Russia | A North Caucasian living in Moscow considers the events in Dagestan understandable: “People are worried”

Moscow

In Dagestani It’s warm and relaxed in the Ži jest restaurant on the edge of the center of Moscow, even though it’s raining outside and there was an angry reaction in the home republic the day before.

Hundreds of people demonstrated against Israel on Sunday At Makhachkala Airport in Dagestan. Part of the crowd invaded the runway when a flight from Tel Aviv arrived at the field. Russian authorities arrested dozens of people.

Dagestani restaurant workers spread thin breads filled with cheese and dough dumplings filled with beef and chicken on the tables and light candles under the teapots. They refuse to comment on the protest.

A lawyer from Chechnya, having lunch with his wife Alihan Isakov instead, is ready to comment on the matter. The question about Sunday’s events in Dagestan interrupts a long speech about Israeli politics, the Jewish religion, and military actions against the Palestinians.

“What happened in Dagestan now is understandable. People are worried,” says Isakov.

“We say that we are waiting for negotiations. But while we wait, people die.”

Isakov says he supports the Palestinians.

“Today [maanantaina] some kind of humanitarian aid to the people was allowed, and we are already grateful for that. What good? About killing people there and allowing them to drink water and put a teapot on fire. I don’t think that’s right.”

He calls North Caucasians, such as Dagestanis and Chechens, violent. The war in Gaza has heated up emotions and sharpened attitudes.

“Dagestan is all about provocation of people. If I were told today that there would be refugees from Israel, I wouldn’t let them into my home either, because I see what they are doing to Palestine. Why should I let my home? Tomorrow I have to go to the barn myself.”

in Moscow resident Dagestani jurist Fatima Abdulkarim answers the phone on Monday from the capital of Dagestan, Makhachkal. He has flown there on Sunday before the evening demonstrations.

Abdulkarim’s purpose was to agree with the Dagestan authorities to organize a legal, peaceful demonstration in support of the Palestinians. He has organized demonstrations on behalf of the Palestinians in Moscow as well.

Sunday night’s protest at the airport watered down the plan. Promises there is hardly any heat left for the expression of opinion.

“All attempts to protect our rights have now been nipped in the bud.”

Russian in the opinion of the government, the protest in Dagestan got its spark from abroad.

Head of the Republic Sergei Melikov blamed Ukraine as the initiator. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on the other hand stated in his remote news conference that the events at Mahatškala airport are largely the result of external interference and influence of information.

Abdulkarim also believes that Dagestanis were provoked into unrest from abroad. Abdulkarim says that he watched on social media how rumors were spread about the settlement of Jews in the Caucasus and incitement to a demonstration, especially on the Telegram channel called Utro Dagestan.

It has been said that the channel at least previously belonged to a Russian opposition activist who moved to Ukraine Ilya Ponomarjovi. Ponomarjov has denied that he has anything to do with the channel anymore.

On Monday, Telegram announced that some Telegram channels related to Dagestan will be closed. In the same context, there was a picture from the Utro Dagestan channel.

Abdulkarim can’t say more precisely who might have incited the Dagestanis to the field. According to him, a large part of the demonstrators were young, 18–19 years old.

“I cannot say that Ukraine is to blame or that all Jews are to blame. But of course they were not in Russia, because this would entail a very big responsibility. Nobody living here would do something like this because it’s dangerous.”

According to Abdulkarim, coexistence of different religions in Dagestan has been peaceful until now.

“The responsibility lies with these young people who went there. They’ve been watching what’s going on, so they sympathized with their comrades. For Muslims, Palestine is very important. It’s clear they were concerned, but it should have been expressed differently.”