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Recent Appearances...

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Defense considers terrorism case against two Dagestan residents falsified

2025-05-30

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] Dagestan natives Abas Saidov and Zamur Tagirov were sentenced to 19 years in prison for creating a terrorist group. The witnesses whose testimony was used to build the case said they gave it under pressure. The defense appealed the verdict.

A message that the case against Dagestani residents Abas Saidov and Zamur Tagirov was based on testimony obtained through pressure and torture of the detainees was received in the feedback bot of the "Caucasian Knot" in Telegram. "The lawyers of the convicted are seeking a review of the case," the message says.

Residents of Dagestan Abas Saidov and Zamur Tagirov were convicted on March 26, 2025 under articles on the creation of a terrorist community (part 1 of article 205.4), incitement and recruitment into a terrorist community (part 1 of article 205.1), organization of an illegal armed formation (part 1 of article 208) and illegal arms trafficking (part 4 of article 222 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), reported lawyer Abdulla Gaziev, representing the interests of Zamur Tagirov.

During the investigation and trial, Tagirov stated that he had been tortured, but during the debate they completely denied guilt.

"They were sentenced to 19 years of imprisonment each. On June 2, they will have been in prison for three years and four months. During the investigation and trial, Tagirov stated that he had been tortured, but during the debate they completely denied their guilt," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

At the same time, according to the lawyer, during the preliminary investigation Tagirov was forced to partially admit guilt; according to him, his client was misled by the lawyers who initially defended him. "But at the court hearing he refused this. The Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don added part 2 of article 205, note 4. That is, participation in the same . This is illegal. The court has no right to add, only to subtract articles of the charge," Gaziyev explained.

He also reported that Saidov was born in 2001, Tagirov was born in 2003. "Both worked before their arrest. Abbas, I think, worked in a cafe. They don't have wives or children," Gaziyev noted.

The testimony of two girls confirmed the prosecution's version.

"They claim that they had previously known each other, that they had told them during conversations that they had created some kind of organization. The criminal case against them [the girls] for failure to report a terrorist crime was closed," Gaziyev said.

Currently, the girls are refusing to testify and asking law enforcement agencies to sort out the situation and hold the security forces accountable, Gaziyev said.

The "Caucasian Knot" has copies of statements sent on May 16 to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the FSB, the Prosecutor General's Office and the Office of the Human Rights Commissioner about violations of their rights and threats from security forces to obtain the "necessary" testimony.

The whole conversation came down to us giving testimony that Tagirov and Saidov created a terrorist community on the territory of Dagestan, which I first heard about from an operative officer.

In particular, Isabella Israfilova reported that security forces intimidated her and her sister Asiyat Batyrova with physical violence.

"The whole conversation came down to us giving testimony that Tagirov and Saidov created a terrorist community on the territory of Dagestan, which I first heard about from an operative officer <...>. In exchange, as was said, neither we nor our relatives will suffer physically," Israfilova said.

According to her, she was “rudely told that she would not be held accountable for a particularly serious crime.”

"Caucasian Knot" was unable to contact Asiyat Batyrova and Izabella Israfilova. The girls did not have lawyers.

THEY BEAT US: IN THE FACE, IN THE HEAD, IN THE GROIN - ESPECIALLY HARD.
Another witness in the Saidov and Tagirov case, Ingushetia native Adam Maloroev, stated that he and another witness in the case were tortured in a security agency department in Ingushetia in order to obtain the desired testimony. "They kept us under torture for several days. I was wearing a sack, I couldn't see anything. My hands were tied behind my back, my legs were taped to the legs of a chair. They beat us: in the face, in the head, in the groin - especially hard. They beat us so hard that blood came out of my mouth. They forced me to incriminate myself: to say that I was interested in the war in Syria or Chechnya,

…implying ISIS? Al Qaeda?

ISIS has been a problem with their recruiting from the southern Russian and CIS republics for years.

Noted with thanks.

that I was going to go to jihad, that I knew these guys. They connected electricity to me - they attached wires to my ears, hit me with a stun gun below the waist and on my body. They kept the electricity on until I "confessed" what they needed," follows from a video that Tumso Abdurakhmanov published on his Telegram channel.

