
Latest Articles about North Caucasus

Caucasus Emirate’s Ethnic Russian Suicide Bombers
The killing of the well-known Sufi sheikh Said Chirkeiski by a Russian female suicide bomber has again raised the issue of those in Russia who convert from Orthodox Christianity to Islam. The assassination of the sheikh was carried out by Aminat Kurbanova (maiden last name... MORE

Seven Years After Attack on Nalchik, Trial of Alleged Perpetrators Grinds On
On October 13, Kabardino-Balkaria marked the seventh anniversary of the attack on Nalchik, the republic’s capital. Groups of militants staged simultaneous attacks on the headquarters of the police, Federal Security Service (FSB) and several other agencies in the republic. In the resulting violence, 35 police... MORE

‘The Opponents of Tatarstan Have Achieved Their Goal’
The Moscow media have been carrying out “a campaign to discredit” the political leadership of Tatarstan and undermine investment in that Middle Volga republic over the last six months, Damir-Khazrat Mukhetdinov, deputy chairman of the Muslim Spiritual Directorate of European Russia, wrote last week. These... MORE

North Caucasians Grow Impatient with Accusations by Ethnic Russians
An unusual public protest took place in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, on October 14, when an estimated 70 protesters demonstrated against anti-Caucasian hysteria in the Russian media and government. The protest was triggered by the harsh punishment given to participants in a September 30... MORE

Moscow Develops Dagestan Along the Model of Chechnya
Against the backdrop of a presumably pacified Chechnya, the neighboring republic of Dagestan remains only barely under the government’s control, even formally. In contrast to Chechnya, the Kremlin has stumbled in Dagestan and has been incapable of easing the tensions there as the intense armed... MORE

Insurgents and Protesters Alike Challenge Ingush Authorities
October in Ingushetia started off in the usual way, with routine shootouts and attacks on military personnel. There were, however, more important events for the republican government to attend to, such as the picketing that the Ingush opposition managed to stage in Moscow. The governor... MORE

Kabardino-Balkaria’s Commission for Adapting Rebels Fails to Deliver
On October 6, the head of Kabardino-Balkaria, Arsen Kanokov held a meeting of his government’s anti-terrorist commission in the town of Baksan. Kanokov met with the parents of suspected insurgents. The town of Baksan was chosen for the meeting because Baksan district is known as... MORE

Ethnic Laks in Dagestan Organize to Defend Their Rights
The Lak National Council was established at a conference in Makhachkala on September 28 that was attended by 427 delegates from Dagestan’s Lak, Novolak and Kuli districts and towns with a significant population of ethnic Laks. The former head of the Dagestani branch of the... MORE

Ethnic Russians vs. North Caucasians–A Clash of Cultures?
An incident in Moscow at the end of September caused tension between Russians and people of North Caucasian descent in the Russian capital. The scandal was triggered by a group of Dagestanis. Following an old tradition, members of a Dagestani wedding procession apparently started shooting... MORE

Officially Sanctioned Kidnappings Alienate the Dagestani Public
The news from Dagestan in September was dominated by reports of militant actions, special operations and terror attacks, but the most worrying development has been the occurrence of multiple kidnappings by both security forces and militants. Indeed, kidnappings are the only events that lead people... MORE