Latest Articles about North Caucasus
Russians Say Government Is Turning Sochi into a Concentration Camp
On August 19, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on special security arrangements for the city of Sochi when it hosts the Winter Olympics in 2014. The decree’s provisions envisage a complete ban on incoming automobile traffic in Sochi and its surroundings from January 7... MORE
Tensions Increase in Dagestan as Authorities Pursue Heavy-Handed Tactics
On August 18, Kumyks clashed with Laks in the Dagestani town of Karaman. An estimated 700 police officers were deployed to separate the warring factions. Fifteen civilians and four police officers were reportedly injured in the clashes and the highway connecting Makhachkala to the northern... MORE
A Post-Mortem Sketch of Khasanbi Fakov – Leader of the United Insurgency Movement of Kabardino-Balkaria
The leader of the united insurgency movement of Kabardino-Balkaria (KBR) and Karachaevo-Cherkessia, Khasanbi Fakov was killed on August 7 in the city of Nalchik. Fakov, age 34, was on the federal search list in Russia and was suspected of staging numerous attacks on law enforcement... MORE
Chechen Leader Takes Up the Cause of Ethnic Kin in Syria
On August 12, Chechen militants launched a bomb attack targeting the reconnaissance group of the Russian interior ministry’s Sever Battalion, which is primarily manned by residents of the Chechen Republic (www.mk.ru/incident/article/2013/08/13/898403-chechenskie-boeviki-vzorvali-chechenskiy-spetsnaz.html). One officer died and four others were injured in the blast. That same day,... MORE
Caucasus Emirate Leader Discusses Chechens in Syria in New Video
Six years after Doku Umarov publicly rejected the idea of Ichkerian independence in favor of the Islamic state of the Caucasus Emirate, he continues to justify this change.In a recent video posted on August 8, Umarov responded to questions from people who reside abroad that... MORE
Despite Security Services’ Successes, Kabardino-Balkaria Remains One of North Caucasus’ Deadliest Regions
On August 7, the leader of the united insurgent movement of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachaevo-Cherkessia, Khasanbi Fakov, was killed in Kabardino-Balkaria’s capital Nalchik. The 34-year-old Fakov was on Russia’s federal wanted list for allegedly staging numerous attacks on law enforcement personnel. The road police stopped a... MORE
Having Lost Population’s Trust, Dagestan’s Government Finds It Hard to Make a Comeback
On August 7, the acting head of Dagestan, Ramazan Abdulatipov, and other republican officials met a group of residents of the embattled Dagestani village of Gimry. The Dagestani government proposed a deal with the villagers’ leaders that should end the settlement’s suspended status. The authorities... MORE
Influence of Chechen Leader of North Caucasian Fighters in Syria Grows
The situation in Syria this past week developed in now typical fashion, with each of the conflicting sides claiming victories. Two events that occurred, however, should be noted. First, the armed Syrian opposition took over the strategically important Minakh military airport in the area of... MORE
Murder of Leading Dagestani Cleric Signals Deepening Crisis in Sufi Hierarchy
Yet another Sufi sheikh has been added to the list of those killed in Dagestan. On August 3, Sheikh Ilyas-haji Ilyasov, of the branch of Islamic teaching known as the Naqshbandiyya-Khalidiyya, was murdered. The sheikh had an estimated 500–1,000 murids (followers). Ilyasov was an ethnic... MORE
Moscow Signals Kanokov’s Term as Head of Kabardino-Balkaria May End
On July 30, the Russian security services reported that four suspected rebels were killed in Stavropol region. A source in the local police said the incident took place on July 29 near the town of Tersky, located in Georgievsky district in the southern part of... MORE