reports of the units, however, have surfaced multiple times since, including in eastern Ukraine in 2014.

Russia's contribution to the Syrian fight has come chiefly via air operations, but it relies on a ground element for such missions as training and advising Syrian troops, coordinating operations, calling in airstrikes, and guarding bases and facilities. Various Chechen battalions have worked repeatedly with the Russian military, particularly the country's military intelligence body, so the two should be able to seamlessly cooperate in Syria.

Kadyrov has repeatedly and ostentatiously offered to deploy his elite military units to multiple battlefields to show his loyalty to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has been hesitant, however, to publicly accept for multiple reasons. First, the Russians are concerned about the loyalty of Chechen troops, many of whom fought, or had parents who fought, in the Chechen wars against Russia. Second, accepting Kadyrov's offer would strengthen his negotiating power internationally, a situation Russia wants to avoid. Last week, Kadyrov visited Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and invited their forces to train in a new military training center being constructed in Chechnya. This cross-regional cooperation between Muslim Chechen forces and Middle Eastern ones is a concern for Moscow, since Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states reportedly funded Chechen militants during the wars. A strengthened Chechen role in Syria is also upsetting for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), which competes with Chechen forces for control of Chechnya's security portfolio. It also reflects the FSB's weak influence over all of Russia's foreign military involvements.