Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechnya region and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Saturday Chechen fighters had been deployed in Ukraine, and he urged Ukrainians to overthrow their government.
In a video posted online, Kadyrov boasted that Chechen units had so far suffered no losses and said Russian forces could easily take large Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv but their task was to avoid loss of life.
Putin also urged Ukrainians on Friday to rise up against their own government, which he says is made up of "neo-Nazis".
(Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Gareth Jones)