Maloroev said that he left Russia to avoid testifying against Tagirov and Saidov.

On the website of the Southern District Court, in the case file of Tagirov (the name of the second defendant is hidden), it is indicated that the lawyers of both defendants have appealed the verdict. The prosecution has until May 30 to file objections to the appeals.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Mufti who negotiated with occupiers of Rostov pretrial detention center detained by FSB

2025-05-30

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] In the Rostov region, law enforcement officers detained self-proclaimed mufti Akhmed Abusupyanov on suspicion of extremism, who in 2023 negotiated with terrorists who seized the Rostov pretrial detention center No. 1. This was reported on May 29 by the Kommersant publication, citing a source in law enforcement agencies.

The interlocutor told journalists that the detainee collaborated with the extremist organization At-Takfir Wal-Hijra

...sometimes spelt At-Takfir Val-Hijra, they called themselves Jama'at al-Muslimin (Society of Muslims), but their Egyptian neighbours mocked them as Excommunication and Exile. Cult-like, they require members to cut off all contact with their families. The introverted Takfir Wal Hijra faction split off from the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt in the 1960s. The extroverted “moderate” faction followed Ayman Al-Zawahiri into Al Qaeda. Takfir Wal Hijra consists of loosely affiliated cells that have committed acts of terror as far afield as Morocco, Holland, Crimea, and Moscow.

(an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation). In September 2023, together with his supporters, he attacked a Muslim with whom he had disagreements on religious grounds.

A criminal case was opened against the detainee under Part 2 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (“Organization of the activities of an extremist organization”) and Part 2 of Article 213 (“Hooliganism”).

It is noted that the Rostov FSB department reported the suppression of the activities of a Russian citizen who was spreading radical religious views. According to the investigation, he incited interfaith strife and conflicted with official Islamic structures. The department did not report the name of the detainee.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, in June 2023, six prisoners managed to escape from their cell in Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don and took an operational department employee and a guard hostage. The attackers, who called themselves ISIS supporters (an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation), demanded that they be provided with weapons and transport to escape.

OMON fighters arrived at the scene. According to the official statement of the Federal Penitentiary Service, all the attackers were neutralized, and the hostages were released without physical harm. It was later revealed that one of the participants in the capture survived - Daniil Kamnev (listed as a terrorist and extremist). In August 2024, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Dagestan resident sentenced to prison in ISIS recruitment case

2025-05-28

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] A military court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced Dagestani resident Shamil Aliyev to a long prison term, recognizing him as a participant and recruiter of the “Islamic State”.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", on August 31, security forces announced the arrest in Adygea of a suspected militant of a terrorist organization, suspected of recruiting residents of Maikop to the "Islamic State". The Maikop City Court subsequently sent the detainee into custody.

In the operational video footage, the man, upon being detained, answers questions from one of the security officers: he says that he planned to go to Turkey "with an Afghan" to meet with a representative of a terrorist organization.

The Southern District Military Court today announced the verdict against Shamil Aliyev, finding him guilty under two articles: participation in the activities of a terrorist organization (part 2 of article 205.5) and recruitment into it (part 1.1 of article 205.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

According to the investigation and the court, Aliyev, while in Dagestan, joined an international terrorist organization in 2024 and swore an oath to its leader. In August of the same year, already in Maykop, he met a citizen of Afghanistan and convinced him to also join ISIS, the court's press service reported.

According to the prosecution, from August 11 to 30, Aliyev convinced the foreigner to join the terrorist organization: he explained to him the ideology of the militants and showed him videos about their activities.

Shamil Aliyev was sentenced to 14 years in a maximum security penal colony with the first three years to be served in prison, according to a message on the court's Telegram channel.

