Russia on Tuesday protested against
Pope Francis condemning what he called the "cruelty" of Chechen
and Siberian Buryat soldiers in Ukraine.
The Russian ambassador at the Holy See, Alexander Avdeev, told
the Ria Novosti news agency that he had expressed to the Vatican
Moscow's "indignation" about the term used by the pope in an
interview with US Jesuit magazine America in which Francis
denounced the cruelty of Russian troops in Ukraine with
particular reference to Chechen and Siberian Buryat forces.
"I expressed indignation for these insinuations and I stressed
that nothing can shake the cohesion and unity of the Russian
multinational people," said Avdeev.
There have been widespread reports of torture and atrocities
perpetrated by Russian troops after the invasion of Ukraine on
February 24, and especially by ethnic Chechen and Buryat forces.
On Monday Moscow called the pope's words on the Chechens a
"perversion of the truth".
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