Putin kissed the Quran gifted to him in Chechnya.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made a surprise visit to the Chechen Republic, which is part of Russia, for the first time since 2011. Putin was welcomed by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and other officials in the capital Grozny.

HE KISSED THE GIFTED QUR'AN

During the visit, Putin, who showed sensitivity to Islamic values, kissed the Qur'an-i Kerim, which was presented to him at the Hazreti Isa Mosque in Chechnya.

"DISRESPECT TO THE QUR'AN IS A CRIME"

In a previous statement, Putin stated that the Qur'an-i Kerim is a sacred trust for Muslims and that disrespect towards it is considered a crime in Russia. Putin said, "The Qur'an-i Kerim is a sacred trust for Muslims and for all other people as well. We know that in other countries, there is no respect for religious feelings and it is not considered a crime," he said.

"AS LONG AS WE HAVE SOLDIERS LIKE YOU, WE WILL ALWAYS BE INVINCIBLE"

Visiting the grave of Ahmet Kadyrov, the first leader of Chechnya, in the Kurchaloyevsky region, Putin then visited the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes with Kadyrov. Putin met with Chechen units and volunteers who were receiving training to fight in Ukraine and received information from officials. He said, "As long as we have soldiers like you, we will always be invincible. Shooting at the shooting range here is one thing, risking your life and health is another. But you have a spiritual need to defend your homeland and the courage to make such a decision."

"WE SENT 47,000 SOLDIERS TO FIGHT IN UKRAINE"

Kadyrov and Putin held a working meeting during the visit. Kadyrov said in his speech during the meeting that Chechnya has sent a total of 47,000 soldiers to fight in Ukraine, including 19,000 volunteers. Kadyrov stated that the sent soldiers received training at the Russian Special Forces University and also mentioned that tens of thousands of trained soldiers were ready to go to the military zone.