Media reports says Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov intends to form his own mercenary group once he no longer serves in a staff office.  

On his Telegram channel, Chechen leader praised the Wagner Group of mercenaries and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, for "impressive results” in the zone of the so-called “special military operation.”

"We can say confidently that Wagner has shown its mettle in military terms and drawn a line under discussions about whether or not such private military companies are needed," Kadyrov said on his Telegram channel.  

"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," Ramzan Kadyrov noted.  

The Wagner Group is a private Russian paramilitary unit of mercenaries owned and financed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman with ties to Vladimir Putin. It's fighting alongside regular troops in the war in Ukraine.

The Wagner Group has played an increasingly important role in Russia's war against Ukraine, leading months of fighting in the Donetsk region's town of Bakhmut.