Kizlyar residents link border incident with silence of Dagestani authorities

Residents of Kizlyar were indignant not by the installation of Chechen road signs, but by the fact that the signs were installed unexpectedly, townspeople report. In their opinion, local authorities should have warned people that this piece of land belongs to Chechnya.

At night on June 10, residents of Kizlyar demolished a sign with the inscription "Shelkovskoy District" installed in the outskirt of the city. This action was the consequence of the policy of Dagestani authorities, who have ignored the tension around the border issue, the journalists and a blogger interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

Local authorities should have announced that this land plot belongs to Chechnya, and clarify that Chechen authorities want to install signposts there, said Ahmed Aliev, a 32-year-old resident of Kizlyar. According to his story, adult citizens know that this territory belongs to Chechnya.

A 44-year-old resident of Kizlyar believes that there is no need to install signposts, since "we've still lived without them."

A 45-year-old resident of Kizlyar named Ruslan fears that a Chechen post will appear later in this place, which may "complicate traffic on this road section."

Chechen youth has perceived the demolition of the signpost as a challenge, Adam, a resident of the Shelkovskoy District, has regretted. "There were calls to go for 'showdown.' The authorities need to resolve the issue as soon as possible so that the situation does not get out of control," he said.