Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov inspected Chechen troops and volunteers preparing to fight in Ukraine during an unannounced visit to Chechnya, the Kremlin reported. This marked Putin's first trip to the North Caucasus republic in 13 years. The visit comes amid Russia's efforts to repel Ukrainian forces from its Kursk region, following Ukraine's recent incursion—the largest on Russian soil since World War Two.

At the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes, Chechnya, Putin praised the assembled troops, saying, "As long as we have men like you, we are absolutely invincible." He acknowledged the difference between training exercises and the real dangers of combat, commending the soldiers' bravery and commitment to defending the nation.

Kadyrov, who has been sanctioned by the United States for alleged human rights abuses and for mobilizing Chechen forces to fight in Ukraine, informed Putin that Chechnya had deployed over 47,000 troops since the conflict began, including approximately 19,000 volunteers. Kadyrov often refers to himself as Putin's "foot soldier," a role Putin praised, saying he would be "very happy" to have more such loyalists.

Before his visit to Chechnya, Putin made a stop in Beslan, North Ossetia, his first in at least 16 years. Beslan was the site of a tragic 2004 school siege by Islamic militants, resulting in the deaths of over 330 people, including 136 children. During a meeting with the victims' mothers, Putin described the event as an "unhealed wound" in Russia's history and warned that the country continues to face threats from those who seek to destabilize it. He likened Russia's current fight against the incursions in the Kursk region and in Donbas to the earlier battle against terrorists, vowing that those responsible would be punished.