Chair of Myanmar military’s proxy party appeals to Russia for support against ‘terrorism’

Amid major battlefield losses to anti-junta armed groups last week, the leader of Myanmar’s military proxy party made a plea for increased “anti-terrorism” assistance from Russia in an interview with Russian state media. In the interview—conducted July 30 and published on Sunday by Russia’s government-owned outlets Rossiya Segodnya and Sputnik—Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) chair Khin Yi made a plea for Russian authorities “to understand the situation and support us from Russia.” “As a political party, we would like to collaborate with our ally, the United Russia Party, to combat terrorism,” the party chairman added, referring to Russia’s incumbent, dominant party. Union Solidarity and Development Party chairman Khin Yi appealed to Russia to support the Myanmar junta’s ‘anti-terrorism’ efforts in an interview with Russian state media (Photo: Rossiya Segodnya/RIA Novosti) Khin Yi voiced this appeal during a series of successful assaults by the ethnic armed group Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and its allies on military targets in northern Shan State, which led to the capture of the military’s Northeastern Regional Military Command (RMC) headquarters in Lashio, northern Shan State late last week. The USDP chair urged Russia to recognise the activities of anti-junta groups like the MNDAA as terrorism and cooperate with Myanmar’s military regime in combating it.“We must first realise that what is happening must be perceived not as internal political squabbles, but as terrorism,” Khin Yi told the Russian interviewer. “If you recognise this as terrorism, then your departments and agencies that are engaged in the fight against terrorism can join us and together achieve our goals.” Since seizing control in the coup of February 2021, Myanmar’s military has faced resistance from newly formed People’s Defence Forces as well as long-established ethnic armed groups fighting for greater autonomy within the country. Khin Yi—who served as chief of the Myanmar police force during the previous military dictatorship under Sen-Gen Than Shwe—was later appointed minister of immigration and population under the government of retired general Thein Sein from 2011 to 2016. The USDP, which was the primary opposition party during the civilian government of the National League for Democracy Party (NLD) from 2016 to 2021, is pro-military and has been led mostly by former high-ranking officers of the Myanmar military. During the NLD government, Khin Yi served as vice chairman of the USDP, which organised demonstrations against the civilian leaders and rallies in support of the military during this period. As detailed in the book The Second Democratic Government and Myanmar by former vice admiral Soe Thane—who served as a minister in Thein Sein’s government and as a legislator —Khin Yi was personally involved in organising at least 22 pro-military rallies, half before the coup and half afterwards. Khin Yi assumed the chairmanship of the USDP more than a year after the coup in late 2022, replacing former brigadier general Than Htay. After the loss of the Northeastern RMC, Myanmar’s military regime is wary of the threat posed by ethnic armed groups and their allies to the Central RMC in Mandalay and the Naypyitaw RMC in the junta’s administrative capital. A Russian delegation including defence minister Sergei Shoigu visited Naypyitaw in January 2021, days before Myanmar’s military coup, signalling the intention on the part of the two countries’ militaries to cooperate on security matters. Another delegation from Russia visited Myanmar secretly in June of that year. Russia remains the only country to have hosted coup leader Sen-Gen Min Aung Hlaing for official visits since the military seized power in Myanmar.

Chair of Myanmar military’s proxy party appeals to Russia for support against ‘terrorism’

Shortly before the Myanmar military’s loss of a major command centre, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) leader Khin Yi called on Russia to cooperate with the regime in combating anti-regime ethnic armed groups and resistance forces

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