The Special Battalions Vostok and Zapad operated for most of the Second Chechen War, and were briefly deployed by Russia in conflicts outside of Chechnya, until they were disbanded in 2008.

Vostok and Zapad were organized at the end of 1999,[2] initially as two special companies formed in the structure of the Mountain Grouping of the Russian Ministry of Defence; they were assigned to the commandant's offices (kommendantura) established on the territory of the Chechen Republic in 2002.

[6][7] The Vostok unit's leaders were accused by the Chechen government, members of the public, and human rights groups of many crimes including forced disappearances, kidnappings for ransom and murders.

[8][9][10] Soon hundreds of Vostok fighters reportedly deserted their unit and joined Kadyrov's formations,[11] and in June the Russian army announced it would transform both special battalions into regular motorized-rifle companies.

It was also announced that a special commission set up by the Ministry of Defence, together with the Military Prosecutor's Office, would investigate the alleged crimes of their former servicemen.

[17] Kakiyev managed to avoid the fate of the former Vostok leaders by agreeing to resign his command of the Zapad battalion in 2007, since then, he has kept a formal position in the Russian military structure in Chechnya.