According to the court file, Aliyev's case was submitted for consideration in early February, and six hearings were held before the verdict was issued. The "Caucasian Knot" has no comments from the accused or his lawyer regarding the verdict or plans to appeal.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

FSB shows footage of the arrest of four members of Basayev and Khattab's gang

2025-05-28

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] Footage of the detention of four more members of the gang of Shamil Basayev

…Shamil Salmanovich Basayev, also known as Emir Abdullah Shamil Abu-Idrisand by his kunya, “Abu Idris” (1965-2006). Basayev was a Chechen warlord in the post-Soviet Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, which after his death became the Al Qaeda-linked Caucasus Emirate. In 2015 most of the hard boys changed their allegiance to the local Islamic State affiliate, Vilayat Kavkaz, whereupon a majority chose to escape the Spetsnaz hunting them by making hijra to the caliphate in Syria — those that survived the reconquest and the SDF prison camps are about to become the property of the HTS government of Syria, which will be educational, one way or another. Some of Basayev’s projects were the 2004 Beslan school siege and the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis...

and Amir Khattab, involved in attacks on Russian military personnel in 1999-2000 in the North Caucasus, was published by the FSB on May 27.

Security forces made arrests in four regions. Arsen Koldasov was detained in Stavropol, Radzhab Khasayev in Dagestan, Batyr Arsanov in Ingushetia, and Rasul Takhtamirov in Astrakhan Oblast.

The video also shows the interrogation of one of the detainees. He confessed and signed the documents.

“That’s how I ended up there,” the gang member said.

No doubt a relief after having been hunted for a quarter century.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, the Investigative Committee established that Koldasov, Khasayev, Arsanov and Takhtamirov participated in attacks on the territory of the Botlikh region of Dagestan in August 1999 as part of the gang of Basayev and Khattab.

In October of the same year, bandits attacked Russian soldiers in Chechnya near the village of Chervlennaya in the Shelkovsky District. Also in Chechnya in February 2000, a gang attacked Pskov paratroopers near the village of Ulus-Kert in the Shatoi District. As a result of these attacks, more than 130 soldiers were killed, and more than 80 were injured to varying degrees of severity.

Many members of Basayev and Khattab's gang have already been detained and are serving their sentences. In October last year, security forces detained three more gang members. Two more were detained and placed under arrest in December.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Freed Russian Armed Forces Soldiers Tell About Torture in Captivity — 1186th Day of the SVO

2025-05-26

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[REGNUM]

Russian servicemen who arrived on May 24 as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange according to the formula "1000 for 1000" spoke about atrocities in captivity. The soldiers told Izvestia that in addition to regular beatings and humiliation, some were subjected to torture. One serviceman added that he does not even want to remember what he experienced. The new, 1186th day of the special military operation (SVO) in Ukraine was marked by discussions of this news, among other things.

The large-scale exchange of prisoners of war was the result of the Istanbul talks initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The first meeting of the parties after a three-year break took place on May 16. The first 390 Russians, including 270 military personnel and 120 civilians, returned to their homeland on May 23. Another 307 were released from Ukrainian captivity the day before, on May 24. The Defense Ministry confirmed that the exchange will continue.

Meanwhile, the International Public Tribunal for Crimes of Ukrainian Neo-Nazis continues to collect evidence of the Kiev regime's crimes, including against Russian servicemen. The story told by a fighter with the call sign Anzhi was published on Telegram by the chairman of the tribunal, member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation Maxim Grigoriev, on May 24. The Russian fighter told how a Kiev militant mocked his wound, in which a bullet remained: " He pulled the wound, spat in it."

" I was interrogated by a Crimean Tatar from Kraken (an organization whose activities are banned in the Russian Federation). He said: "You are a Muslim, you should kill Russians." I answered him with the words of Rasul Gamzatov : "I am an Avar in Dagestan, a Dagestani throughout Russia, and beyond its borders, I am Russian." For this, they began to beat me with bats - on the legs, on the body. I was there for four days," Anzhi shared.

Former prisoner of war with call sign Anzhi spoke about the atrocities of Kyiv militants and doctors

Among other episodes of torture, the Russian fighter said that he was even beaten by a Red Cross employee and medics. This happened when the prisoners were brought to the Kharkiv pretrial detention center (SIZO).

