A fine imposed on residents of the Chereksky district has outraged Balkar activists.

On March 28, 2025, concerts, exhibitions, and public festivities dedicated to Balkar Revival Day were held in the cities and villages of Kabardino-Balkaria. In the Cherek District, more than 70 riders held a horseback ride. Asiyat Kaigermazova and Alina Taysmakulova were fined by the court for organizing a public event because they held their rally separately from the official one, without submitting official permits to the authorities, a source in the Cherek District administration told a Caucasian Knot correspondent. According to an administration employee, the annual rally for Balkar Revival Day requires approval despite having become a traditional event. District authorities approved the official event, which was attended by about 100 motorists. "They all checked in with the administration and then continued on their way. We were not aware that another rally was taking place at the same time," she explained.

Taismakulova and Kaigermazova organized their 50-car rally by creating an open WhatsApp* group called "March 28," which attracted 315 members. Participants were informed of the route (Kashkatau - Lower Blue Lakes), and the vehicles participating in the demonstration were also designated, according to rulings by the Cherek District Court on March 31 and April 1. The court noted that on March 25, a district police officer had served the girls with a notice prohibiting them from holding an unauthorized public event.

In court, both girls repented of their actions and asked for a lenient punishment, promising not to violate the law in the future, according to the rulings.

Tamara Gerieva, Executive Director of the Council of Elders of the Balkar People, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that all activists in her organization are outraged by the court's decisions in the administrative cases of Taysmakulova and Kaigermazova.

"The question arises: what did these girls do that required such a demonstrative punishment? If this is our day, Balkar Revival Day, why couldn't people go out in an organized group and ride through the gorge? Who did they interfere with, and how did they interfere? We are all outraged by these fines," Gerieva emphasized.

She suggested that the girls were punished as a warning to others, so that "no one would dare hold such events without permission." Gerieva noted that when she herself applied to host public events, officials refused her permission under various pretexts.

The deportation operation of the Balkars took place on March 8, 1944, and lasted only two hours. During this time, war invalids, families of front-line soldiers, and party leaders were sent to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Of the 37,713 Balkars deported, 52% were children, 30% were women, and 18% were men. During the 18-day journey, 562 people died. Only in 1957 were the Balkars allowed to return to their homeland, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Deportation of the Balkars."

The deportation affected all Balkar families, and its memory is passed down from generation to generation. It is important to preserve the memory of those who did not return from the deportation, said participants in a memorial rally in Nalchik, timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the deportation. The consequences of the deportation still affect the fates of the Balkars 80 years later. In particular, many representatives of the people died during the expulsion, and rehabilitation cannot be considered complete, stated representatives of public organizations interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot."