The past two weeks in the North Caucasus have been relatively calm in terms of major political developments. The Republic of Ingushetia experienced flooding that caused damage to residential properties and required ongoing recovery efforts. In Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, Circassian activists expressed concern over recent constitutional amendments. Meanwhile, land disputes in and around Makhachkala continue, reflecting ongoing tensions related to urban expansion and territorial governance. The following sections summarise the main events in the North Caucasus over the last two weeks.
Adghea
A resident of Adygea, Ibragim Nagoev, has been sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment on charges of membership in a terrorist organisation. According to the investigation, between 2024 and 2025 Nagoev administered a Telegram channel that allegedly promoted terrorism and separatism. Investigators claimed that he was a member of the Council of United Circassia, an organisation designated as terrorist by the Russian authorities. The organisation reportedly advocated a Circassian nationalist agenda, including international recognition of the Circassian genocide, and the repatriation of ethnic Circassians to the Caucasus. According to the prosecution, Nagoev’s Telegram channel also called on Circassians in Russia to participate in unauthorised public rallies.
Most terrorism-related investigations in Russia have traditionally been linked to jihadist organisations. However, in recent years, there has been a growing tendency to associate certain expressions of Circassian nationalism with extremism or terrorism. This trend is reflected, for example, in the inclusion of the Circassian Cultural Center in Georgia on Russia’s terrorist list, as well as in criminal cases brought against Circassian activists such as Larisa Tuptsokova and Ibrahim Yaganov.
Compared to other ethnic groups in the North Caucasus, Circassian nationalist movements have reportedly faced stricter scrutiny and more severe restrictions. This is often attributed to their perceived mobilising potential and their transnational links with Circassian diaspora communities in the Middle East and Turkey.
Karachaevo-Cherkessia
The village of Adyge-Khabl is celebrating its 100th anniversary. As part of the commemorative programme, a taekwondo competition was held at the local Sosruko sports centre. Among the officials who addressed participants was the head of Adyge-Khabl District, Rustam Zhirov. Additional events were organised across the district, with the broader aim of promoting sport and a healthy lifestyle among the younger generation.
Adyge-Khabl District is one of the few administrative areas in Karachay–Cherkessia with a Circassian population. Circassians form a minority in the republic and have limited influence on the domestic political landscape. As a result, maintaining the presence of the indigenous population, and preserving language and cultural traditions, is considered a key priority for local activists. The celebration of the founding of Adyge-Khabl District is presented as an example of such cultural and identity-preserving activities.
Kabardino-Balkaria
The provision guaranteeing the territorial integrity of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic has been removed from the republic’s constitution. The amendment allows Russia’s federal centre to alter the administrative borders of republics without the consent of their regional authorities.
According to the official justification, the changes were introduced to harmonise the legislation of the federal subjects with the Russian Constitution, and to eliminate provisions deemed incompatible with federal law. However, local human rights activists have expressed concern over the reform. They argue that, given existing land and territorial disputes between a number of federal subjects, such changes could potentially increase the risk of inter-regional tensions or conflicts in the future.
The Republic of Kabardino-Balkarian is a multiethnic republic where Circassians constitute the majority, while Turkic Balkars and Russians form minority populations. Territorial and administrative disputes have existed in various forms for decades. Russian nationalist groups have, for example, advocated for the transferal of Russian-majority districts such as Prokhladny and Maisky to the neighbouring Stavropol Krai. At the same time, some Balkar nationalist movements have pushed for the creation of a separate Balkaria republic in the mountainous areas of Kabardino-Balkaria.
Aside from the Chechen Republic, most federal subjects of the Russian Federation have now adopted similar legislative frameworks regarding territorial governance and constitutional alignment.
North Ossetia
Residents of the Mozdok district donated trench candles for use in the conflict zone in Ukraine. The candles were produced during a workshop organised by the local social services centre as part of the Semya project. Trench candles are considered useful in frontline conditions, as they provide both light and heat in dugouts and shelters. The head of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, Sergey Menyailo, expressed gratitude to the volunteers. He emphasised that soldiers from North Ossetia require public support, and described the donation as an act of patriotism.
