Wagner leader Prigozhin has been threatening to pull his mercenaries out of Bakhmut due to insufficient Russian support.
Just like the Second Chechen War compared with the first, the second year of war in Ukraine is likely to become a far more ruthless affair than it was in the first year.
The rise of mercenary forces outside the traditional Russian military command structures has raised concerns among Western diplomats.
Samples of the poison were taken for analysis and an investigation was opened into the assassination attempt.
Rustam Azhiev, better known by his nom-de-guerre Abdul Hakim al-Shishani, led Ajnad al-Kavkaz in Syria and now leads Chechen fighters in the Ukrainian Foreign Legion.