Kadyrov responds to Pope's statement on Chechens and Buryats, calling him 'victim of propaganda'
Chechen head Ramzan Kadyrov has responded to Pope Francis’ statement calling Chechens and Buryats “the cruelest” Russian troops fighting in Ukraine.
“It’s a disgrace for a world-class religious figure not to know how Muslims treat the enemy,” Kadyrov wrote on Telegram, adding that the Pope is a “victim of propaganda and the persistence of foreign media.”
We don’t start a battle without making a peace offering, just as our Prophet Muhammad did. And we’ve done this since the start of the special military operation — probably dozens of times. And as for the way Chechens treat prisoners, whether we’re cruel or not, the Ukrainian soldiers who’ve been held captive by us will tell you themselves.
Yes, we zealously protect our Homeland, our religion, our people. We call on the enemy to surrender, and on our citizens to rise in defense. Is that really cruelty?
Previously, Russian Ambassador to the Vatican Aleksander Avdeyev lodged a formal protest against the Pope’s statement, expressing his “outrage at the insinuations.” Buryatia head Alexey Tsydenov called the Pope’s words “strange,” while Chechen Parliament Speaker Magomed Daudov called them “primitive.”
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