Residents of Chechnya ignore authorities' calls not to panic over coronavirus

Kadyrov's words that no one will die of hunger have failed to convince residents of Chechnya. They go even to Dagestan for buying foodstuffs.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that after the information about the preventive measures taken in Chechnya against the spread of coronavirus, hype began: residents of the republic began to buy out foodstuffs in large quantities. Ramzan Kadyrov and the Mufti of Chechnya, Salakh Mezhiev, urged them not to rush into panic.

Grocery stores still have long lines; and prices are rising, says the video posted on March 18 in the Instagram page of the "Chechnya Today" News Agency.

On March 18, the WhatsApp messenger spread reports that residents of Chechnya were buying out foodstuffs in the marketplaces in Dagestani Khasavyurt.

Foodstuffs are brought out of Dagestan by trucks, a resident of Chechnya named Viskhan told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. "Yesterday, Khasavyurt was totally crowded; people bought out flour, sugar, potatoes and onions by KamAZ and Gazel trucks. Locals were laughing at us, asking what had happened here. They have no such panic," the man said.

Political analyst Vadim Mukhanov has noted that the population of Chechnya exhibits an extremely low level of confidence in the information spread by pro-governmental mass media. "I mean distrust not even in mass media, but in the official sources of information referred to by journalists – press releases of ministries and the government. This trend is observed not only in Chechnya, but throughout Russia," Mr Mukhanov has explained to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 18, 2020 at 07:23 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.