Adverse weather conditions affected nearly all republics of the North Caucasus at the end of March, with the most severe flooding seen in Dagestan, impacting hundreds of residents. At the same time, the war in Ukraine continues to influence the region, with Chechnya actively involved in deploying new groups of fighters to the conflict zone. The following are the key events that have taken place in the North Caucasus over the past two weeks.
Adyghea
An evening dedicated to Arabic poetry, entitled “Nature and Its Impact on the Arabic Language,” was held in Maykop on 30 March. The event was organized by the National Library of the Republic of Adygea. Participants recited poems by prominent Arab authors, practiced translation into Russian, and engaged in follow-up discussions of the poems.
The growing interest in the Arabic language in Adygea is not surprising. First, it is driven by a gradual increase in religiosity among the local population. Many residents of Adygea have studied Islam in Arab countries, and the number of students enrolling in Arabic studies in Maykop is also rising. Moreover, several thousand Syrian and Jordanian Circassians currently reside in Adygea, for whom Arabic is a native language, further contributing to its popularity. In addition, many residents of Adygea frequently travel to Dubai and other Gulf states for business purposes, which also reinforces the growing importance of Arabic.
Karachaevo-Cherkesia
A resident of the town of Ust-Dzheguta was sentenced to 10 years in a high-security penal colony by a military court in Rostov-on-Don for financing terrorist activities. According to the investigation, the 36-year-old Rasul Umarov made a money transfer in 2020 while in Kislovodsk to a member of the Islamic State, which is designated as a terrorist organization in Russia. This is not the first such conviction for financing terrorist activities in the North-West Caucasus, and several similar cases have been reported in recent months.
Ust-Dzheguta has been one of the most active centers of Islamist activism in Karachay–Cherkessia. In the early 1990s, many local residents joined the Islamic Movement of Karachay, advocating an Islamist revival. The town hosted a Salafi jamaat with links to the insurgency, and one of the Russian-speaking leaders of Islamic State, Abu Jihad (Islam Atabiyev), originated from this town. Although there have been no major insurgent incidents for more than two decades, clandestine networks continue to exist, with varying degrees of involvement in jihadist movements.
Kabardino-Balkaria
On 28 March, Kabardino-Balkaria marked the Day of the Revival of the Balkar People. The head of the republic, Kazbek Kokov, delivered a special address to mark the occasion, stating that the day represents the restoration of historical justice for the Balkar people, who were permitted to return to their ancestral homeland 13 years after their deportation. A series of events, including concerts and motor rallies, were held across the republic, particularly in the Chegem and Elbrus regions, which are predominantly populated by ethnic Balkars.
The Day of the Revival of the Balkar People carries significant symbolic meaning, being associated with the rehabilitation of the Balkar people and their return from Central Asia. In 1944, the Balkars were deported on Stalin’s orders for alleged collaboration with Nazi Germany. The day commemorates the 1957 decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, which permitted the Balkar people to return to Kabardino-Balkaria. However, some Balkar activists continue to challenge the existing status quo, particularly in relation to pasture disputes in mountainous areas. In addition, certain groups advocate the secession of Balkar-populated areas from Kabardino-Balkaria and the creation of a separate Balkar republic within the Russian Federation.
North Ossetia
Football club Alania defeated Dynamo Stavropol in the sixth round of Russia’s Second Football League, Group A (“Silver”). Alania won 3–1, with goals scored by Alan Bagaev, Artem Zakirov and Taras Gagloev. The team now has 16 points and sits in first place in the table.
Although Alania currently competes in the third tier of the Russian football championship, this has not always been the case. In the 1990s, the club was one of the leading teams in the Russian Football League, competing with strong sides such as Spartak and Lokomotiv Moscow. Managed by Valery Gazzaev, Alania won the Russian championship in 1995 and went on to participate in the qualification rounds of the 1995–96 UEFA Champions League. It remains the first and only team from the Caucasus to have won this title. Notably, four Georgians played for the club, including the current President of Georgia, Mikheil Kavelashvili. However, in later years, the club experienced a decline due to financial difficulties, which led to its relegation to the lower divisions. At present, there are ongoing efforts to reinvigorate the team.
Ingushetia
The press office of the Republic of Ingushetia issued a statement summarizing efforts in the patriotic education of young people in the republic in 2025. According to the release, a total of 46 events were held across the republic, with the participation of more than 9,000 youth. Particular emphasis was placed on increasing young people’s interest in military service, as well as fostering social responsibility and respect for traditions and traditional values. The most prominent event was the military-tactical simulation game Turpalkho, which featured 15 competitions and involved 900 participants. In addition, a number of initiatives were organized to combat drug abuse, alongside preventative discussions aimed at countering extremism and terrorism.
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, the Russian authorities have intensified propaganda efforts among young people. Patriotic education initiatives have been organized across the country, although they appear especially pronounced in the Caucasus. This pattern may reflect attempts to downplay ethnic and Islamic identities among the region’s populations, while promoting a shared Russian patriotism. Such efforts are particularly significant in the case of Ingushetia, given the historical legacy of Stalin’s 1944 deportation and the 1992 ethnic cleansing in the Prigorodny District.
Chechnya
A new group of fighters from Chechnya was deployed to Ukraine. The group departed from Grozny Airport en route to the conflict zone. As Ramzan Kadyrov stated on his Telegram account, the contingent includes residents of Chechnya as well as other regions of Russia. The head of the government, Magomed Daudov, noted that more than 14,000 Chechens are currently deployed in the conflict zone. The official statement was accompanied by a video in which some of the recruits indicated that this was not their first deployment to Ukraine.
Chechnya is one of the largest contributors to the conflict in Ukraine on a per capita basis. Unlike in some other regions of Russia, in Chechnya, local authorities have reportedly employed coercive measures to send residents to Ukraine. Although Chechen units were initially reported to have avoided active combat in the early phases of the conflict, this no longer appears to be the case, and the republic is now characterized by a relatively high number of casualties. Moreover, an increasing number of non-Chechen fighters from other regions of Russia have been joining the Chechen units.
Dagestan
A state of emergency was declared in Dagestan due to flooding caused by heavy rainfall. More than 800 households and sections of highways were flooded in major cities Makhachkala, Buynaksk, Khasavyurt, and elsewhere. The republic also experienced electricity shortages. The flooding had an even more severe impact in mountainous areas, where some homes were completely destroyed. Adverse weather conditions also affected other parts of the North Caucasus.
Flooding is a frequent occurrence in the North Caucasus. However, in the case of the city of Makhachkala, the problem is often exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure and urban planning. Narrow streets, poor sanitation and drainage systems, and proximity to the Caspian Sea can make floods more severe and affect a greater number of households.