Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of July 22-28, 2024

UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov’s debts, prevention of a terror act, drone attacks, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, situation of journalists in the South Caucasus, and official data on the natives of Southern Russia who perished in Ukraine, – see the review of these and other events in the Caucasus during the week of July 22-28, 2024, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov’s debts

On July 2, it became known that former UFC champion from Dagestan Khabib Nurmagomedov owed a large amount in taxes. On July 24, sources reported that court marshals began to seize the Khabib Nurmagomedov’s property to pay off his debt of more than 79 million roubles to the tax authorities. On social networks, Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fans ask the athlete to comment on the debt scandal.

A source reports that the Khabib Nurmagomedov’s real estate and premium cars, including a Ferrari and several Mercedes, have been seized.

If Khabib Nurmagomedov does not pay his tax debt, he may lose his property in Russia, notes lawyer Oksana Vasilieva. Advocate Timofei Shirokov does not rule out the ordered nature of the claims against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Prevention of a terror act

On July 27, in Kaspiysk, the police detained three local residents. According to the investigators’ version, the suspects were plotting terror acts, including in an Orthodox church. During an interrogation, the detainees confessed that they were planning to blow up the Kazan Church. Searches were conducted at the suspects’ places of residence, and law enforcers found firearms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). A criminal case was instituted under articles on plotting a terror act, organizing a terrorist society, and illegal manufacture of explosives. The Sovietsky District Court of Makhachkala placed the detainees under arrest for two months.

Drone attacks

On July 27, Rostov Region Governor Vasily Golubev reported in his Telegram channel that the Russian air defence forces neutralized in the Rostov Region two drones launched from the direction of Ukraine. On July 26, the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) reported about four neutralized drones.

As a result of a drone attack on the “Kavkaz” port, one person was killed and four others were hospitalized, the Krasnodar Territory operational headquarters reported on July 23.

On July 22, according to the Russian MoD’s report, the country’s air defence forces neutralized five drones launched from the direction of Ukraine in the Akhtubinsky District of the Astrakhan Region.

On the same day, a drone attack caused a fire at the Tuapse oil refinery.

On July 22, the Russian air defence forces repelled a massive drone attack on the Rostov Region. The Russian MoD reported in its Telegram channel about destroying 47 drones launched from the direction of Ukraine.

The Directorate for the Rostov Region of the Russian Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has revealed increased air pollution in the city of Azov after a fire at an oil depot.

Persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia

In Stavropol, the Leninsky District Court found Vladimir Nesonov guilty of repeatedly demonstrating Nazi symbols and sentenced him to two years of suspended imprisonment with a two-year probationary period.

The law enforcement bodies instituted a criminal case on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and promoting Nazi symbols against Valery, a 68-year-old resident of the Krasnodar Territory, because of his posts on the “Odnoklassniki” social network. The suspect signed a recognizance not to leave the city.

The Gelendzhik City Court found Vasily Romanyuta, a 74-year-old local resident, guilty in a criminal case on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces and sentenced him to three years of suspended imprisonment. The court also banned Vasily Romanyuta from posting entries on social networks for three years.

Zelimkhan Toguzov, a resident of Vladikavkaz, has been fined under the article on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces. The reason for drawing up the administrative protocol was a video with stories from Ukrainian residents posted by Zelimkhan Toguzov on the Internet.

Situation of journalists in South Caucasus

The European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) released a report on the situation with media freedom in Georgia, calling it critical. The ECPMF delegation visited Georgia in the spring of this year and came to the conclusion that independent journalism in the country faced a number of severe threats, many of which were “initiated by officials.” The above-mentioned threats include regular attacks on journalists, lack of funding for independent media, restrictions on access to public information, prosecution of journalists, the outflow of qualified journalists from the country, as well as the lack of protection for migrant journalists in the country.

Last week, journalists from the “Mtavari Arkhi” TV Channel were attacked in the village of Supsa, where they were filming a report about a top-ranking law enforcement official. A film crew of the “Pirveli” TV Channel was attacked by drivers at a bus station in Tbilisi.

The Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression in Armenia has emphasized in its report that in recent years, opposition protests have been accompanied not only by clashes between protesters and law enforcers, but also by “numerous violations of the rights of media workers,” and the trend peaked in the second quarter of 2024. Authors of the report note that numerous protests have taken place in Armenia, during which 14 cases of physical violence against journalists and cameramen were registered, and 11 persons were injured because of the use of disproportionate force by the police.

Last week, advocates for those arrested in the case against the Azerbaijani “Abzas Media” online publication, well-known for its journalistic investigations into large-scale corruption, received a response to a request in connection with the blocking of the online resources of the “Abzas Media” online publication. “After the arrest of journalists in Azerbaijan, the ‘Abzas Media’ domains, including abzas.net and abzas.org, were blocked. Since the official charges did not concern the posts of the publication, we made a request to the electronic security service at the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport concerning the reasons for restricting access to the websites,” reported Elchin Sadygov, an advocate of the editor-in-chief of the “Abzas Media” online publication.

Official data on natives of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine

By July 28, the authorities and the law enforcement bodies reported about at least 4593 residents of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine, including 2215 residents of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and 2378 residents of the Southern Federal District (SFD).

In Dagestan, the authorities reported about 966 local residents perished in Ukraine, in the Volgograd Region – 860, in the Rostov Region – 515, in the Krasnodar Territory – 508, in the Stavropol Territory – 459, in the Astrakhan Region – 349, in North Ossetia – 298, in Chechnya – 192, in Kabardino-Balkaria – 152, in Kalmykia – 88, in Ingushetia – 72, in Karachay-Cherkessia – 76, and in Adygea – 58.