Ramzan Kadyrov, a Chechen leader and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he was ready to attack Poland and that the European country would “better recover its weapons”.
In a video shared on Twitter on Wednesday by BBC journalist Francis Scarr, Kadyrov says that “the issue of Ukraine is closed” and that he is “interested in Poland”, according to a translation of his comments.
“After Ukraine, if they give us the order, in six seconds we will show you what we are capable of,” Kadyrov said.
Poland is one of the countries that has supplied Ukraine with weapons to help it defend itself against the Russian invasion that has been taking place since the end of February. Kadyrov’s statement highlights the concern expressed by some Polish leaders that Russia could launch an attack on Poland in the future.
Although Putin has not given a definitive indication of whether he can look alongside Poland, Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski said in an interview with Al Jazeera published in late March that it was “absolute certainty.” that Putin would like to attack Poland.
“It simply came to our notice then [Putin] he will not do it now because he is too busy with what is happening in Ukraine, “Jablonsky added.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader and ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Poland “better get its weapons back.” Above, Kadyrov attends a commemorative reception for National Unity Day on November 4, 2018 in Moscow. Mikhail Svetlov / Getty Images
The video of the Chechen leader, who had garnered nearly 25,000 views as of Wednesday evening, also showed Kadyrov ordering Poland to “apologize officially for what you did to our ambassador.”
Kadyrov appeared to be referring to an incident that took place earlier this month when Russia’s ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, was hit with red paint at a Victory Day event in Poland. The measure was a protest against Russia’s war in Ukraine. Andreev and his delegation were forced to leave the area after the incident.
“We will not just ignore it,” Kadyrov said in the video. “Keep this in mind.”
It was not immediately known when or where the video was shot.
Kadyrov is not Putin’s only ally who has stepped up rhetoric against Poland in recent weeks.
Oleg Morozov, a member of the Russian parliament and a senior member of Putin’s political party, United Russia, suggested earlier this month that Poland should be “at the forefront of the de-Nazification queue after Ukraine.” an English translation of a telegram. publication.
Morozov did not specify why he believed Poland needed “deazification.”
Newsweek contacted the Russian and Polish foreign ministries for comment.