Residents of Chechnya criticize Kadyrov for ignoring bans due to coronavirus

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, and his comrades-in-arms have made a collective prayer, despite the prohibitions related to the threat of coronavirus spread. Residents of the republic have expressed their bewilderment at the violation by the authorities of their own prohibitions.

The report of the "Grozny" TV Channel said that Kadyrov went to the mosque to perform "a special prayer and ask the Almighty for Muslims' mercy and healing." At the same time, judging by the video, not one of those present was wearing a medical mask.

"It turns out that someone may to pray collectively in a mosque, but others are banned. Or are they more devout than everyone else?" Sakhib, a local resident, wonders.

"Why was it impossible for all the believers to gather in the mosque and appeal to the Almighty? Why had only the 'selected ones' received such an honour?" Ismail, a resident of Grozny, has asked.

The closure of mosques and temples is a justifiable restriction, Professor Mikhail Kostinov from the Research Institute of Vaccines said earlier. "Even breathing, not sneezing, is enough in the crowd to infect all the surrounding people," he said.

According to the website Stopcoronavirus.ru, as on April 5, Chechnya has 15 confirmed coronavirus cases; one person died.