People in Dagestan believe that CTO regime will worsen the situation in the republic

Within several recent days, special units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), in the number of three regiments, have been transferred from the adjacent regions of the South Federal District (SFD) and deployed in Dagestan. This is reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent with reference to reliable sources.

Residents of Makhachkala could notice the arrival of troops by a column of tented military trucks and infantry combat vehicles (ICVs) with jacketed machine guns. The republic is full of rumours about prompt and inevitable introduction of the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime. The tension grows; it is strengthened by disappearance of militiamen from many posts and streets of Makhachkala. Later, it became known that the Dagestan MIA bosses had ordered their employees to hold service in civilian clothes in order to ensure their personal safety.

"Plenty of power agents will come here, who have no idea about specificities of the life of Dagestanians. Numerous conflicts at the level of particular citizens are inevitable; however, bandits will feel free as before. We need to strengthen local law enforcement bodies; they need social and other support," Eduard Khidirov, a deputy of the National Assembly of Dagestan and the leader of the regional branch of the Party "Patriots of Russia", said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Sulaiman Uladiev, Director of the State TV and Radio Company "Dagestan", agrees with Khidirov and adds that first of all it is necessary to find those interested in the present destabilization of the situation.

"When they tell us that the so-called religious extremists, Wahhabites, are behind all the latest crimes, this is a simplified view on the situation. Dagestan has also other forces, which, by pursuing their own aims, are capable of murders and terror. We need to safeguard the society against these forces. However, the CTO regime makes accent on the force component, whereas many, if not all, problems in the republic stem from political and ideological reasons. Therefore, they should be counteracted also with political and ideological methods," Mr Uladiev has noted.

A poet and public figure Adallo believes that Moscow should act more resolutely in the region. "The power in Dagestan is corrupted and incompetent. The economy has become criminal. These are the problems to be addressed. However, it looks like the Kremlin prefers other ways," said Adallo.

"One of these days, I heard a statement of a federal official. He said that we need particular statistics on liquidated militants. I'm afraid that under the CTO regime such statistics will be locally formed at the account of ordinary citizens. They will be murdered and then post factum registered as militants. By the way, this is practised in the region without the CTO regime," said the poet.

Gadjimagomed Magomedov, a resident of Makhachkala, has suggested finding common language with militants: "Our guys went to the forest. We should talk to them and make the utmost for bringing them back to peaceful life. Naturally, the CTO regime doesn't assume any talks of this sort; and this will make the situation in Dagestan still worse."