#7 ^ Grom's link:
Perhaps more notable is what appears to be a major purge of security officials in Dagestan itself and the beginning of major preventative measures among the youth in Russia to prevent any recurrence of such actions across Russia, particularly in the predominantly non-Russian regions. Neither of these actions may be enough to solve the problem, and both may provoke more unrest down the road (Dagpravda.ru, November 7; Rossiyskaya gazeta, November 8).
Moscow is clearly trying to present itself as being on the right side of condemning anti-Semitism. Russian officials have taken this opportunity to exploit these outbursts to tighten control over a long-restive region. In addition, these moves clearly reflect unease in the Kremlin. There is fear that the situation in the North Caucasus and other non-Russian regions is rapidly coming to a boil. Putin’s bargain with regional elites, in which they are given subsidies and some autonomy in exchange for preventing violence, is breaking down due to the Kremlin’s failures and weaknesses. The anti-Semitic, anti-Israeli attacks in the North Caucasus could well be followed by attacks on ethnic Russians and Russia itself, especially as the war in Ukraine grinds on, a war in which North Caucasians and non-Russians have suffered large and disproportionate losses (see EDM, Window on Eurasia, November 1).
Dagestan has long been marked by protests against official actions. The region is the most Muslim and ethnically diverse non-Russian republic in Russia. This past summer, Dagestanis staged demonstrations against the Putin regime’s inability to provide water and air conditioning, blocking highways and demanding that Makhachkala address their needs (Window on Eurasia, August 20, 30).
These protests have grown into something more serious for the Kremlin. The war against Ukraine has left Dagestan deeply divided. Although many of its impoverished people have been willing to fight for Moscow in exchange for high pay, others oppose the war. The region has already lost more men than it did during the entirety of the Soviet Union’s Afghan war. The Dagestanis increasingly suspect Moscow of using non-Russians, especially Muslims like themselves, as “cannon fodder” on the Ukrainian battlefield (see EDM, September 29, 2022; Istories.media, EDM, February 14). |