Latest Articles about North Caucasus
Security Services Set Dagestani Forests on Fire to ‘Smoke Out’ Local Insurgents
In March, the security services in Dagestan revived an environmentally dangerous tactical tool for fighting the regional insurgency—arson attacks on forests. Multiple media outlets and Internet social media confirmed reports of forest fires in several districts in the republic. Deforestation of the already arid republic... MORE
Dagestani Authorities Employ Collective Punishment in Fight Against Rebels
Over three days, 11 people were killed in special operations in Dagestan. Ten of them were identified as members of the armed resistance, while the eleventh casualty was a member of the security forces. Two other servicemen were injured (https://dagestan.kavkaz-uzel.ru/articles/240005/).On March 23, militants attacked a... MORE
Armed Rebels Remain Moscow’s Biggest Problem in Ingushetia
The leadership of Ingushetia is being forced to follow the orders of Kremlin strategists, which define how the situation will evolve in this, the smallest republic in the Russian Federation. Arguably, the most important problem for Moscow in Ingushetia is the armed underground jamaat in... MORE
Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov Promises to Invest in Crimea Despite his Financial Dependence on Moscow
Shortly after the swift proclamation of Crimea’s short-lived independence, Ramzan Kadyrov announced that Chechnya would invest in Crimea and build close ties with it. However, Kadyrov’s notorious reputation is more likely to repel the residents of Crimea than win them over. On March 16, as... MORE
Russian Authorities Step up Efforts to Disrupt North Caucasus Insurgency’s Financing
On March 19, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev held a government meeting in Grozny, Chechnya. Two primary issues were discussed—disrupting the financial channels that feed the insurgents in the North Caucasus and developing additional measures to prevent extremist outbursts in the Russian Federation and,... MORE
North Caucasus Militants Announce New Leader to Replace Umarov
After seven months without any communication from the Caucasus Emirate’s emir, Doku Umarov, the leadership of the North Caucasian rebels’ velayats on March 18 officially admitted the death of their leader (https://kavkazcenter.com/russ/content/2014/03/18/103603.shtml).The North Caucasian jihadists also announced their new leader—Abu Muhammad, who was the Caucasus... MORE
Rebels in Ingushetia Target Police Under New Jammat Leadership
On the night of March 11, police officer Batyr Belkharoev was shot while he was driving his car near the village of Sagopshi in Ingushetia’s Malgobek district (https://lifenews.ru/news/128832). He died on the spot, while a relative traveling with him, Magomed Belkharoev, was wounded and taken... MORE
Activists Demand Greater Rights for Native Languages of Kabardino-Balkaria
Civil activists in Kabardino-Balkaria have launched a campaign to improve the status of the regional languages of the Kabardins (a.k.a. Circassians) and the Balkars. The activists say that with the republican parliament in the process of adopting new legislation about languages, it has ignored many... MORE
Russian Opposition Leader Says Russia’s Actions in Crimea Could Boomerang
On March 13, Alexei Navalny, arguably the most popular Russian opposition figure, weighed in on the crisis surrounding the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. Pointing to the fact that the Russian government does not allow the Russian people to hold referendums inside the country, Navalny asked... MORE
Will Crimea Become Russia’s New Chechnya?
With tensions rising around the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, observers are increasingly drawing parallels to Chechnya. Crimea is an autonomous region within Ukraine—as Chechnya is within Russia—and has peculiarities that are likely to resonate in the future.The Russian Empire carved the Crimean Khanate out of... MORE