"When we were unloading, I saw that the building had "Red Cross" written on it. One of those who accompanied us turned out to be a Red Cross employee. He beat me too," Anzhi explained.

He added that they also beat him in the pre-trial detention center - with sticks and hands.

"There was no medical assistance. I had a wound, a bullet in my body, shrapnel, my arm wouldn't straighten, my leg was festering. I asked for help - the doctor said: "Let the Russians pull me out." Other doctors beat me. They beat me right on my wounded leg," Anzhi said.

Link

Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Damascus is preparing to take control of al-Hol camp

2025-05-25

It will be interesting to see whether the HTS government absorbs the ISIS fighters into their ranks or sees them as the undesirable other.

[Rudaw] The Syrian government will assume control of al-Hol and shift focus to rehabilitation of the thousands of suspected Islamic State

...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) sympathizers and family members being held in the camp in northeast Syria, an Interior Ministry spokesperson said on Saturday.

"Regarding the al-Hol camp issue, it is part of the agreement signed between the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syrian Democratic Forces, which stipulates that the Syrian Arab Republic will assume control over all areas in the Syrian Jazira region - namely, in Hasakah and Raqqa areas," Interior Ministry spokesperson Nouraldeen Albaba told Rudaw in a presser on Saturday.

The goal will be to ensure the camp is no longer a source of unrest and extremism. "Now, it will become a comprehensive societal rehabilitation dossier targeting the victims and families of individuals who joined ISIS," he said.

Al-Hol camp in Hasaka province is infamous for its squalid conditions and has been branded a breeding ground for terrorism. Iraqis and Syrians make up the majority of the 40,000 ISIS-linked people who have been held at the camp since the defeat of the group in 2019. There are also people in the camp from around the world who had traveled to join the so-called ISIS caliphate.

A delegation from the Syrian government visited al-Hol camp on Saturday, according to local media. The delegation consisted of 10 people and was the first visit to the camp by the interim government. They were also joined by representatives from the US-led global coalition against ISIS, Ronahi TV reported.

The purpose of the visit was to inspect conditions in the camp and explore returning Syrian nationals to their home regions, according to Ronahi, which is affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) in January announced that its doors are open to the "voluntary return" of Syrians in the camp to their hometowns. Iraq has been repatriating its nationals in groups, putting them through a rehabilitation program before they return to their original homes.

Rojava authorities also have thousands of ISIS fighters detained in jails.

United States President Donald Trump
...Perhaps no man has ever had as much fun being president of the US...
, when he met interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa last week, urged him to assume responsibility for ISIS detention centres in Rojava. The newly-appointed US envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack noted progress Damascus has taken on meeting Trump’s request when he met Sharaa in Istanbul on Saturday.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Demolition of the mosque in Leninaul brings the issue of the Aukhovsky district to the forefront

2025-05-24

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The Chechen mosque in Leninaul was demolished in violation of the order of the Mufti of Dagestan, the issue will be resolved with the participation of theologians from the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District, stated the Mufti of Chechnya Salakh Mezhiyev, announcing a discussion of the restoration of the Aukhovsky District.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Ministry of Internal Affairs/FSB detains 7 people who provided the operation of the drug marketplace

2025-05-21

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB detained seven people who provided the operation of a drug marketplace on the darknet. This was reported by the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs Irina Volk.

"My colleagues from the operational units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and the FSB of Russia, employees of territorial police units and investigators of the Investigative Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia stopped the activities of seven alleged participants in a criminal group. They provided the activities of one of the marketplaces in the shadow segment of the Internet. Drugs were distributed through it and other criminal services were offered," Volk wrote in her Telegram channel.

According to her, law enforcement officers in eight Russian regions conducted 28 searches of homes and commercial premises used by the suspects.

In addition, according to preliminary data, employees of one of the IT companies provided services to their accomplices in the criminal business to ensure the stable operation of the online platform. Employees of a cryptocurrency exchange service were also identified who accepted payments for drugs.

