Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of February 21-27, 2022

Russian military operation in Ukraine and its echo in the southern regions of Russia; reaction of the countries of Southern Caucasus to the events in Ukraine; 78th anniversary of the deportation of Chechen and Ingush people, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of February 21-27, 2022, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Russian military operation in Ukraine and its echo in southern regions of Russia

On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, and on February 22, the Federation Council let Russian troops enter Donbass. The special military operation began on February 24. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announces its goal to end the war, which “has been going on for eight years.” President Putin has compared the special military operation to the campaign against terrorists in Northern Caucasus in the early 2000s.

By February 26, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced that the troops reached Kherson, entered Melitopol, and blocked some cities, including Kiev.

According to the UN, during the hostilities, more than 150,000 Ukrainian refugees crossed the border in the direction of Poland, Hungary, Moldova, and Romania. The Russian military forces used wide-range weapons in densely populated areas of Ukraine, causing civilian deaths, the “Amnesty International” (AI) stated. The Russian MoD claims that the troops do not strike at residential areas.

The military operation in Ukraine also affects the lives of residents in the southern regions of Russia. On February 24, the operation of airports in Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Anapa, Gelendzhik, Elista, and Stavropol was suspended. Kuban organizes the transportation of tourists. Residents of the border areas regularly report about explosions and shelling attacks.

On February 25, Ramzan Kadyrov announced that Chechen fighters would voluntarily go to the hottest spots in Ukraine. Then there was confirmation that residents of Chechnya were participating in the hostilities in Ukraine. On February 26, Dagestani leader Sergey Melikov reported about the death in Ukraine of Officer Nurmagomed Gadjimagomedov, a resident of Dagestan. A republic’s resident also identified his son as a prisoner of the Ukrainian armed forces. The “Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers” reported about more than 20 appeals from Northern Caucasus concerning the capture of the militaries, including five natives of Dagestan.

Anti-war actions in southern regions of Russia

In Russia, scientists, journalists, and artists spoke out against the war. Starting from February 24, in Volgograd, activists come out with anti-war slogans almost every day. The police detain them, and courts sentence them to fines and arrests. Two activists were arrested after pickets in Krasnodar and Rostov-on-Don. Solo pickets were held in Stavropol, Elista, Tuapse, and Astrakhan.

Reaction of countries of Southern Caucasus to events in Ukraine

The countries of Southern Caucasus also demand to stop the hostilities in Ukraine. So, on February 25, large-scale rallies were held in Georgia, during which several people were detained. Meanwhile, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced that the country would not join the West’s sanctions against Russia. According to economists, the refusal to support the sanctions can be explained by the fact that in case of sanctions Georgia will lose the Russian market.

On February 24, in Baku, two activists held a protest action in front of the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan and demanded from the Azerbaijan’s authorities to break the alliance agreement with Russia. On February 25, activists of the “Democracy-1918” movement gathered near the Ukrainian Embassy in Baku in solidarity with Ukraine.

On February 24, in Yerevan, members of the European Party of Armenia demanded to stop the aggression at a rally held in front of the Russian Embassy. Meanwhile, Stepanakert positively assessed the recognition by Russia of the independence of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics and noted that Nagorno-Karabakh also deserved international recognition.

78th anniversary of deportation of Chechen and Ingush people

On February 23, the authorities held mourning and festive events in different cities in Ingushetia. A mourning rally in honour of the 78th anniversary of the deportation of the Vainakh people was held in Nazran, and Malgobek hosted the events dedicated to the Defender of the Fatherland Day.

Ramzan Kadyrov and his associates did not ignore the anniversary of the deportation of the Vainakh people, but dedicated only posts on social media to this date. The leader of Chechnya did not mark the anniversary of the deportation of the Chechen people on February 23 with public actions, so as not to”"aggravate the situation” in connection with the general political situation, experts suggest.

In the Novolaksky District of Dagestan, the authorities banned commemorative events on the anniversary of the deportation of the Vainakh people during World War II. The local Chechen community recognized such actions of the authorities as offensive. Despite the ban, about 50 people gathered for the mourning action.

Hunger strike of prisoners in SIZO in Karachay-Cherkessia

On February 23, the Public Oversight Commission (POC) of Karachay-Cherkessia reported that 27 prisoners of SIZO-1 (pre-trial prison) in Cherkessk went on a hunger strike, complaining about illegal actions in the penitentiary institution. Earlier, relatives of the arrested persons had complained about the inability to visit them. They said that about 60 prisoners were beaten, and those who hurt themselves to stop the beatings “were not provided with timely medical help.” On February 22, the law enforcement bodies declared the gathering of relatives of prisoners near the SIZO of Cherkessk as an unsanctioned action. On February 18, according to the Federal Penitentiary Service (known as FSIN), during a scheduled search, 21prisoners expressed their protest against the actions of the warders and rendered resistance with shouts and insults.

Preparations for presidential election in South Ossetia

On February 20, the Election Commission of South Ossetia completed the acceptance of documents from initiative groups and political parties that nominated their candidates for the presidential election scheduled for April 10. Each of sixteen registered candidates will need to gain 3500 signatures. Former President Eduard Kokoity was also nominated, but, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC), his initiative group was denied registration. The future president should improve the economic situation and resolve the issue of borders with Russia and Georgia, residents of South Ossetia believe.