Law enforcers note unique nature of exercises near borders of Chechnya for National Guard of Russia

According to the experts interviewed by the “Caucasian Knot”, the manoeuvres of the Chechen Department of the National Guard of Russia cause concern, since the goals of such a large-scale operation are unclear, and it has no analogues.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 11, the “Chechenavtodor” carried out excavation work on the bank of the Fortanga River, along which the border with Ingushetia passes. The above work provoked indignation in Ingushetia, both among local residents and among officials. Ramzan Kadyrov said that the protest against the work was organized in Ingushetia by “a bunch of provocateurs who were trying to put through the nationalist ace.” The leader of Chechnya also noted that he was able to take away from Ingushetia the lands that had passed to the republic during the time of Dzhokhar Dudayev. On November 21, a Chechen delegation arrived on the bank of the Fortanga River to decide on the belonging of the border lands in accordance with Sharia, but no representatives of Ingushetia did appear.

Police Colonel Amir Kolov noted that he had never heard of the manoeuvres of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and the National Guard of Russia, during which the borders of the region would be blocked. “I have never seen such exercises,” Amir Kolov told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

According to Amir Kolov, chains of armed fighters of the Chechen Department of the National Guard of Russia posted along roads are “a manifestation of bragging”: “let them see how many people we have.” “There was no military need to put people in a thick line on the road,” the police colonel emphasized.

Magomed Shamilov, the chairman of the Dagestani police trade union, also noted that no similar exercises with the arrangement of posts near the border had been held earlier. “These manoeuvres cause concern. It is not clear why the whole region is being fenced off,” Magomed Shamilov told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on November 26, 2021 at 01:53 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.