Valery Dzutsati

Valery Dzutsati received his doctoral degree in political science at Arizona State University in 2017. Valery is a native of North Ossetia. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from the North Ossetian State University and Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Maryland. His research interests span ethnic and religious conflict, political violence, evolution of Russia and countries in Eurasia. His articles appeared in Caucasus Survey, Conflict Management and Peace Studies, Nationalities Papers, Nations and Nationalism, Politics and Religion, Post-Soviet Affairs, Religion, State and Society, Small Wars & Insurgencies, and Social Science Quarterly. He has systematically covered developments in the North Caucasus for the Washington-based research and analysis institute The Jamestown Foundation since 2009. Between 2002 and 2007, Valery served as country director for the British media development organization the Institute for War and Peace Reporting and was based in Vladikavkaz.

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    Articles by Valery Dzutsati

    Russian Casualties in Ukraine Continue to Rise

    Executive Summary: An estimated 120,000 Russians have died in the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine. The rate of losses is increasing over time, boding discontent among Russians as they continue to

    Local Observers Predict Resignation of Dagestani Governor

    According to local observers, political tensions and rumors about Ramazan Abdulatipov’s imminent resignation as Dagestan’s governor have intensified in the republic since the end of January (Onkavkaz.com, February 8). The

    Karachaevo-Cherkessia Faces Economic Uncertainty

    On January 19, President Vladimir Putin met with the governor of Karachaevo-Cherkessia, Rashid Temrezov, in Moscow. Temrezov reported that the republic reduced its dependence on the Russian federal budget in

    Three North Caucasian Republics Are De-Facto Bankrupt

    Russia’s Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) recently published data on the economic performance of the North Caucasian Federal District during the first seven months of 2015. According to the optimistic

    Circassian Organizations at Odds With the Kremlin

    On September 19, a majority of those attending the International Circassian Association (ICA) conference in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria, reelected Khauti Sokhrokov as head of the organization. Out of 73 delegates, 62

    Six Suspected Rebels Killed in Kabardino-Balkaria

    On July 23, government forces declared a counterterrorist operation regime and launched a special operation in the center of Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria. According to the Russian National Antiterrorist Committee (NAK), the

    Moscow Views Cossacks as Both Opportunity and Threat

    On May 29, the well-known Cossack ataman Yuri Churekov was arrested in Stavropol region. Investigators suspect Churekov of illegal arms operations. Reportedly, on April 28, Churekov and another individual sold

    Circassian Activists in Russia Become a Serious Force

    The Russian government moved against Circassian activists in late May 2015, coinciding with events marking the 151st anniversary of the end of the Russian-Circassian war. The authorities targeted two well-known

    Chinese Investors Show Interest in the North Caucasus

    China has found an unlikely ally in the North Caucasus—the region’s smallest republic, Ingushetia. The Ingushetian government has announced that a large Russian-Chinese forum will take place in the republic

    Chinese Investors Show Interest in the North Caucasus

    China has found an unlikely ally in the North Caucasus—the region’s smallest republic, Ingushetia. The Ingushetian government has announced that a large Russian-Chinese forum will take place in the republic

    Authorities Crack Down on Tatarstan Activists

    On December 28, 2014, authorities in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, detained Tatar rights activist Rafis Kashapov upon his return from Turkey, where he had reportedly received medical treatment

    Why Is Karachaevo-Cherkessia Quiet and Kabardino-Balkaria Not?

    On November 18, Russian and regional analysts in Karachaevo-Cherkessia discussed the striking difference between two neighboring and quite similar republics, Karachaevo-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria. While Kabardino-Balkaria has seen the rise of

    Head of Dagestan Faces Criticism From Moscow

    September 8 marked a year since Ramazan Abdulatipov became governor of Dagestan. Abdulatipov was officially appointed governor of the region in September 2013, even though he had been the acting

    Circassians Organize as Sochi Olympics Approach

    On October 31, the parliament of Kabardino-Balkaria approved an appeal to Russian Federation Council chairwoman Valentina Matvienko and State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin to assist in the repatriation of Syrian

    Rebel Tatar Prosecutor Banished by Moscow

    On September 21, Tatarstan’s Prosecutor General Kafil Amirov unexpectedly resigned. Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika signed the decree about Amirov’s resignation. On September 26, Ildus Nafikov, the prosecutor general of

    Opponents Pressure Head of Kabardino-Balkaria

    On June 19, a well-known Kabardino-Balkarian businessman, Albert Nazranov, was murdered in Moscow. An unidentified killer riding a bicycle shot him several times. Nazranov won notoriety in Kabardino-Balkaria as a

    Signs of Balkanization Emerge in the North Caucasus

    On February 27, the speaker of Ingushetia’s parliament, Mukharbek Didigov, stated that the moves by the Chechen authorities to take control over a disputed border area will force Ingushetia’s government

    Prime Minister Medvedev Visits Grozny

    On June 19, the first meeting of the new Russian government commission for the socio-economic development of the North Caucasus took place in Grozny, Chechnya. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev presided

    Has the Arab Spring Arrived In Dagestan?

    On November 25, Dagestan’s capital, Makhachkala, saw its largest protest in recent times. An estimated 2,500-3,000 people took to the streets to object to growing police abuse. Dagestani First Deputy

    Additional Russian Troops Dispatched To Dagestan

    On September 28 in Khasavyurt, Dagestan, Interior Ministry Major-General Viktor Knyazhev announced that a temporary contingent of the ministry’s Internal Troops had been deployed to Dagestan. The general stated the

    Ingush-Ossetian Relations Show Signs of Improvement

    On December 17, Ingushetia’s President Yunus-bek Yevkurov and the head of North Ossetia, Taimuraz Mamsurov, signed an agreement on developing good-neighborly relations between the two republics. The agreement stipulates a

    Theories Behind Moscow Metro Attacks Abound

    On April 11, the Dagestani branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) declared it was fighting a group of Islamist insurgents led by Magomedali Vagabov in the Karabudakhkent district of

    Putin Promises Economic Overhaul of North Caucasus

    On July 6, Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, outlined the government’s plans for North Caucasus development at a United Russia party gathering in the Stavropol region (www.kavkaz-uzel.ru, July 6). However,

    Putin Promises Economic Overhaul of North Caucasus

    On July 6, Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, outlined the government’s plans for North Caucasus development at a United Russia party gathering in the Stavropol region (www.kavkaz-uzel.ru, July 6). However,

    Theories Behind Moscow Metro Attacks Abound

    On April 11, the Dagestani branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) declared it was fighting a group of Islamist insurgents led by Magomedali Vagabov in the Karabudakhkent district of

    Ingush-Ossetian Relations Show Signs of Improvement

    On December 17, Ingushetia’s President Yunus-bek Yevkurov and the head of North Ossetia, Taimuraz Mamsurov, signed an agreement on developing good-neighborly relations between the two republics. The agreement stipulates a

    Western North Caucasus: Moscow’s Choices

    Recent changes to the federal laws in Kabardin-Balkaria concerning education in schools have provoked controversy. "Representatives of minorities will be able to teach their children their mother tongues only at

    Ingushetia is Still Burning

    Nearly six months after Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was appointed the new president in volatile Ingushetia, the violence in the republic has shown few signs of abating.“During the two days that I

    New Tensions Surface in Ossetian-Ingush Relations

    Two factors, a controversial federal law that carves in stone disputed administrative borders between North Ossetia and Ingushetia and an outbreak of violence, are reigniting tensions between the two neighboring