The plight of the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, where nearly 300,000 have fled their homes from what they say are state-orchestrated mass killings into  neighbouring Bangladesh, has seen Russia's Muslims stage several protests,  particularly after a call by Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov.

Thousands rallied in Chechnya's main city Grozny last week as Kadyrov called on Moscow to "stop this bloodshed" in a rare break from his public image as a fervent loyalist of President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow however has been mute over Myanmar. "We're against any sort of violence," Putin said Tuesday when asked about Kadyrov's position, adding that "any person has a right to his opinion regardless of his post." Russia and Myanmar are also allies who signed a military cooperation  agreement last year, with Moscow of having exported military aircraft and artillery to the country. (AFP)