Ethnic Russian Separatism in the North Caucasus Set to Grow
The Jamestown Foundation: Ethnic Russian Separatism in the North Caucasus Set to Grow
Clashes between ethnic Russians and non-ethnic Russian Dagestanis erupted in the village of Remontnoe in the southern Russian region of Rostov on September 13. Eight people reportedly were hospitalized as a result of the violence. The authorities said they prevented a much larger collision between the local ethnic Russians and the newcomers from Dagestan. The conflict was just the latest manifestation of the tensions between ethnic Russians and North Caucasians. The authorities dispatched 200 additional police officers from other areas of Rostov region to quell the disorder. The conflict was reportedly triggered by an argument between two people that spiraled out of control as both sides called for support from their respective friends and communities. The authorities said the situation was under control and promised to impose peace and order in the village. “The residents’ mood appears to be okay, but nobody puts much trust in the authorities’ promises,” a local resident told the Kavkazsky Uzel (Caucasian Knot) website (kavkaz-uzel.ru).
According to the ethnic Russians, the newcomer Dagestanis—most of whom are ethnic Dargins—occasionally threaten to kill Russian passers-by in the streets, and Russian girls fear being in the streets after dark. The head of the Dagestani diaspora in Rostov region, Seidula Magomedov, said that non-ethnic Russian Dagestanis were invited long ago to develop sheep farming in the region and that the current Dagestani residents of the region are the third generation living there. Magomedov said that there are 1,740 Dagestani residents living in Remontnoe village. He suggested that because Dagestanis have large flocks of sheep and are more affluent than the local Russians, the latter resent the Dagestanis’ success and cause conflict (kavkaz-uzel.ru).