The detainees were charged under Articles 33, 228.1 and 210 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Types of accomplices to a crime”, “Illegal production, sale or transfer of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances or their analogues”, as well as “Organization of an organized criminal group”).

At the request of the investigator, the court chose a preventive measure in the form of detention.

As reported by the Regnum news agency, on May 20, officers of the FSB department in the Amur region stopped a major drug distribution channel. About 10 kg of the prohibited substance were confiscated from a local resident.

Earlier in Dagestan, police opened a criminal case against a local resident who was transporting more than two kilograms of mephedrone in his car. The driver hid plastic bottles with prohibited substances in the car's fuel tank.

In March, the Ministry of Internal Affairs discovered two large drug labs in Ramenskoye near Moscow and seized large quantities of mephedrone from them.

Link

International-UN-NGOs

Hamas Calls on Arab League to Impose Sanctions on Israel

2025-05-18

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[Regnum] The Palestinian movement Hamas called on participants in the Arab League summit in Baghdad to impose sanctions against Israel. Representatives of the movement reported this on social networks.

There will be lots of indignant talk, and probably some mustache cursing, but in the end too many of them need Israel to stand between them and Iraq’s nukes.
“We call for fulfilling our historic role and taking practical steps to stop Israeli aggression against Gaza and lift the blockade on it, and we also demand that Arab countries and the entire international community immediately impose sanctions on Israel,” the statement said.

The movement also demanded that the Israeli authorities be condemned “as war criminals,” since “hundreds of people are dying and being injured” in Gaza.

As reported by Regnum, on May 7, the Al Jazeera television channel stated that at least 66 people were killed in just one day as a result of the IDF attacks on the Gaza Strip. Dozens of civilians were injured, and several areas of the enclave, including refugee camps, were subjected to bombing and artillery shelling.

On May 1, Gaza Health Director General Munir al-Barash called on the UN to declare the enclave a famine zone. According to him, about 91% of residents face critical food shortages, and another 65% do not have access to clean drinking water.

On May 16, the chairman of the council of imams of Kizlyar and the Kizlyar region, Muhammadhabib Magomedov, reported that five volunteers of the Dagestani charity foundation Insan were killed as a result of the bombing of the Jabaliya camp in the Gaza Strip. According to him, the volunteers were distributing money to those in need when the tragedy occurred.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

The issue of a mosque in Leninaul has been transferred to the Shariah framework

2025-05-16

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The Muftiate and the Council of Chechens of Dagestan agreed to resolve the issue of demolishing the mosque in Leninaul according to Sharia norms. The requirement to build a mosque on the site of the demolished one was called not a norm of Islam, but simply a local tradition by Islamic scholars.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", in Leninaul, Kazbekovsky District, Dagestan, despite agreements with the authorities, a Chechen mosque built in the 19th century was demolished, village residents stated in a video message. The plot of land in Leninaul, where, according to representatives of the Chechen community, the 19th century mosque was located, was sold at auction to a representative of the Avar community, who transferred it for the construction of a mosque. The authorities did not find any documents in the archives about the ownership of this plot by the Chechens, the administration of the Kazbekovsky District stated. There are many unclear points in the story of the demolition of the mosque in Leninaul, but the decision to demolish it was hasty and provoked interethnic tension, commentators pointed out, drawing attention to the lack of reaction to the statement of the Chechen Accords from the Chechen authorities.

The problem that arose as a result of the demolition of the mosque in Leninaul will be resolved in accordance with Sharia norms, the head of the Public Council of Chechens of Dagestan, Arbi Batyrsultanov, told a correspondent for the “Caucasian Knot”.

"This is a mosque from the end of the 19th century. There are different dates, but the fact remains that the mosque was built before the revolution. Then, as old-timers of this area told me, the mosque was turned into a store by the Soviet authorities in 1926. It was reconstructed into a store. In 1944, we were expelled from there and when we returned home, the store continued to operate there. Then this building became a mosque again, people were able to perform prayers there again. Our people took part in auctions for a long time to buy this plot, but such conditions were created that they could not buy it out," he said.

