Grozny residents claim being forced to take part in march on Putin's birthday (+video)

On October 7, the birthday of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Grozny hosted a mass march, which, according to the authorities, was attended by about 100,000 people. Civil servants, teachers and students of educational institutions claim they were forced to take part in the event. According to local residents, the organizers of the march brought inconvenience to residents of the Chechen capital.

According to the official information, the march from "Minutka" Square to the centre of Grozny was attended by government officials, youth activists, students and senior schoolchildren, who were holding in their hands two-kilometre flags of Russia and Chechnya. Participants of the march got T-shirts with photos of Vladimir Putin, Akhmat and Ramzan Kadyrov. Besides, the activists were carrying the leaders' portraits in their hands.

To ensure mass gathering on the occasion of the birthday of the President of Russia, the educational institutions of Chechnya have cancelled classes, and the ministries and departments also announced a day off.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Chechnya, the events in Grozny were held without any incidents. A police officer has noted that starting from October 4, units of the Chechen MIA were transferred to enhanced duty in connection with the celebration of the Muslim Eid al-Adha and the Day of the city of Grozny.