Against the backdrop of V. Putin's visit to the PRC to participate in the summit of the leaders of the BRICS member states, mass unauthorized rallies of Muslims became a significant event in Russia on September 4, in Moscow (several thousand people) and in the capital of Chechnya (1.1 million people) against the oppression of the Muslim population of Myanmar. During the rally, Chechnya's leader, R. Kadyrov, voiced open threats to Moscow to oppose it if it supported the government of Myanmar.
What is the difference between the actions of the government of Myanmar against Muslim extremists in the country (in late August 2017, they carried out a series of attacks on police stations and a military base in Myanmar, killing about 60 servicemen) and Russia's similar actions, including with R. Kadyrov and his armed formations' support, against the Islamists in Syria? There is no difference between them. Except for a larger number of civilian casualties as a result of Russian aircrafts' air strikes on civilian settlements in Syria.
So why did the events in Myanmar caused such a reaction in Chechnya and personally by R. Kadyrov? The answer to this question is quite simple. In fact, the protests in Moscow and Grozny, organized by the leader of Chechnya under the pretext of Muslims being persecuted in Myanmar, are a blatant challenge to V. Putin amid growing tensions in the ruling elite of Russia as a result of Western sanctions. Recently, this problem has become particularly sharp as a result of the introduction by the United States of a new package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, directly affecting all representatives of the political and economic circles of Russia involved in Moscow's armed aggression against Ukraine, war crimes in Syria and support for Iran's nuclear missile programs.
Under such circumstances, R. Kadyrov has convincingly demonstrated what could happen in Russia in case if the Kremlin tries to remove him from power, as has already been done with the governors of several other Russian regions. All this is one of the main consequences of the latest Western sanctions against Russia, which have already created a direct threat to V. Putin's regime.