The Aukhovsky district, where the Chechens-Akkintsy lived compactly, was liquidated in 1944 after Stalin's deportation of the Chechens and Ingush. In the northwestern part of the district's territory, the Novolaksky District was formed, this part was populated by Laks from the mountainous part of Dagestan, and the southeastern part of the district was transferred to the neighboring Kazbekovsky District together with the villages of Yurt-Aukh and Aktash-Aukh and populated by Avars from the neighboring village. Thirteen years later, in 1957, the Akkin Chechens, like the rest of the deported Vainakh peoples, were allowed to return to their historical homeland.

Recently, the Council of Chechens of Dagestan began to receive reports that the mosque was being destroyed.

"We went there with three people from our council. We had a two-hour conversation there with a representative of the Dagestan Muslim Spiritual Directorate and local authorities. The result of the meeting was that we agreed that the destruction of the mosque would be suspended, we would provide evidence that it was indeed a mosque, and we would make a final decision in the muftiate. But on the same day, after the night prayer, the mosque was completely demolished," he said.

We hope that a mosque will stand in the same place again. This mosque is a memory of those Chechens who were expelled from there and then returned

According to him, after the demolition of the mosque, there was a risk of conflict in the village. "A situation arose where we could lose control. However, we categorically called on everyone not to take steps that could disrupt our relations. And negotiations began again. Our council has a reconciliation committee, and they negotiated with the muftiate. A certain process was underway and yesterday evening a final decision was made that this issue would be considered and resolved in accordance with Sharia norms and laws. The truth will be established in this way. And we hope that a mosque will stand in the same place again. This mosque is a memory of those Chechens who were expelled from there and then returned," he emphasized.

Batyrsultanov also reported that the demolished mosque was not the only one in the village.

"There are two mosques in Leninaul, an old one and a relatively new one, built near this mosque that was demolished. All residents of Leninaul went to the demolished mosque without any distinction. By the way, there is a rule in Islam that if a mosque is destroyed, a new one should be built in its place. So there will be discussions for about a month and then a decision will be made," he said.

The Kazbekovsky District administration declined to provide additional comments.

Islamic scholars have called the demand to build a mosque on the site of a demolished one a tradition

The Islamic scholars interviewed by the “Caucasian Knot” are not familiar with the Islamic norm that requires the construction of a new mosque on the site of a demolished one.

"I have never encountered such an approach in Islamic literature in my practice. There is no such specific norm in Islam. But I believe that we are talking about a certain tradition that has developed over a long period of time in the places where they speak of this norm. Perhaps there were such traditions among the inhabitants of this territory that if a mosque is suddenly destroyed, then a new one is built in its place. Hence this interpretation," Leonid Syukiyainen, a professor at the Higher School of Economics and a specialist in comparative law and Islamic law, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Wherever numerically significant Muslim communities live more or less compactly, their own traditions and customs are formed, which are passed down through generations, expanding the geography

According to him, such a tradition can be passed down from generation to generation and can expand its geography over time.

"Customs and traditions in Muslim societies are quite strong. What they say reflects these traditions. Wherever there are more or less compactly significant Muslim communities, their own traditions and customs are formed, which are passed on through generations, expanding the geography. This is a local tradition that they transmit," he explained.

An Islamic scholar and Caucasus expert who wished to remain anonymous confirmed that there is no such norm in Islam.

"I would say that this is a tradition, not a norm in Islam. I have not come across such a norm in Islam, according to which, if a mosque is destroyed, a new one must be built in its place. We are dealing with a tradition that has developed over the centuries," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This tradition also has the following explanation, says the expert.

"In the 90s, in Dagestani villages they simply took various premises, for example, the management of a state farm, and made a mosque. It happened in different ways. In many regions, mosque buildings were not originally built for mosques. But in some cases, residents say that this is a very old mosque. And it is difficult to find sources that would answer the question of what kind of building it is. In any case, there is definitely no such norm, but there is a certain adat that residents of Leninaul refer to," he said.

