Ingush Nationalities Ministry reacts to ban on burials in Ir village

A request in connection with the information about the closure of the Ingush cemetery in the village of Ir in the Prigorodny District and the ban on burials was sent to the authorities of North Ossetia.

The Ministry for Nationalities of Ingushetia has sent an official request to the leadership of North Ossetia in connection with the information about the closure of the Ingush cemetery in the village of Ir located in the Prigorodny District.

"Information has appeared in social networks about the closure of the Ingush cemetery in the village of Ir in the Prigorodny District of North Ossetia and a ban on burials. The Ministry of Nationalities of Ingushetia has sent an official request to the relevant authorities of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. An official comment will be published after receiving all the information. We call on everyone to refrain from premature conclusions and comments that incite ethnic hatred," the Telegram channel of the Ingush govt has quoted the statement made by Ruslan Miziev, the head of the above Ministry on May 23.

A photo has appeared in social networks, presumably taken at the cemetery of the above village of Ir located in the Prigorodny District of North Ossetia (the Ingush name is Djeirkhoi-Yurt, – note of the "Caucasian Knot"), telling about the closure of the cemetery. "The cemetery is closed for burials. Unauthorized burials are prohibited," reads the sign made on behalf of the village administration, the Telegram channel "Fortanga" reported on May 23.

This February, Musa Lyanov, a resident of Ingushetia, was buried in the village of Oktiabrskoe in the Prigorodny District (the Ingush name is Sholkhi, – note of the "Caucasian Knot"). According to one of the sources of the above Telegram channel, this is the first funeral of an Ingush in the village since 1992.

"The villages of Sholkhi and Djeirkhoi-Yurt (Ir) are closed for the return of Ingushes. In 2019, several families were not allowed to return there; and our authorities failed to support them. Lyanov was buried there according to his will (vasket), since his other family members had earlier been buried in the same cemetery," the source has explained.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 24, 2025 at 01:59 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.