Chechen Akhmat commander calls for mobilisation of 2 million soldiers for possible clash with EU

Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Chechen Akhmat special forces and the deputy head of the Russian Defence Ministry’s Main Military and Political Directorate, has called for a general mobilisation in the country, suggesting that ‘a couple of million’ people could be brought in for a possible invasion of Europe.

The statement came in response to a recent address by French President Emmanuel Macron, who labelled Russia as a threat to the EU, and did not rule out the deployment of EU soldiers in Ukraine after peace agreements are reached.

In a video message published on his Telegram channel, Alaudinov expressed the opinion that Russia should consider a general mobilisation to create an army of about two million people.

In September 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin increased the size of the Russian army. According to his decree, it currently amounts to 2,389,130 people, including 1,500,000 military personnel.

‘We are people who have a great historical responsibility. If such a situation arises, we should already think about general mobilisation, gather an army of about a couple of million and put them [Europeans] in a position from which they will never get out. And after they want to clash with us, Europe and most of the European states will cease to exist’, Alaudinov said.

Alaudinov also noted that, according to his forecasts, the full-scale war in Ukraine should have ended by the end of 2024. However, since this did not happen, he believes that the situation may move to a new stage. Possible scenarios, in his opinion, include the collapse of the NATO bloc with Russia’s subsequent expansion into Europe or the Western allies agreeing to any conditions to achieve peace. In both cases, Alaudinov calls for further confrontation with the EU.

The Russian Parliament reacted to Alaudinov’s statement with restraint. Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the State Duma's defence committee, stressed that this was Alaudinov’s personal opinion and that there was no need for a general mobilisation at the moment. Kartapolov claimed that the fighting continues to be successful and Russian troops are advancing daily in dozens of directions. Nonetheless, by most accounts, the front line in Ukraine has remained mostly static, with few territorial gains by either side.

Earlier, State Duma MP Alexei Zhuravlev said in January it was necessary to prepare Russia’s male population for a possible large-scale confrontation with the West in 2028-2029.

Alaudinov is known for his active position on Russian military policy issues. Since the beginning of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ incursion into Russia’s Kursk Oblast in August 2024, he has become the key spokesman of the Russian army on what is happening in the region. However, since October, state news agencies have almost stopped mentioning his name. During this period, Alaudinov began shifting responsibility for the breakthroughs in the border areas to other units of the Defence Ministry, the Rosgvardia (Russia’s National Guard), border guards, and enlisted soldiers.

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OC MediaElizaveta Chukharova