𝐔𝐒𝐃𝐏 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐬 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐦𝐚𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐲

U Khin Ye, chairman of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and former military general, has publicly asked Russia for support to aid Myanmar’s coup army. Following the loss of an entire regional command in northern Myanmar’s Shan State, he made this appeal during an interview with Russia’s state-owned Sputnik news agency.

According to the report, U Khin Ye requested that Russian security forces assist in combating what he describes as terrorism in Myanmar, and urged for the armed conflict to be officially recognized as terrorism. He emphasized the dire situation of the military and called for international understanding and support.

The USDP, which is allied with Russia’s United Russia Party, aims to collaborate in fighting what they consider terrorism. U Khin Ye, who served as police chief under U Than Shwe and as immigration minister under U Thein Sein, was reappointed as Minister of Immigration during the 2021 military coup regime. By the end of 2022, he became the chairman of the USDP by order of coup leader Min Aung Hlaing.

U Khin Ye is also known for orchestrating 33 protests against the National League for Democracy (NLD) before the 2021 coup. Days before the coup, a Russian defense delegation visited Nay Pyi Taw, and since the coup, Russia has been the only country to officially invite Myanmar’s military leader for a visit.