‘Are you ashamed to wear it?’: Russia’s National Guard tries to defuse allegations that Chechen troops provoked protests from crimson berets by cheating their way to special forces distinctions

Spokespeople for Russia's National Guard deny it, and the veteran founder of a special troops unit says it never happened, but questions linger after Komsomolskaya Pravda war correspondent Alexander Kots reported late on October 17 that some "Vityaz" soldiers removed their crimson berets in protest against supposed favoritism shown to Chechen competitors. The allegations, which stoke tensions going back to Russia's Chechen War and highlight potential divisions within Russia's security elite, have provoked vehement repudiations. Original Article: https://meduza.io/en/feature/2021/10/19/are-you-ashamed-to-wear-it