While in Dagestan, Putin supports Vasiliev's cadre reshuffling

The today's visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Dagestan was accompanied by reinforced security measures: in the morning, the central square of Makhachkala was cordoned off by policemen and special service agents; a large number of armoured vehicles were parked nearby; and snipers were deployed on roofs of houses. In the afternoon, just before Mr Putin's arrival, the entrances to Makhachkala were blocked, the edition "Kavkaz.Realii" reports.

During the sitting in Makhachkala, Putin has pointed to republic's social and economic problems, drawing attention to the high level of unemployment, a strong dependence of Dagestani budget on federal subsidies, and huge Russia's state debt.

"The unemployment level here [in Dagestan] is significantly higher than the Russia's average; while the level of salaries and wages is lower than the Russia's average," the RIA "Novosti" quotes Vladimir Putin as saying.

Speaking about corruption, Mr Putin has noted that this problem is not Dagestan-specific; all Russian regions are facing it. "There is such a problem in the country, and Dagestan is no exception," he said. At the same time, Dmitry Peskov, the Russian President's press secretary, said that Putin had expressed support for the fight on corruption launched by the Dagestan leadership.

Mr Putin has particularly stressed that the war on corruption in Dagestan would continue, the Dagestani edition "Chernovik" (Draft) has added.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in January, a group of employees of the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO) from Moscow began a large-scale anti-corruption check in Dagestan. In the course of this check, hundreds of corruption-related violations and dozens of concealed crimes were revealed, Ivan Sydoruk, Deputy Public Prosecutor of Russia, has stated on February 10.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.