Hundreds of Chechen fighters are fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Soldiers say they came here to "break the spine of this violator Putin" and "to cleanse the name of the Chechen people". The small Muslim-majority republic was ravaged by two brutal wars, the last, begun by Vladimir Putin in 1999, leading to the installation of Chechnya's strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who has been accused of ruthlessly suppressing opposition. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES ARRANGED IN SEQUENCES