At home in Oslo, he has a carpentry company and leads a sports association for young people. Now he is instead standing in the trench while the bullets from the soldiers of the Russian Wagner Group squeal over his head. The fighting around the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has been among the fiercest of the entire war. It has become the very symbol of the fight against Putin’s soldiers. A meat grinder, a modern Stalingrad. – There are skirmishes between small groups, and the fights mostly take place on the outskirts of the city. The city itself has become a ghost town, says Muhammed-Aslan. Heavy losses Western intelligence sources estimate that between 20,000 and 30,000 Russian soldiers have been wounded or killed in the battles for the city. Ukrainian losses are also expected to be high. Along with the Ukrainian soldiers are many foreigners. Muhammed-Aslan is part of the Sheikh Mansour Battalion, which is made up of Chechen volunteers from all over Europe. They have been fighting in Ukraine since 2014. The battalion is named after a Chechen and Muslim resistance hero from the 19th century battles against Tsarist Russia. The battalion was established in Denmark in 2014 and mainly consists of veterans from the Chechen wars against Russia from the mid-90s. Photo: Private – Our unit often goes into the gray zone to ambush us, says the experienced Chechen soldier. He says that they fight against both regular Russian soldiers and mercenaries from the Wagner group. – The city has become a meat grinder where many enemies die every single day, says the Oslo man. He says that the supply situation into the city is very difficult. The Russian forces are firing on the few roads that are still open. – Will not stop with Ukraine – There are several reasons why I and many other Chechens have traveled here to Ukraine to fight against the Russian invasion, says Muhammed-Aslan. If Russia wins, they will not stop with Ukraine, believes the Norwegian-Chechen. He fears that they will attack other countries in both the west and the east. – Secondly, we received help from the Ukrainians during the first war against Russia from 1994 to 1996. At that time, several Ukrainian volunteer fighters came to help us. So now we help them back, says Muhammed-Aslan. – A victory over Ukraine will secure large human and industrial resources that can be used for the next war, he adds. Photo: Privat Kamper in the middle of the city center He has shared a number of photos and videos with news showing that he is present in Ukraine. Through its own investigations, news has located one of the videos in the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk county in Ukraine. The video shows Muhammed-Aslan together with other soldiers moving in a street in the city. Muhammed-Aslan says the video was filmed earlier this week. Maps made of the battles and where the fronts of the war go, including from the think tank The Institute for the Study of War, show that the city is largely surrounded by Russian forces. The front lines between the Ukrainian and Russian forces ran, according to ISW, on Thursday, among other things, along the river in the middle of the city. On Friday, British intelligence reports that Russian forces have crossed the river in some places. Graphic: Institute for the Study of War Came as an asylum seeker Muhammed-Aslan says he came to Norway as an asylum seeker in the early 2000s. He says he was persecuted by the Chechen and Russian authorities because of his fight for an independent Chechnya. He has previously spoken about extensive torture. In 2016, he was wanted by Russia for terrorism. Chechnya expert Julie Wilhelmsen at NUPI commented on the case, saying that it is quite common for Russia to label Chechens living in exile as terrorists. In Norway, he goes by the name Muhammed-Aslan, but he is registered as Adam Fredriksen. He is involved in the Chechen community in Norway. In the war in Ukraine, Chechen soldiers are fighting on both sides. Chechen forces deployed by Putin-loyal Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov, and Chechen soldiers fighting for Ukraine. – Behind Kadyrov are the Kremlin and President Vladimir Putin, who control him, says Mohammed-Aslan. – Ominous darkness – If Russia wins, the world will be filled with ominous darkness, says the Oslo man. He says that the situation in and around Bakhmut is very difficult, but that there is a possibility of a Ukrainian victory if you manage to get proper cooperation between the various units in the army. – I believe that protecting Ukraine is a task for every person who wants freedom for himself and his descendants, says Muhammed-Aslan. He is impressed by the morale and motivation of the Ukrainian army. – They are in their own country, defending their freedom, he says. He says he will stay there as long as he is physically able, and as long as Ukraine needs him.
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