Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of June 26-July 2, 2023

Rostov-on-Don after the revolt, persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia, natural disasters in the Caucasus, blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh, 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 June 26-July 2, 2023, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Rostov-on-Don after revolt

On June 29, Vasily Golubev, Governor of the Rostov Region, called insinuations a video in which passers-by in Rostov-on-Don were expressing their support to fighters of the “Wagner” Private Military Company (PMC). Political analysts note that the support was not massive and that many people came to the city centre more out of their curiosity.

On June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the “Wagner” PMC, accused the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) of shelling the rear positions of the “Wagner” PMC and promised to “investigate it.” Soon, armoured personnel carriers appeared in the centre of Rostov-on-Don near the headquarters building of the Southern Military District. On June 24, Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that fighters of the “Wagner” PMC took control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don, and in the evening of the same day, after the negotiations between Yevgeny Prigozhin and President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, the fighters of the “Wagner” PMC left for their field camps.

Alexander Lukashenko explained the success of the negotiations with Yevgeny Prigozhin by the mediation of Russian Deputy Minister of Defence Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the former leader of Ingushetia.

The Public Council under the Department for Rostov-on-Don of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) reported that the police seized weapons, laptops, and ammunition left by the fighters of the “Wagner” PMC after the revolt.

Persecution of pacifists and activists in Southern Russia

On June 21, in Sochi, law enforcers detained activist Marina Melikhova in a criminal case on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces, and her apartment was searched. In 2022, Marina Melikhova was fined several times under the administrative article on discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.

In Southern Russia, courts continued to fine residents of the regions for criticizing the special military operation (SMO) or supporting Ukraine. On July 2, it became known that the Soviet District Court of Astrakhan imposed a fine on local resident Maxim Shilov. According to the court’s version, the man was posting pacifist comments on the social media, “contributing to undermining the authority of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”

In Slavyansk-on-Kuban, a court fined for discrediting the Russian Armed Forces local resident Mark Yeroshenko, who criticized the special military operation in Ukraine and refused to donate blood at a military registration and enlistment office for fear that it would be used in “satanic rites.” Nikita Raichuk was fined by the Sovetsky District Court of Krasnodar, and Konstantin Yefremov, the former platoon commander, who left Russia, was fined in absentia by a court in Vladikavkaz. The court recognized Konstantin Yefremov’s interview to the human rights project “Gulagu.net” as discrediting the Russian Armed Forces.

Natural disasters in Caucasus

A landslide damaged the railway tracks near the village of Mareli in Georgia, due to which the movement of trains from Tbilisi to Batumi, Zugdidi and Poti, as well as from Batumi to Yerevan was suspended. The Garnakar community in the Martakert District of Nagorno-Karabakh was cut off from the world after a mudflow destroyed a bridge. Local residents were left without food and medicine supply, the authorities of the unrecognized republic reported.

On the night of July 1, a video was posted on the social media showing the flooding of streets in Makhachkala during heavy rainfall. Local residents called on Sergey Melikov, the leader of Dagestan, to help solve the problem with non-working stormwater pipes. According to the people’s complaints, the problem has been acute for a long time, but officials ignore it. The leader of Dagestan has noted that it is difficult to cope with the consequences of bad weather in Makhachkala, as infrastructural problems have not been resolved for a long time in the city and they have been accumulated.

Blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh

On June 15, the government of Nagorno-Karabakh announced that Azerbaijan had banned all humanitarian passenger and freight traffic through the Lachin Corridor. On June 23, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh reported that the day before, Azerbaijan had blocked on the Khakari Bridge the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. According to the unrecognized republic’s Ministry for Public Health, 190 severe patients have no possibility to travel to Armenia for medical treatment. On June 25, after a 10-day suspension of humanitarian traffic along the Lachin Corridor, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) transported 15 patients from Stepanakert to Armenia.

In Stepanakert and regional centres, the authorities have decided to organize points of sale of sugar and butter for families with children, and public officials will deliver food to the villages. The food stamp system has been extended, but there is a shortage of goods.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan and Armenia have reported that at the talks in the United States, the countries’ Foreign Ministers made progress in discussing the draft peace agreement, but some key issues require further work.

Official data on natives of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine

Cossack Sergey Tolochek perished in the special military operation in Ukraine, the Kuban Cossack Army reported. Since the beginning of the special military operation, the information about at least 155 residents of the Krasnodar Territory perished in the special military operation has been officially confirmed. In total, by July 2, the authorities and the law enforcement bodies reported about at least 2172 residents of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine, including 1162 residents of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and 1010 residents of the Southern Federal District (SFD).

In Dagestan, the authorities reported about 554 local residents perished in Ukraine, in the Volgograd Region – 410, in the Rostov Region – 235, in North Ossetia – 192, in the Stavropol Territory – 157, in the Astrakhan Region – 153, in Chechnya – 103, in Kabardino-Balkaria – 97, in Ingushetia – 38, in Adygea – 30, in Kalmykia – 24, and in Karachay-Cherkessia – 21.