A Russian special forces commander has been killed by Ukraine in the Kursk border region. Umkhanov Buvaysar, 48, was serving as a platoon commander in the Hunter Battalion of the 4th Brigade of the Akhmat special forces.
He operated under the call sign “Tarzan” and has been accused of committing serious war crimes in Ukraine. The commander is alleged to have killed civilians, committed robberies and taken part in looting in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions in the spring of 2022.
His death was confirmed by the Ukrainian colonel Anatoliy Shtefan, who said the Chechen fighter was killed near the border.
A message was also posted to the Akhmat’s telegram channel, which stated: “Our Brother Buvaisar Khasanovich Umkhanov, call sign Tarzan, has died.”
The Akhmat Special Forces Brigade is a Chechen force that was sent to fight in Ukraine by Putin’s close ally Ramzan Kadyrov.
Kadyrov is the head of the Chechen Republic in the north Caucasus region of Russia and is known for his brutality.
The Akhmat Special Forces are said to have around 4,000 members, though claims also suggest they could number as many as 13,000.
Buvaysar was also accused of taking part in the murder of civilians in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
He had been added to the Myrotvorets database — an online platform that documents and lists war criminals and collaborators.
The Akhmat Special Forces have been fighting in Kursk against Ukrainian units, in an attempt to drive them off Russian territory.
Ukraine’s General Staff has denied Russian claims that its forces have retreated fully from the Kursk region.
Officials claim that Ukrainian units are still operating inside Russia and have carried out successful assaults against Putin’s army.
During a raid on April 26, soldiers from Ukraine’s 73rd Naval Special Operations Centre were reported to have destroyed a unit from Russia’s 810th Marine Brigade.
Ukraine’s General Staff also said that five combat engagements took place in the Kursk region on Sunday April 27.