Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov announced this week that his majority-Muslim Russian republic will construct a "Palestinian village" for refugees from the Gaza Strip.
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Kadyrov, a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, laid the cornerstone for the establishment of the village that will accommodate the refugees. The hamlet will be built in Chechnya's capital Grozny, in the vicinity of schools and kindergartens, and will include five residential buildings with 35 apartments each with a total living space of roughly 45,000 square feet.
Family members of refugees who do not hold Russian citizenship received a passport and citizenship upon arrival. Kadyrov also announced that each family will receive 100,000 rubles (1,100$) in financial assistance.
According to Russian-born Israeli social activist Alex Tenzer, about 1,124 refugees have arrived in Russia from Gaza so far since the start of the war, with most of them settling in Muslim-majority areas, such as Chechnya and Dagestan.
The first group of refugees has already been taken in by Chechnya, which has announced that it is ready to take in about 250 more refugees. Kadyrov himself met with some of them, and said that 30 refugees have already been accepted for employment in the health sector, while the rest are now taking courses to learn the Russian language.
Last month, Canada announced that it intends to ease the criteria for accepting relatives of Canadian citizens and residents living in Gaza. However, Canada made it clear that the exit from Gaza depends on Israel's approval, and warned that leaving the area could be dangerous. According to Canadian Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Mark Miller, hundreds of people will be able to resettle in the country under the program.