Tag: Makhachkala

In year-end clashes between police and militants in the North Caucasus, 6 people killed and 4 wounded. A man with an explosive was stopped at Sheremeytovo Airport.

Staunton, May 27 – The leaders of the Caucasus Emirate have declared themselves part of ISIS, but such declarations, given that many Salafis in the North Caucasus view ISIS as not being an Islamic project — an attitude Russian officials need to promote and exploit — may have the effect of weakening the group there, […]

Staunton, February 27 – Disturbing events are happening with such dizzying speed that it is impossible to keep up with all of them. Indeed, this flood seems to be part of the Kremlin’s strategy to overload everyone’s cognitive system so that no adequate assessment or response can be developed or employed. The last few days […]

Staunton, November 22 – Under the impact of Moscow media, Russians have become accustomed to thinking that anti-Russian militants in the North Caucasus are bearded men who fight in the forests. But recent events in Dagestan suggest, Vladislav Maltsev says, that in that republic, they are now an urban street movement capable of fighting local […]

A campaign has been launched in Dagestan to forcibly extract DNA samples from “unreliable” citizens, particularly Salafists. The campaign seems to be primarily aimed at women, in the wake of the October 21st bus bombing in Volgograd, conducted by the spouse of an established Dagestani militant. There are concerns that the terrorism threat is growing […]

Investigators do not rule out that Musail Alaudinov could have been killed as a potential witness. In Dagestan there have been new developments in the murder case of Mr. Mussail Alaudinov, a 38-year old well-known athlete and the director of the “Gorets”, a well-known martial arts club. He was murdered on July 9 outside Makhachkala, […]

[In this article, the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia reports on the status of Said Amirov, the ex-mayor of Makhachkala who has been incarcerated on charges of complicity in murder. Amirov’s lawyers have complained that he is being denied necessary medical treatment—Ed.] Defense attorneys acting for Said Amirov— the ex-Mayor of Makhachkala who was charged as an […]

[In this article, Yulia Latynina argues that arrest last week of the powerful Mayor of Makhachkala, Said Amirov, has signaled the FSB’s assertion of direct control in the republic of Dagestan. Latynina speculates that this is partly motivated by the desire to stem the growing power of salafists in the region.—Ed.] In a Hollywood movie-type, […]