A report on the detention of extremists in Gubden has raised questions for security forces.

Sharia patrols in Gubden have been unable to operate undetected for over 10 years; the current arrests are the result of a command from above. The very emergence of such structures demonstrates a management vacuum at the grassroots level and dissatisfaction with local authorities, analysts noted.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," a group operated in the village of Gubden in the Karabudakhkent district for over 10 years , using pressure and violence against people whose lifestyles did not correspond to the religious beliefs of the group members. Nine of those detained have already been arrested, and the materials on two more are in court, investigators reported on April 30.

Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission Chairman Shamil Khadulaev believes that by creating Sharia patrols, its members essentially wanted to replace law enforcement agencies.

"I learned about this recently. I can say that they sometimes replaced law enforcement agencies, which is not provided for by our law. Moreover, their methods themselves violated the law. When I learned about this situation, my first question was why "Didn't legal experts or educated senior comrades or relatives warn them against illegal actions? Indifference? Fear?" he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

In his opinion, the security forces' version is beyond doubt.

"Five people were sent to Pretrial Detention Center No. 1, and there were also people arrested before that. The investigation's version is beyond doubt," he noted.

Ten years of "blindness" that suddenly disappears is a sign that a case is being opened not based on a fact, but on a signal.

It is no coincidence that this case was recorded in Gubden, says public figure Magomed Shamilov.

"Gubden was one of the first places in Dagestan where a Salafi jamaat formed back in the early 1990s. The village has been one of the centers of Dagestani Salafism for decades, and these patrols are a logical continuation of this story," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Most likely, the group was tolerated as a tool for controlling more radical elements, and now they were detained on political orders from above.

However, he has questions about the security forces' version.

"The security forces' version raises obvious questions. In a village of 12,000 people, such a group cannot exist unnoticed for ten years. Most likely, the group was tolerated as a tool for controlling more radical elements, and now they were detained on "The political team from above. Ten years of 'blindness' that suddenly disappears is a sign that the case is being opened not based on fact, but on a signal," he emphasized.

Patrols arise from a demand for justice

The spread of the Sharia way of life could become systemic in the SK region if we turn a blind eye to it, believes religious scholar Leonid Syukiyainen.

"Gubden's case is not isolated. Informal mechanisms of religious control have begun to replicate themselves in different republics independently. From the perspective of religious studies, this is a sign of institutionalization: the practice ceases to be random and becomes a stable model of behavior for certain community groups. At the same time, the role of jamaats as bodies of local jurisdiction, competing with the state, has strengthened in the region," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Patrols arise where, in the eyes of a portion of the community, the state provides neither security nor moral authority.

According to him, patrols arise out of a demand for justice.

"Patrols arise where, in the eyes of a portion of the community, the state provides neither security nor moral authority. In Gubden, the group operated from 2015 to 2026, that is, more than ten years, creating a full-fledged parallel infrastructure. Consequently, the patrols are a symptom of a governance vacuum at the grassroots level, which is being filled by quasi-state structures with religious justifications," he noted.

A Kavkazoved expert, who frequently visits the region, calls the patrols isolated cases.

"These cases affect isolated villages and do not reflect broader public demand. This is not the spread of Sharia culture per se, but individual radical marginal groups that appropriate religious rhetoric to justify violent practices. The majority of Muslims in the region do not support them," he told the Caucasian Knot.

He agrees that the emergence of patrols is the result of social demand within the community.

"After the 1990s, new Islamic movements, including Salafist ones, arrived in the North Caucasus. Community members held radical views aimed at inciting hatred and hostility based on religious beliefs, using violence against those whose lifestyles did not correspond to their beliefs. Such patrols appear in the region from time to time, as long as they don't become the center of attention and are not detained," he noted.

Previously, cases against Sharia patrols were opened in Kabardino-Balkaria

The "Caucasian Knot" also reported that ten residents of Kabardino-Balkaria were accused of harassing others for their behavior not complying with Sharia law. Their case was filed with the Elbrus District Court on June 18, 2025. Those suspected of participating in "Sharia patrols" and beating residents of Kabardino-Balkaria were detained in July 2024 in Tyrnyauz.

According to information on the Elbrus District Court's website, the case is still ongoing. Questioning of the defendants continued on April 28, and the next hearing is scheduled for May 8.

In April 2022, the Urvan Court sentenced 11 residents of the village of Anzorey to suspended sentences, finding them guilty in the case of forming an extremist community. According to the prosecution, the defendants, guided by Sharia norms, used force against those who did not share their views. The defendants' lawyers and relatives, however, claimed that domestic conflicts were the reason for the extremism case, according to the "Caucasian Knot" article "Anzorei Patrols: From Sharia to Extremism".

In September 2024, similar actions were charged with 15 residents of the Baksan District: according to the investigation, they "subjected to physical violence and psychological pressure" people whose behavior did not correspond to their ideology.