Link

Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Commentators consider the demolition of the mosque in Leninaul a provoking factor

2025-05-14

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] There are many unclear points in the story of the demolition of the mosque in Leninaul, but the decision to demolish it was hasty and provoked interethnic tensions, commentators pointed out, drawing attention to the lack of reaction to the statement of the Chechen Accidents by the Chechen authorities.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", in Leninaul, Kazbekovsky District, Dagestan, despite agreements with the authorities, a Chechen mosque built in the 19th century was demolished, village residents stated in a video message. The plot of land in Leninaul, where, according to representatives of the Chechen community, the 19th century mosque was located, was sold at auction to a representative of the Avar community, who transferred it for the construction of a mosque. The authorities did not find any documents in the archives indicating that this plot belonged to the Chechens, the administration of the Kazbekovsky District stated.

The position of the Kazbekovsky District authorities regarding the mosque was commented on by a reader of the "Caucasian Knot" with the nickname williams.

"Pointing out that no evidence has been found in the archives that this land belonged to the Chechens, as well as the fact that "15 years ago there was a store there" and so on, is simply an attempt to present the Chechens in a negative light. Both the Chechens and the Dagestanis and the Ingush and all the other peoples of the Caucasus know very well who owned, owns and should own what land. After the deportation of the Chechens in 1944, all the Chechen lands were populated by neighbors and people brought from the Russian hinterland. Moreover, after the return of the Chechens in 1957 and subsequent years from Kazakhstan, many refused to return their homes to them," he wrote.

It seems that this decision was purely political.

"If this mosque was built in the 19th century, then it is at least a historical site. Moreover, according to Islam, demolition of mosques is prohibited. It turns out that from both a moral-ethical and religious point of view, this decision was wrong. We should know how the local authorities explain their decision? Why was it not restored, but demolished? It seems that this decision was purely political," added a reader with the nickname nicole.johnson.

The indifference of the Chechen authorities regarding this situation is also surprising.

Another reader wondered whether the local authorities had deliberately misled the villagers.

"The indifference of the Chechen authorities regarding this situation is also surprising. Kadyrov allocated funds for the reconstruction of ancient mosques in Syria or the construction of new ones in various regions of Russia and beyond (even in Israel), but for some reason he did not find the time or the funds to resolve the issue with the ancient mosque in neighboring Dagestan. The Kremlin ordered not to interfere?" asked dennis_toy.

"The demolition of the mosque in Aktash-Aukh, built by the ancestors of the Chechens who lived there, looks more like a provocation," said mason.franecki.

"Chechens lived on these lands, but this is all the territory of Dagestan," a user with the nickname Telegram emphasized in the Telegram channel of the "Caucasian Knot."

A video was also published online in which a man who introduced himself as the former imam of the village of Leninaul (from 2012 to 2016) ( he gave his name illegibly, - note from the "Caucasian Knot" ) said that at the request of the Akkinskaya community, the head of the village transferred to them a mosque located next to school No. 2 for use in accordance with the purposes of the activities of religious bodies.

Another mosque, on Gubakhanova Street, was transferred to the Avar community. "The decree clearly describes the purpose of transferring the mosque. But, unfortunately, these two mosques remain closed to visitors. Whereas next to Leninaulskaya Secondary School No. 2 there is an urgent need for a neighborhood mosque," he said in the video, which was published by the Telegram channel "Shtab Dagestan".

Until recently, no one even hinted that the building demolished on 05/07/2025 was a mosque.

According to him, "until recently, no one even hinted that the building demolished on May 7, 2025 was a mosque."

"This building was a store. Around 2020, a village resident bought the plot along with the building, and the store was converted into a prayer room. A mihrab and a small room for ablution were added. Due to the fact that the prayer room was not enough for the parishioners, after agreeing with the legal owner of the site, a decision was made to build a mosque and madrasah on this site and demolish the old building. It was decided to demolish the building on May 7, since asphalt was planned to be laid in front of the administrative center and in front of the new mosque on May 8. The new mosque is not Avar or Chechen, it is the house of Allah," he said in the video.

He also called on the Accident brothers "not to mislead people by distributing videos with false information, thereby raising provocative issues."