Unlike in some other North Caucasian republics, the invasion of Ukraine is described as enjoying broad support among the local population in the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania. A significant number of Ossetian military personnel have been involved in the conflict, and the republic has also recorded a relatively high death toll. As a result, local civic groups and activists have engaged in various charitable initiatives aimed at supporting members of the Russian armed forces.
Ingushetia
Seventy-five residents of the Republic of Ingushetia were evacuated following severe flooding in the Sunzha and Karabulak districts. A state of high alert was declared after a period of continuous heavy rainfall caused water levels to rise.
Earlier this year, residents of Ingushetia called for improvements to flood protection infrastructure along the Sunzha River in order to prevent disasters similar to those that recently affected Chechnya and Dagestan. At present, local authorities and emergency services are engaged in pumping water out of flooded homes and mitigating the consequences of the flooding.
Flooding is a recurring natural hazard in the North Caucasus, particularly in its mountainous regions. Heavy rainfall and the seasonal melting of snow at high elevations often cause mountain rivers to swell rapidly, leading to the inundation of settlements located along their banks. In many areas, flood protection infrastructure remains underdeveloped and is often insufficient to protect local communities from such disasters. Following the major floods in Chechnya and Dagestan earlier this year, the flooding in Republic of Ingushetia represents the third major natural disaster to affect the North Caucasus in 2026.
Chechnya
A Chechen man has been arrested by the Polish police on suspicion of involvement in the murder of Russian anti-Putin activist Robert Kuzovkov, also known by the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky. According to reports, the suspect allegedly used a forged Georgian passport while residing in Poland. His identity has not yet been publicly disclosed. Earlier in the investigation, two Belarusian citizens were also detained in connection with the case, but were subsequently released. Kuzovkov was known for his satirical caricatures of Russian officials, including Ramzan Kadyrov and his son Adam Kadyrov.
Chechen have been often used for attacks against political opponents and critics of the Kremlin. One of the most prominent cases is the 2015 assassination of Boris Nemtsov, in which several Chechen men were convicted. Ethnic Chechen suspects have also been linked to the attempted assassination of Georgian journalist Giorgi Gabunia, who had previously drawn widespread attention for making insulting remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin during a television broadcast.
Analysts have suggested that Chechnya’s recent history of armed conflict, including the First and Second Chechen Wars, has produced a substantial pool of individuals with military experience. This has contributed to perceptions that some former combatants may be recruited by organised crime groups or state-linked actors for violent operations.
Dagestan
Residents of Tarki have reportedly exerted pressure on residents of the Separator settlement in Makhachkala, demanding an end to the unregulated construction of new housing and calling for the relocation of some residents to other areas. They have also appealed to the head of Dagestan to intervene and address the situation.
The dispute is linked to a long-standing territorial and land-use controversy. In 2018, residents of the predominantly Kumyk settlements of Tarki, Kyakhulay and Alburikent demanded the restoration of the historic Tarki District and the transfer of approximately 8,000 hectares of land to the proposed administrative unit. The current tensions reflect wider disputes over land ownership, urban expansion, and the administrative status of territories surrounding Makhachkala; issues that have remained contentious in Dagestan for many years.
The suburban areas around Makhachkala have expanded rapidly in recent decades, often without comprehensive urban planning or the prior development of essential infrastructure. This growth has been driven largely by urbanisation and migration from Dagestan’s mountainous regions to the republic’s capital and its outskirts. In many cases, residential construction has expanded into areas that were previously used for agriculture: demographic and spatial changes that have naturally led to tensions over land use and ownership.
Ethnic Kumyks, whose historic settlements are concentrated in the lowland areas around Makhachkala, have been particularly affected by these processes, and have repeatedly called for stronger legal protection of what they regard as their ancestral territories from further demographic and urban expansion.