Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov (TASS)

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov announced that over 1,000 Ukrainian marines had surrendered in Mariupol.

"More than 1,000 marines of the Armed Forces of Ukraine surrendered today in Mariupol. There are hundreds of wounded among them. This is the right choice," Kadyrov wrote on Telegram.

He also urged remaining Ukrainian forces stationed in the Azovstal steel mill to surrender, according to Reuters.

Ukrainian officials made no comment on Kadyrov's statement.

Last month, the National Guard of Ukraine's Twitter account released a video, boasting about Azov fighters greasing their bullets with lard to be used against Muslim Chechens on the Russian side.

The video comes as a direct threat to Muslims who hold the Islamic beliefs that pig is prohibited for their consumption and that it's impure substance.

Russia launched its special military operation for several reasons, including NATO's eastward expansion. Other reasons were the Ukrainian shelling of Donbass and the killing of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, in addition to Moscow wanting to "denazify" and demilitarize Ukraine.