MAY 27, 2025 — Chechnya’s Akhmat special forces unit has introduced a redesigned flag incorporating the Russian tricolour, an Orthodox cross, and an Islamic crescent, alongside longstanding Chechen national symbols, reports Russian media and OC Media.
The flag also includes an image of the late Chechen leader Akhmat Kadyrov, who is the unit’s namesake. Earlier versions of the Akhmat flag displayed only Chechen national symbols and Kadyrov’s portrait.
The flag was presented by unit commander Apti Alaudinov in a video shared by journalist Anastasiya Babir.
The new design, according to Alaudinov, symbolizes interfaith and interethnic unity within the ranks of the Akhmat unit and broader Russian society.
“We came to the conclusion that, since we are working to unite these two faiths and other nationalities, the Akhmat special forces flag should include both the Orthodox cross and the Islamic crescent,” he stated. The Chechen elements, he added, flow into the Russian tricolour to visually represent that unity.
This symbolic shift accompanies structural changes within the unit itself. Alaudinov explained that while the Akhmat forces were initially composed entirely of ethnic Chechens, the demographics have shifted significantly since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He noted that only 25% of the unit is now Chechen.
“Russians now make up 50% of the unit, and the rest are from various ethnicities across Russia and the former Soviet Union,” he said. Over 23,000 volunteers have reportedly joined the unit in the past two years.
The Akhmat unit was created in June 2022 and has been a participant in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine ever since.
