Earlier this week, forces from the Russian private security group Wagner began withdrawing from the city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk region to make way for Chechen forces led by General Ramzan Kadyrov.

In a statement on his Telegram channel, Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin "poured cold water" on Chechen forces, saying it would be difficult for them to control the entire Donetsk region. Moscow announced that it had annexed the region, which it calls the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), into Russia, but did not yet control the entire territory.

"I think they have enough forces to liberate many towns and villages in the DPR, but it will be difficult to liberate them all. They will only control certain areas," Prigozhin said of the Chechen forces.

Wagner's comments immediately caused outrage among Chechen leader loyalists, including longtime ally Adam Delimkhanov.

"You don't understand and you don't need to understand, Yevgeny. You can contact me at any time and tell me where we can meet, so I can explain anything you don't know," Delimkhanov said in a video posted on Telegram.

Magomed Daudov, another Kadyrov loyalist, was sharply critical of Prigozhin. "You don't need to know the details of our mission. Our commander knows enough," he said.

Daudov also condemned Prigozhin's complaints to the Russian Defense Ministry. "Our soldiers have problems too, but that doesn't mean they have to shout about it. He always hints in his statements that someone needs to be shot. Sometimes I don't understand what he wants to achieve with these daily comments," he said, accusing Prigozhin of sowing "panic among the population".

"Don't forget to whom you owe your military company, planes, helicopters and much more," Daudov said. "Send me your location. Anytime and anywhere, we will meet and talk frankly like men."

Kadyrov became leader of Russia's Chechen Republic in 2007. Like Prigozhin, he often describes himself as fiercely loyal to Mr Putin.

In the early months of Russia's campaign in Ukraine, Kadyrov worked hard to promote the Chechens as the core of Russia's forces. Two days after the campaign began, he announced that his forces had reached the front lines.

Since then, Kadyrov has been posting updates and videos on social media about Chechen soldiers participating in several combat and humanitarian operations in Ukraine, as well as the combat achievements of Russian forces.

This is not the first time Chechen forces have been deployed to conflicts involving Russian forces. They were involved in the 2008 conflict in Georgia and the war in Syria. Observers say the deployment of Chechen fighters to Ukraine is an act of Kadyrov's loyalty to the Kremlin.

However, the Chechen image has been clouded by the increased attention paid to Wagner’s role since September last year, when Russian troops were forced to retreat in the face of a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Wagner has made some widely praised advances, making it a focus of Russian television attention and helping Prigozhin gain more influence in the country’s political establishment.

Wagner later played an increasingly prominent role in the Bakhmut offensive. However, his criticism of the Russian military leadership strained relations between the two sides.

Prigozhin has accused the Russian Defense Ministry of “stealing Wagner’s victory,” calling Russian commanders “incompetent” and criticizing them for not supplying his forces with ammunition. In the face of increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Prigozhin, the Russian military appears to be trying to reduce the Wagner leader’s influence.

Deploying Chechen troops, which are part of the national guard but report directly to Kadyrov, could weaken Prigozhin's position both on the battlefield and in Russian society, observers say.

Using Kadyrov's forces to replace Wagner's could escalate the rivalry between the two military bosses, who last year joined forces to criticize the Russian Defense Ministry as regular forces repeatedly failed to shore up the frontline and allowed Ukrainian forces to gain significant advantages.

“The Kremlin may be trying to sever ties between Kadyrov and Prigozhin, as well as reassert Russian authority through Chechen forces,” an article by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said earlier this week.

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said in February that he wanted to “compete” with Wagner’s founder and set up his own private security company. “When my duty to the country is done, I seriously plan to compete with my brother Yevgeny Prigozhin and set up a private security company. I think everything will go well,” he said.

Amid the new tensions, a senior Wagner member also referred to history to warn Chechen forces. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the First Chechen War took place between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic in 1994-1996, when the autonomous government in Chechnya declared independence, seceding the region from Russia.

Ramzan's father, Akhmad Kadyrov, fought against Moscow in this war. However, during the Second Chechen War of 2000-2009, Akhmad switched sides, siding with the Russian Federation, leading to the establishment of a pro-Moscow government in Chechnya.

Dmitry Utkin, a Wagner commander who fought against Chechen forces in the First Chechen War, referred to the conflict in response to comments from supporters of the Chechen leader.

"We are always ready to meet in person because we have known each other since the first and second Chechen wars," he wrote on Telegram.

The rift within the Russian military comes as Ukraine plans to launch a major counter-offensive to retake Russian-controlled territories in the east and south of the country. The deployment of Chechen forces would mark their return to the front line for the first time in nearly a year.

According to General Kadyrov, the Western and Ukrainian media "have been trying to intimidate us for several months by talking about a terrifying counterattack". "I want to inform you that we will not wait for the NATO and Ukrainian counterattack, instead the offensive of the Akhmat units will begin. We are tired of waiting", General Kadyrov declared.

Thanh Tam (According to WSJ, Insider, Daily Beast )