Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, visited Apty Alaudinov, the Commander of the Akhmat Special Forces and the Deputy Commander of the 2nd Army Corps, in a Moscow clinic, Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, reported.

"The meeting of the two heroes of Russia did not pass without zest. In the best traditions of the military fraternity, Yevgeny Viktorovich came with a branded present: a legendary sledgehammer with the Wagner PMC logo in a symbolic case for a musical instrument. Apty Aronovich accepted the present from his comrade-in-arms with great pleasure and sincerely thanked Yevgeny Viktorovich for the new unit of service weapon," Kadyrov said. 

It should be noted that the sledgehammer is a kind of symbol of the "Vagner" PMC, whose fighters distinguished themselves by extralegal executions of "deserters" using a sledgehammer as an instrument of execution.

Kadyrov described Prigozhin as a true patriot of the fatherland who makes a great contribution to the fight against NATO and Banderovites formations [hinting at Ukrainian forces]. "The same can be said of the Wagner PMC fighters, who, shoulder to shoulder with our servicemen, smash enemies," the leader added. 

Notably, since late August, the battle for the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine has been controlled mainly by Prigozhin and the Wagner group. To show that his warriors were more capable than the regular military, Prigozhin emphasized the importance of Bakhmut, a minor city in Donetsk region. Nonetheless, after months of battle and thousands of losses, the town still stands.