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 government statistics, the unemployment rate in the district fell by 1.5 percent, while industrial output... MORE

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 voted for Sokhrokov, 10 voted against and 1 abstained. Many Circassian activists, however, have expressed... MORE

Russia President Vladimir Putin’s meeting with the governors of two North Caucasian republics, Chechnya and Ingushetia, went almost unnoticed among North Caucasus analysts. Most experts reiterated the official explanation for the meeting given by the presidential press service. “The officials discussed various economic development projects... MORE

The Russian media ramped up coverage of Syria after reports emerged that the Russian military is actively taking part in the conflict on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. To distract Russian citizens from domestic issues and justify intervention in the conflict, the authorities... MORE

On September 4, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Khloponin and the Russian presidential envoy to the North Caucasian Federal District, Sergei Melikov, visited the city of Kizlyar in northern Dagestan. Among the promises Khloponin made in Kizlyar was to set up a militarized Cossack school... MORE

On September 14, President Vladimir Putin arrived in Ingushetia on an unannounced visit and convened a government meeting in the capital, Magas (Kremlin.ru, September 14). Three days later, on September 17, the Russian president held another meeting in a highly unusual format—with the governor of... MORE

Politicians in the North Caucasus are increasingly calling on the government to step up efforts against the so-called Islamic State (IS) and take action against Russian citizens who support it. Meanwhile, the militants who became affiliated with the IS in the North Caucasus one year... MORE

The patterns of assassinations of clerics in the North Caucasus changed significantly after the establishment of the Caucasus Emirate. Prior to the advent of the Caucasus Emirate, the insurgents did not target religious figures. However, after proponents of the Caucasus Emirate declared as their goal... MORE

While the governor of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, has boasted of a drastic reduction in the number of attacks by insurgents in the republic, the Russian authorities’ statistics indicate that attacks in Dagestan are, in fact, increasing. At a recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin,... MORE

On September 10, Maksim Shevchenko, a member of the Council for Human Rights under the President of the Russian Federation, unexpectedly announced that the Council would ask President Vladimir Putin to allow the repatriation of Circassian Syrians to the North Caucasus. In an interview with... MORE