Coronavirus is no obstacle for Kadyrov's support actions due to sanctions

After Ramzan Kadyrov's statement on tightening control over the observance of sanitary standards, officials threatened entrepreneurs with fines during their inspections of shops, cafés and marketplaces. At the same time, actions in support of the regional leader are held in the republic, at which the restrictions imposed by the authorities are not always observed.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 20, the US State Department announced that sanctions were imposed against Ramzan Kadyrov in connection with human rights violations in Chechnya. The sanctions have also affected Kadyrov's wife Medni and his two daughters, Aishat and Khadizhat.

The "Grozny" ChGTRK (Chechen State TV and Radio Company) has reported in its Instagram page that protests are taking place in cities and regions of Chechnya due to US sanctions imposed on Ramzan Kadyrov.

"Residents of Argun, Gudermes and the Shatoi District have expressed their dissatisfaction with the unjustified actions of the US State Department. Citizens believe that the US sanctions are yet another attempt to discredit the political situation in the Chechen Republic," says a comment to the video posted in the social network on July 25.

The video shows the above actions. According to the video, several dozen people took part in each of these actions. The action in the Shatoi District was in the form of a meeting in the assembly hall; its participants were wearing medical masks, but they were sitting without observing the social distance. In the video footage from the action in the village of Alleroi, many participants were without masks.

At the same time, on July 24, local administration officials and employees of the "Rospotrebnadzor" (Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing) conducted large-scale inspections of retail outlets in Grozny. A story about this was also posted on the page of the "Grozny" ChGTRK in its Instagram page.

"Experts remind entrepreneurs and citizens that despite positive results in the fight against COVID-19 in the Chechen Republic, there is still a threat of infection; therefore, everyone must responsibly follow the rules for preventing the dangerous infection," the report said in the July 24 evening news programme.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 25, 2020 at 05:55 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.