Turan Battalion
| Turan Battalion | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Kazakhstan Aidos Sadyqov |
| Commander | Kyrgyzstan Almaz Kudabek |
| Foundation | November 20, 2022 |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Allegiance | Armed Forces of Ukraine |
| Ideology | Pan-Turkism Turanism Anti-Russian sentiment Far-right politics |
| Status | Active |
| Size | ≈1000 |
| Part of | Ukrainian Ground Forces |
| Opponents | Russia |
| Battles and wars | Russo-Ukrainian War |
The Turan Battalion is a Turkic volunteer battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces fighting in the Russo-Ukrainian War.[1]
History
[edit ]On November 20, 2022, a Kazakh opposition activist named Aidos Sadyqov declared the group's creation in his Telegram channel. He appointed Kyrgyz national Almaz Kudabek, who worked as a hairdresser in Kyiv, as the commander of the group. Almaz Kudabek appeared in the group's introduction video where he states that the group's goal is to fight against Russia's "genocide against Turkic peoples", and also threatened Vladimir Putin and Ramzan Kadyrov.[2] The Kyrgyz ambassador to Ukraine, Idris Kadirkulov, offered Kudabek to return to Kyrgyzstan, but Kudabek rejected the offer and chose to keep fighting in Ukraine.[3] [4] In a January 2023 interview, Almaz Kudabek said that the Turan Battalion had about 600 fighters, and claimed that Kadyrov had placed a 500 thousand dollar hit on him.[5] When Almas Kudabek was talking about his motives, he stated "we just want to fight Russians, we know what they are."[6] After the Battle of Bakhmut ended, Kudabek said that the Turan Battalion was participating in more battles and that they grown in size. He also said that Kyrgyzstan had placed an arrest warrant on him, and stated "Kyrgyzstan is my homeland, I will always love it. But Ukraine is my home now, I am fighting for Ukraine. The only relief is that many Kyrgyz express support, I am fighting shoulder to shoulder with many compatriots."[7]
The Turan Battalion has ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Azerbaijanis, Uyghurs, Tatars, Crimean Tatars, and various other Turkic peoples from Russia and the North Caucasus among its ranks.[1] [8] A fighter from the Russian-Ukrainian war named Zhasulan Duysembin, "the Kazakh Rambo", also joined the battalion.[4] [9]
See also
[edit ]References
[edit ]- ^ a b "More and more representatives of the captive nations of Russia are fighting in the Ukrainian Armed Forces - Ukrainian World Congress". www.ukrainianworldcongress.org. Retrieved 2023年04月24日.
- ^ "Established the Turkic 'Turan Battalion' in Ukraine". www.specialeurasia.com. 2022年11月21日. Retrieved 2023年04月24日.
- ^ "На Украине создан батальон "Туран" при поддержке Турции" (in Russian). 2022年11月21日. Retrieved 2023年04月24日.
- ^ a b ""Уничтожать режим Путина и Кадырова": турецкие партнёры помогли создать на Украине неофашистский батальон "Туран"". utyug.info (in Russian). Retrieved 2023年04月24日.
- ^ "Leader of Turan battalion explained Kadyrov's award for his head". Silkway News. 2023年01月25日. Retrieved 2023年04月24日.
- ^ Reynolds, Maddie (2023年01月27日). "Chechens and Other Ethnic Battalions in Ukraine". A Rich Life. Retrieved 2024年02月23日.
- ^ KUVATOVA, Aigul (2023年08月04日). "Commander of Turan battalion: Ukraine is my home now". 24.kg (in Russian). Retrieved 2024年02月23日.
- ^ "Батальйон "Туран": NYT розповіли про добровольців у ЗСУ із Середньої Азії та Кавказу (фото)". ФОКУС (in Ukrainian). 2023年01月09日. Retrieved 2023年04月24日.
- ^ "WarGonzo: на Украине при поддержке Турции создали батальон "Туран"". www.mk.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023年04月24日.
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