The leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya has foiled his own attempt to appear as though he is in Ukraine by posting a photo of himself at a petrol station outlet that only exists in Russia. 

Well before Russia launched the invasion of Ukraine, Ramzan Kadyrov, whose father was a prominent supporter of separatist fighters in Chechnya before siding with the Kremlin, urged Moscow to “take back Ukraine” and “liberate” the Ukrainian people.

Mr Kadyrov, who keeps a high profile on social media, on Monday posted a photo of himself at a petrol station that he claimed was taken outside the besieged city of Mariupol. He was seen sitting on his knees on prayer mat, with a machine gun resting nearby. 

The sign on the pump behind him, however, said “Pulsar”, which is the brand name of the Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft. Rosneft does not own petrol stations in Ukraine.

The photo marks the second attempt by Mr Kadyrov to seek glory by appearing as though he had taken up arms in the war. 

In a separate incident, after an elite force of internal troops was dispatched from Chechnya to outside Mariupol, Mr Kadyrov released a video that purported to show him meeting the troops.

However, he was seen hosting a Russian official in Grozny the same day, which would make the visit to the frontline next-to-impossible.

Mr Kadyrov, who has been dogged with accusations of overseeing extrajudicial killings and torture, has long vied for an outsized influence in Russian politics despite a lack of formal powers.

On Wednesday, he publicly undercut the official Russian negotiating position. Sitting in his lavish office, Mr Kadyrov recorded a video statement taking an aim at Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s chief negotiator at Ukraine, for voicing compromise solutions at talks with Kyiv’s envoys in Istanbul on Tuesday.