<
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/11/moscow-nypd-uae-swat-games-chechnya-chechen-unit-ukraine>
"Led out by a beaming Adam Kadyrov, the son of the Chechen leader, Ramzan
Kadyrov, a group of muscular men sporting black beards strode on to the
brightly illuminated stage in Dubai last week to receive gold medals and a
$5,000 (£3,960) cheque.
The men were members of the notorious Chechen Akhmat Kadyrov special police
regiment, a group that Ukrainian officials have said was responsible for some
of the worst atrocities in the war with Russia. The unit had just won one of
the contests at the international Swat Challenge games, which are held each
year in the United Arab Emirates.
The invasion of Ukraine has made Russia a pariah state in the west, with many
Russian sports teams and cultural figures banned from participation in global
competitions. But in Dubai last week, Chechen forces were competing against
elite police squads from the US and Canada, raising questions among security
experts and human rights observers about why western security groups were
taking part in a contest alongside a unit accused of war crimes in Ukraine.
Hosted by the Dubai police over the last week, the 5th UAE Swat Challenge bills
itself as the Olympics for elite law enforcement agencies and aims to “foster
cooperation and exchange of tactical techniques and skills” among international
police teams, according to the event’s website.
In videos published by organisers, 87 Swat teams from 48 countries are seen
engaging in various mock tactical challenges including assaults, rescues and
shooting drills.
Among this year’s participants were two US law enforcement agencies, the NYPD
emergency service unit, New York’s select police unit, and the San Antonio
police department (SAPD) from Texas. From Canada, the London emergency response
unit (LU) participated.
Prof Mark Galeotti, a specialist on Russian security affairs and organised
crime, said: “I don’t know of any similar cases of US police participation in
events alongside teams from Russia, let alone a unit from Chechnya active in
Ukraine. I would have expected US pressure on the police forces to voluntarily
pull out.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
