Residents of a Dagestani village demanded the return of their land and the preservation of their fortress.

Residents of the village of Khuri in the Lak District have appealed to officials to return the land to the villagers and transfer the local fortress building to the protection of the Dagnaslediya, opening it as a historical museum.

In their appeal, the villagers requested a review of the legality of the sale of a 35-year lease for a plot of land in the village on August 14, 2025.

"The fact is that this 3.8-hectare plot was leased for 35 years for 44,000 rubles and is located in the historical part of the village around the fortress, built in 1841," reports the Chernovik 2.0 Telegram channel.

The fortress building itself was also sold at auction in 2023, according to local residents. "Both properties are owned by the same family. The land itself was developed with significant violations. There are houses there, the ownership of which was not officially registered with Rosreestr, since the land category was never transferred from agricultural to residential land. In addition to the built houses, there are more than 10 plots of land there, issued to village residents back in the mid-1990s," according to a statement from the villagers.

23:33 10.08.2022

The influx of tourists to Dagestan has exacerbated the problem of the destruction of ancient monuments

Ancient monuments in Dagestan lack proper care, and mass tourist visits to historical structures have increased the risk of their destruction, stated writer and traveler Vladimir Sevrinovsky and political scientist Albert Esedov, commenting on the collapse of an ancient stone arch in Gamsutla. A historical, cultural, and natural museum-reserve is planned for the village, according to Dagnasledie.

"We ask that the legality of the sale of these objects be verified, the land be returned to the villagers, the fortress building be placed under the protection of Dagnasledie, and a historical museum be opened in this building," reads the appeal sent to the head of Dagestan and the prosecutor's office.

The villagers did not specify the specific fortress in question in their appeal. It is known that on the outskirts of the village there is a building built during the Caucasian War.

“A fortification was built here, which was later converted into the headquarters of a line battalion. Eight cannons were installed in the fortification, their muzzles aimed at the village of Kumukh, which at that time was one of the main strongholds of Imam Shamil and his companions. After the revolution, the main hospital of the Laksky district was located here. Today, it has been moved to Kumukh, and the ancient building is once again changing its purpose – it will become a training camp,” noted an article in the publication Dagestanskaya Pravda, published in 2018.

 "Caucasian Knot" also reported that residents of the village of Khutnib in the Gunib district planned to hold a rally on August 31st to voice allegations of corruption in the district related to the expropriation of agricultural land. The villagers had repeatedly appealed to the district and Dagestan authorities, as well as to law enforcement agencies, but in response they only received formal replies, they stated in their appeal to Putin. The village of Khutnib is not registered, but a review of villagers' complaints revealed violations of land legislation, the Dagestan Ministry of Property stated, announcing the transfer of materials to the prosecutor's office.