- Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said the Wagner Group was showing "impressive results" in Ukraine.
- In a Telegram post, Kadyrov said he wants to compete with the group's founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said he wants to "compete" with Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and create his own private military company.
In a Telegram post on Sunday, Kadyrov praised Prighozin and said the group, which has fought alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, was showing "impressive results."
"I can not stop rejoicing at the success of the "Wagner" PMC in the [special military operation]," Kadyrov wrote on Telegram alongside a picture of him shaking hands with Prigozhin. "It seems that the private military company managed to achieve very impressive results."
"When my service to the state is completed, I seriously plan to compete with our dear brother Yevgeny Prigozhin and create a private military company. I think it will all work out," Kadyrov added.
Kadyrov did not elaborate on his plans or say how he would go about creating this army.
Chechen units, led by Kadyrov, have fought alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. For the most part, they operate independently of Russia's military command.
This is similar to the Wagner Group, which has played a major role in the Ukraine war, most recently helping launch a months-long assault on the eastern city of Bakhmut in Ukraine's Donetsk region.
Prigozhin, known as "Putin's chef" due in part to his state catering contracts, last year confirmed that he founded the group eight years ago after he had earlier denied any connection to them. Wagner's forces have been linked to numerous war crimes.
Earlier this month, reports emerged that Wagner Group has stopped recruiting prisoners as growing numbers refuse to be enlisted on what they percieve to be suicide missions in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian military intelligence report, published in December and first obtained by CNN, said that Wagner Group fighters, which include prisoners, "have become the disposable infantry" in Ukraine.
Even though Kadyrov and Prigozhin are both allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin, they have previously spoken out against Russian military leadership in Ukraine.