(CNN)A former Chechen commander wanted by Ukraine for alleged war crimes committed last year is leading the Russian earthquake relief effort in Turkey.
Daniil Martynov was in several locations in Ukraine last year in the early weeks of the Russian invasion. He is thought to be close to the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and has been featured in several videos on Kadyrov's official Telegram channel.
In recent days, he has given interviews to Russian media outlets from the earthquake zone in Turkey, after being appointed last year as an adviser in Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry.
Authorities have been racing against the clock to free survivors from the wreckage of a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck early on Monday morning, causing buildings to collapse and killing thousands in Turkey and Syria. Dozens of countries have sent aid to help with rescue efforts.
Last August, the Ukrainian security service, the SBU, alleged that Martynov had committed a series of war crimes in the town of Borodianka, north of Kyiv.
A woman pushes her bicycle in front of a destroyed apartment building in Borodianka, in April 2022.
The SBU described Martynov as the Deputy Head of the National Guard Troops in the Chechen Republic and said he was "responsible for the training of Kadyrov's personal security detail."
The SBU alleged that Martinov managed the