Thousands meanwhile gathered in the capital of the republic of Chechnya on Monday in a rally to show support for the Muslim minority in Myanmar.
In Grozny, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov described the treatment of the minority as a “genocide of Muslims” in remarks that were televised live.
“Mankind has not yet seen such massive cruelty over the elderly, women, children,” Kadyrov told the crowd, estimated at more than 1 million by regional authorities.
The mass rally comes a day after several hundred demonstrators gathered outside the Myanmar Embassy in Moscow for an unsanctioned protest to express solidarity with the Rohingya.
A similar protest also took place in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan in Russia’s North Caucasus.
In a video uploaded to YouTube over the weekend, Kadyrov pledged to “oppose Russia’s position” if it “supports the devils who commit crimes today.”
