The involvement of the Council of Elders in discussing the future of Dagestan has raised questions among activists.

The initiative to invite members of the Council of Elders to discuss the reform of local self-government in Dagestan seems strange, as the Council itself does not carry out any work, has not expressed a position on pressing issues for the republic, and its opinions always coincide with the position of the authorities, activists and residents of Makhachkala emphasized.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", in January 2022, deputies of the People's Assembly of Dagestan supported the draft law "On the General Principles of Organizing Local Self-Government in a Unified System of Public Authority". This draft law may cause irritation among residents of villages, and after its adoption, the centralization of power may create conditions for the arbitrariness of officials, analysts noted. The implementation of the draft law on the reform of local self-government, which was approved by the deputies of the People's Assembly of Dagestan, will lead to an outflow of the population from villages, exacerbate social and economic problems, and interethnic contradictions, Dagestani activists believe. They called for the development of a separate law on local self-government for Dagestan, taking into account the national composition of the republic.

Elders were invited to discuss the reform of the local self-government system

The acting head of Dagestan Fyodor Shchukin invited the elders of the republic to discuss the reform of the local self-government system, the Telegram channel of the regional administration reported.

According to Shchukin, the republic faces a historic choice: to switch to a one-level system or to maintain a two-level one. This decision will directly affect the management of territories and will concern
every resident of the republic.

“There will be no behind-the-scenes decisions here. Any step we take will be made exclusively with the consideration of the opinions of the Dagestanis themselves. And in this process, the voice of our elders is fundamentally important to me. These are people who have led districts and cities for decades, know every mechanism of the municipal system from the inside, and enjoy unquestionable authority among
the population. Who better than them to evaluate such reforms?” Shchukin said.

The idea of involving elders to solve the pressing problems of the republic has mainly provoked a negative reaction among activists, journalists, and residents.

Activists doubted the expertise and independence of the Council of Elders

Historian Patimat Takhnaeva wrote in her Telegram channel that the story with the elders began on May 19, 2010, when Ella Pamfilova, who then headed the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the promotion of civil society institutions and human rights (now the head of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation - note from "Caucasian Knot"), addressed then-President Dmitry Medvedev with a proposal, based on local specifics, to form a permanent public body in the district - the “Council of Elders.” Medvedev responded: “In relation to the North Caucasian problems, this is absolutely reasonable.”

“This proposal was criticized by political scientists and public figures, who considered it a consequence of the federal authorities' misconceptions about the way of life in the Caucasus, noting that they think not in terms of the real situation, but are guided by a set of myths and stereotypes about the archaic nature of Caucasian society, exaggerating the role of elders, who currently do not play the same role they did a hundred years ago,” Takhnaeva believes.

She recalled the speech in 2016 by the chairman of the Council of Elders of the republic, Abdulla Magomedov, at a meeting with then-head of Dagestan Ramazan Abdulatipov and members of the Council of Elders.

“Magomedov did not hold back and noted with satisfaction that ‘with the courage of thought and life experience, we influence the worldview and cultural values of the younger generation and the adult population,’ and even suggested ‘to give the decisions and analytical materials of the Council of Elders a normative character.’ Ramazan Abdulatipov agreed that the Council of Elders is indeed an ‘authoritative, respected institution of civil society.’
And he issued, as a false document, a high assessment of the strangely meaningless activities of this group of old men:
‘The position you express is always balanced and principled, differs by a state approach. Within the framework of your meetings, you discuss the most pressing issues for the republic in the socio-economic and cultural spheres, paying great attention to developing measures to counter extremism and terrorism, strengthening interethnic peace and harmony,’” Takhnaeva writes.

She added that the composition of the Council of Elders is replenished with members of the former party nomenclature and retired state officials, hence their “unconditional support for various initiatives coming from above and mutual affection.”

Some of them, to our great regret and shame, have never had their own opinion or position different from the bureaucratic one imposed from above.

The publication “Novoe Delo” reported on its Telegram channel that “it would be good to publish this list of elders, as some of them, to our great regret and shame, have never had their own opinion or position different from the bureaucratic one imposed from above — such is the bitter truth.”

