Russia Future Watch – IV. Growing Rifts Between Moscow and Dagestan

Umar Hitinav, Zarema Gasanova

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Growing Rifts Between Moscow and Dagestan by Umar Hitinav and Zarema Gasanova is the fourth article in a series of analyses as part of “Promethean Liberation: Russia’s Emerging National and Regional Movements,” a project from Jamestown Senior Fellow Janusz Bugajski.

Umar Hitinav is an activist advocating for Dagestan’s independence, and Zarema Gasanova is an independent Dagestani activist.

Executive Summary:

Protests against Russia’s war against Ukraine have been larger in Dagestan than in any other entity in the Russian Federation. Conscription of young men to fight in Ukraine is perceived as a threat to national identity.

Colonization of Dagestan by the Russian empire continued under the Soviets and the Russian Federation, and resentment of Moscow’s denial of any level of sovereignty for Dagestan is growing.

Resistance to the Kremlin occupation of Dagestan started after the collapse of the Soviet Union, presenting a multi-layered phenomenon with both national liberation elements and religious roots in Islam.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has intensified the already existing dynamics of asymmetric relations between Moscow and Dagestan, revealing deep contradictions between the imperial vertical of power and the ethnic, cultural, and religious identity of the region. Against the backdrop of the ongoing “partial mobilization” that began in September 2022, Dagestan has experienced one of the largest waves of protest compared to other regions of the Russian Federation. Residents, mostly women, have taken to the streets of the capital, Makhachkala, and other cities and towns, chanting “No to war!” and blocking roads, despite harsh detentions and forceful pressure from police forces.[1] This reaction demonstrates both distrust in Moscow and a deep sense of threat to national identity, when young men, native speakers of the local languages and keepers of traditions, find themselves drawn into a conflict far from their land and against their interests.

Ethnic and Religious Composition of Dagestan