In the Telegram channel of Tumso Abdurakhmanov*, the message about the demolition of the mosque had garnered 613 comments by 21:21 Moscow time.

"It is first and foremost Muslim, and only then Chechen. Who would dare to demolish it? We need to find out the truth, maybe it was already dilapidated?" - wrote Jamal.

"Divide and rule. The elite divides the lands so that the inhabitants are in eternal feud," Bratishka wrote.

Most of the comments left by users concern the relationship between the village residents, as well as Dagestan and Chechnya, and contain harsh assessments of the situation in Leninaul.

"I appeal to the Dagestanis. Make a video message to the authorities and say that you do not want enmity between brothers," Freedom suggested.

The Aukhovsky district, where the Chechens-Akkintsy lived compactly, was liquidated in 1944 after Stalin's deportation of the Chechens and Ingush. In the northwestern part of the district's territory, the Novolaksky District was formed, this part was populated by Laks from the mountainous part of Dagestan, and the southeastern part of the district was transferred to the neighboring Kazbekovsky District together with the villages of Yurt-Aukh and Aktash-Aukh and populated by Avars from the neighboring village. Thirteen years later, in 1957, the Akkin Chechens, like the rest of the deported Vainakh peoples, were allowed to return to their historical homeland.

Let us recall that the restoration of the Aukhovsky district, which was planned to be completed by 2025, has actually been stopped for many years, the resettlement of the Laks and the construction of new houses have been disrupted, Dagestani activists state.

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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Investigators report arrest of participant in attack on security forces in Makhachkala

2025-05-13

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
[KavkazUzel] The surviving participant in the attack on police officers that took place on May 5 in Makhachkala has been remanded in custody until July 5 at the request of the investigation, but remains in hospital in serious condition. He has been charged with four criminal offenses.

As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, on May 5, there was an attack on a traffic police unit in Makhachkala, the police were shot at with machine guns. In the shootout, two police officers were killed, two more security officers and three civilians were wounded. The Investigative Committee announced that one of the attackers survived and is in the hospital, and also admitted guilt. The attackers chose the moment when the police were registering the accident for the attack.

The attack on security forces on May 5 does not appear to have been carefully planned, civilians were clearly random victims, and the police officers on duty were chosen as the most accessible target. This attack is only indirectly connected to recent armed incidents in Dagestan, although all of these incidents stem from common premises that the authorities have not eliminated over the years of fighting the underground, analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" pointed out.

The surviving participant in the attack on the police officers has been remanded in custody for one month and 24 days, until July 5, according to a message today on the Telegram channel of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Dagestan.

The arrested person is accused of committing crimes under Article 317 (attempt on the life of law enforcement officers), Article 166 (hijacking without intent to steal), Article 222 (illegal arms trafficking) and Article 226 (theft of arms) of the Criminal Code of Russia.

The measure of restraint for the detainee was chosen by the Sovietsky District Court of Makhachkala at the request of the investigation. According to the materials received by the court, on May 5, 2025, the accused, together with another accomplice to the crime, attacked traffic police officers in Makhachkala with knives and, having seized their service firearms and stolen a patrol car, fled in it.

Continuing to implement their criminal intent, the criminals fired aimed shots at the police officers. As a result of the actions of the accused and his accomplice, who was killed during the capture, both law enforcement officers died. Having reviewed the materials, the court ruled to choose a measure of restraint for the accused in the form of detention for a period of 1 month and 24 days, that is, until July 5, 2025, the United Press Service of the Courts of General Jurisdiction of Dagestan reported today on its Telegram channel.

The accused in the attack on police officers in Makhachkala, who was wounded by law enforcement officers, remains in hospital in serious condition. "The accused is still in the medical facility, his condition is serious," RIA Novosti quotes a representative of the press service of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation for Dagestan as saying.

One of the two security officers killed on May 5, police officer Gazibeg Shakhbanov, was buried in the Tlyaratinsky district, where he was from. Shakhbanov was married but had no children, the father of the murdered man told the Mash Gor Telegram channel.

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