Displaying items by tag: Dagestan

At least twenty people have been killed in a series of shootings in Dagestan on 24 June. The attacks targeted a synagogue, an Orthodox church, and a traffic police post. Among the victims were fifteen law enforcement officers and civilians, including an Orthodox priest. The synagogue and church were set on fire before the attackers fled. The authorities say that five gunmen were later shot dead, and two sons of a local district head were arrested. The regional governor called it a ‘day of tragedy’ and declared three days of mourning in the predominantly Muslim region. Russia's national anti-terrorism committee attributed the attacks to ‘terrorists’, though no group claimed responsibility. This incident follows a major attack on a concert hall in Moscow three months ago, which killed 145 people​.

Novaya Urada, a village in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, has deep roots in livestock farming and each year draws tourists hoping to photograph a vibrant poppy field nearby. However, responding to an escalating rubbish crisis, the authorities have started work on a landfill site near the village, expected to receive 300 tons of non-recyclable rubbish a year - even though there will also be three new waste-processing facilities in the republic this year. Despite initial assurances that they had nothing to worry about, residents are fighting determinedly against the dump, citing lack of consultation and environmental impact assessment. They say that construction has already destroyed the beloved poppy field and is threatening the nearby Sarykum Dune, home to rare flora and fauna.