“Chernovik” in its publication notes that it is not worth being so critical of the Council of Elders.

“Everyone is fighting for a ticket to the sanatorium and participation in the power-related movement as best they can. It should be understood: strong self-government is not needed by anyone. Unfortunately, this is the case. About the Council of Elders, if Vyacheslavovich had not met with its chairman, no one would even remember them,” the publication writes.

Local elites have mostly exchanged public demand for personal interests: positions, regalia, real estate, and profitable projects.

Member of the movement “Our City” Arsen Magomedov wrote in his Telegram channel that the problem of the Council of Elders of Dagestan is not in the venerable age or mental level of its members, but in the fact that these people do not reflect the interests of the people at all, as most of them are representatives of the elite — predominantly bureaucratic, albeit already retired.

“Local elites have mostly exchanged public demand for personal interests: positions, regalia, real estate, and profitable projects. As a result, the people have turned away from them. Therefore, the appeal to them, including to the Council of Elders, as people standing guard over the interests of the people and enjoying their trust, provokes a sharply negative reaction,” Arsen Magomedov believes.

He published a poll in his channel: “Who today most reflects the interests of the residents of Dagestan?”
As of 14:40 Moscow time on July 16, 549 people had voted. 54 percent answered “independent journalists and bloggers,” 38 percent – “public figures and activists,” 22 percent – “none of the above.” The answer “Council of Elders” received 1 percent of the votes.

It should be noted that in the Telegram channel of the Council of Elders, which has 119 subscribers, problematic issues important to the residents of Dagestan are not discussed — mainly congratulations and condolences are published here.

Makhachkala residents pointed out the lack of actions by the Council of Elders to protect the interests of the republic's residents

A resident of Makhachkala, entrepreneur Rashid told a correspondent of “Caucasian Knot” that he had never heard of any speeches or actions by the Council of Elders on issues relevant to the republic.

“Why invite them anywhere, who will listen to them?” the man believes.

Teacher Mariam told a correspondent of “Caucasian Knot” that she also does not know about the activities of this body.
“Even if they propose to raise salaries, increase pensions – who will listen to them? A useless organization,” says the Makhachkala resident.

“Has the Council of Elders ever spoken out on the cases of high-profile conflicts in Dagestan, the case of the Gasan-Guseinov brothers, the cases of deaths in the Makhachkala police department? Where were they, why invite them somewhere now?” Said said.

Recall that 17-year-old and 19-year-old Nabi and Gasan-Gusein Gasan-Guseinov were killed in August 2016 during a special operation. The security forces declared the killed to be militants, however, the brothers' parents and fellow villagers insisted that the young men were shepherds and were simply grazing livestock in the mountains. Later, the version that the brothers were militants was not confirmed. The result of a series of pickets by Gasan-Guseinov in 2019 was only a disciplinary sanction against the head of the police department. "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "

On May 15, the Soviet District Court of Makhachkala sentenced three defendants to six years in prison in the case of the death in the police department of the participant of the SVO, Akhmed Dzhabrailov. The fourth defendant had previously gone to the SVO zone and died there in the summer of 2025. Makhachkala police officers, sentenced to six years in the case of the death of detainee Akhmed Dzhabrailov, should have been found guilty of murder and sentenced to long terms, social media users stated.

The case of the death in the same Soviet police department of Makhachkala of Kurban Dalgatov is being considered for the second time. Most of the defendants have not yet been sentenced, while five of them went to the SVO. On January 20, 2023, before the detention of 35-year-old Kurban Dalgatov, a conflict occurred on the street between two men. One of them, according to the police version, shot at his opponent and fled with Dalgatov's help. Kurban Dalgatov was found and detained. His health deteriorated in the police department, he was given first aid and taken to the hospital, but doctors confirmed his death. Relatives stated that Dalgatov died from asphyxiation, which occurred after he was “electrocuted in the heart area.” The man sustained injuries before his death, the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed.