Week in the Caucasus: review of main events of October 28-November 3, 2024

Explosion in Cherkessk, drone attacks, Gadjiev’s case, parliamentary elections in Georgia, 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 October 28-November 3, 2024, prepared by the “Caucasian Knot”.

Explosion in Cherkessk

On October 31, a gas-air mixture exploded in a house in Cherkessk. A temporary accommodation centre (TAC) was organized for tenants of the damaged house. Guilty persons must be officially identified in order to determine who will pay compensation to the tenants. According to the analysts’ version, the responsibility may lie with either an owner of the apartment in which the explosion occurred or the local authorities who allowed negligence.

Out of nine persons who fell victim to the explosion, five perished.

Drone attacks

On November 2-3, the Russian air defence forces neutralized 16 drones in the cities of Novoshakhtinsk and Kamensk and in the Ust-Donetsk District. Vasily Golubev, Governor of the Rostov Region, reported on his Telegram channel that a massive drone attack is being repelled in the Rostov Region.

On the night of November 2, the Russian air defence forces neutralized a drone near Novoshakhtinsk. On October 31, eight drones were neutralized in the Rostov Region. Four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down by the Russian air defence forces in the Neklinovsky District, the Governor of the Rostov Region reported on October 30. At the same time, the official has noted that the militaries “continue to work.”

In the Volgograd Region, a drone launched from the direction of Ukraine was shot down on November 3. Furthermore, last week, drones were neutralized over the territory of the Krasnoarmeisky District of Volgograd and near the village of Chervlenoyarsky District, Andrei Bocharov Governor of the Volgograd Region, reported on October 31. “There are no victims or damage to civilian or military facilities,” the Volgograd Region administration quoted on its Telegram channel Andrei Bocharov as reporting.

On October 29, drones attacked the territory of the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov reported there were no casualties. The attack using drones became the first in Chechnya since the beginning of the special military operation (SMO) in Ukraine. Later, Ramzan Kadyrov stated that after the drone attack on the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes, he banned his subordinates from taking prisoners of war (POWs) during the special military operation in Ukraine. According to the Ramzan Kadyrov’s statement, 10 Ukrainian prisoners of war had been killed in the drone attack on the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes.

On the same day, Ramzan Kadyrov announced that he had banned commanders on the front lines in the special military operation zone in Ukraine from taking prisoners of war. On November 2, the leader of Chechnya rescinded his ban, explaining that he had received more than 2000 letters from Ukrainian residents asking him to rescind the order not to take Ukrainian soldiers prisoners of war.

On November 1, the Stavropol Territory was attacked by a drone, reported region’s governor Vladimir Vladimirov. According to the official’s report, the drone fell on the territory of an oil depot. There were no casualties.

Parliamentary elections in Georgia

The Georgian parliamentary elections were held on October 26. According to the Central Election Commission’s information, the ruling “Georgian Dream” Party received 53.9% of the votes, the “Coalition for Change” – 10.92%, the “Unity-National Movement” Party – 10.12%, the “Strong Georgia” Party – 8.78%, and the “Gakharia for Georgia” Party – 7.76%.

The opposition refused to recognize the parliamentary election results. The “
“Unity-National Movement”, “Coalition for Change”, and “Strong Georgia” Parties decided to boycott the work of the country’s parliament. On October 28, residents of Georgia who disagreed with the parliamentary election results held a protest action in Tbilisi. The protestors demanded to hold new elections under the auspices of the International Electoral Association. The opposition also stated its unwillingness to negotiate with the “Georgian Dream” Party on any issues other than holding new parliamentary elections.

Georgian Ombudsman Levan Ioseliani has doubted that there were widespread falsifications during the parliamentary elections, but admitted that many violations still took place.

Two persons were detained on suspicion of stuffing ballots into a ballot box at a polling station in the Marneuli District. The results of the voting at that polling station were cancelled.

Human rights defenders pointed out that due to the thin paper of the ballots, a marker mark was visible on the ballot back, which showed where a voter had put his or her mark. The Central Election Commission (CEC) stated that the secrecy of the voting was not violated.

The “My Vote” monitoring mission demanded to cancel the results of the voting at 246 polling stations, and the Georgian “Young Lawyers’ Association” suggests that the results of the voting at 2263 polling stations where electronic technologies were used should also be cancelled.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who visited Georgia after the parliamentary elections, praised the “Georgian Dream” Party and rejected criticism regarding the transparency of the voting. The “Georgian Dream” Party planned such a demonstration of having an ally in the EU in advance, knowing the parliamentary election results.

European countries and the United States may declare the parliamentary elections in Georgia illegitimate, which will lead to international isolation of the country and a significant reduction in financial support for Georgians. The authorities of Sweden have stopped funding the Georgian government projects due to election violations.

The US and EU authorities have called on Georgia to reaffirm its commitment to the course of Euro-Atlantic integration and promptly investigate all violations committed during the parliamentary elections.

Gadjiev’s case

An appeal lodged against the verdict to Abdulmumin Gadjiev, Kemal Tambiev, and Abubakar Rizvanov in the case on financing terrorism was filed back in September 2023. The date of its consideration was not set for a long time. One of the three judges who pronounced the verdict voiced his dissenting opinion, in which he criticized the grounds for the guilty verdict and in fact acquitted Abdulmumin Gadjiev.

On October 11, the military court of appeal in the Moscow Region dismissed the defence’s motions at the first hearing in the case. At the court hearing held on October 16, advocates declared that Abdulmumin Gadjiev, Kemal Tambiev, and Abubakar Rizvanov were not guilty. The defenders requested the court for full acquittal of their clients. In his final speech, Abubakar Rizvanov pointed out multiple violations in the case and the verdict. The court regarded the purchase of airline tickets as financing terrorism and completely ignored the expert opinion, Abdulmumin Gadjiev claimed. A public prosecutor proposed to reduce the punishment for the convicted men.

The military court of appeal located in the town of Vlasikha not far from Moscow slightly reduced the terms of imprisonment. Abdulmumin Gadjiev was sentenced to 16 years and 10 months, Kemal Tambiev – to 17 years and four months, and Abubakar Rizvanov – to 17 years and 10 months of imprisonment.

Official data on natives of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine

By November 3, the authorities and the law enforcement bodies reported about at least 5195 residents of Southern Russia perished in Ukraine, including 2475 residents of the North-Caucasian Federal District (NCFD) and 2720 residents of the Southern Federal District (SFD).

In Dagestan, the authorities reported about 1085 local residents perished in Ukraine, in the Volgograd Region – 980, in the Rostov Region – 588, in the Krasnodar Territory – 584, in the Stavropol Territory – 510, in the Astrakhan Region – 404, in North Ossetia – 317, in Chechnya – 208, in Kabardino-Balkaria – 180, in Kalmykia – 100, in Ingushetia – 92, in Karachay-Cherkessia – 83, and in Adygea – 64.