The military ally of Putin was surprised by the swap.
Ramzan Kadyrov is the leader of the Chechens.
He didn't like the fact that senior Azov battalion fighters were freed.
One of Putin's military allies broke rank and criticized the Russian-Ukrainian prisoner swap.
Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's leader and a Putin supporter, took issue with the fact that a battalion of neo-Nazis were returned to Ukraine. Russian soldiers and Chechen soldiers clashed in Mariupol in the early days of the war.
The Azov fighters were called terrorists by Kadyrov.
I am very upset about yesterday's news. Kadyrov said in a telegram post that the situation doesn't make sense to him. They have always consulted with the active participants in the special military operation. Kadyrov said, "But now..."
According to an update posted in the administration's telegram channel, 215 Ukrainians were returned as a result of the prisoner swap, which was also negotiated by the Turkish president.
One of Putin's closest allies was sent to Russia along with 55 other Russians. He was taken into custody by Ukrainian authorities.
The fighters from the controversial Azov Battalion were among the 215 Ukrainians freed. Some of the founding members of the paramilitary group have also worn nazi paraphernalia.
Kadyrov said that handing over one of the Azov terrorists should have been out of the question.
He said that he would follow Putin's instructions.
"Our main Unshakeable principle is that we will follow all orders from our Commander in Chief!" Kadyrov wrote in his letter.
On Wednesday, 10 foreign fighters fighting on behalf of Ukraine who were captured by Russia were also released in a settlement. The prisoner swap is a huge coup for the Ukrainians.
Business Insider has an article on it.
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