Chechen officials are investigating the possible existence of links between rebels in the restive North Caucasus and the Right Sector, a radical Ukrainian nationalist group, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said.
"If the information is confirmed, our answer will be fair and tough," Kadyrov told Itar-Tass on Monday. "Every one of them will be prosecuted under Russian law."
An unidentified law enforcement official in the North Caucasus said "operational data indicates that Ukrainian nationalists are fighting on the side of extremists and have provided them with financial and other assistance and support regularly over the past 10-12 years."
Earlier it was reported in the Russian media that Dmitry Yarosh, head of Right Sector, had appealed for support from Caucasian militants, urging them to ramp up their efforts against Russia.
Kadyrov warned Yarosh that "the time of reckoning has come," and added that "tens of thousands of Chechen volunteers were 'willing' to stand in defense of the Ukrainian people."
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