In Dagestan, locals fight police on day two of mass protests against mobilization

Extremely heated mass protests against mobilization continue in Dagestan. The capital city of Makhachkala and another city, Khasavyurt, are now in the second day of protesting the draft imposed on the region by Russian federal authorities, under last week’s presidential decree.

Today, several thousand people took to the streets in Makhachkala, and fighting erupted between protesters and the police. Around 70 people have already been arrested, as reported by Kavkaz Realii.

The same source reported that yesterday, Sept. 25, around 120 protesters were arrested by the Makhachkala police. Those taken to police stations were beaten and tortured with electric tasers. Eight people are now being prosecuted for allegedly “attacking” the police.

In Khasavyurt, about 100 people are protesting in the streets. The police are detaining people, and protesters are trying to resist the police, as seen in a video published by 1 Adat on Telegram.

On Sept. 25, another protest had taken place in Endirey, a village near Khasavyurt. Earlier, 100 men had been drafted from Endirey’s population of 8,000. Local residents blocked the state road connecting Khasavyurt and Makhachkala. The police attempted to dispel the protesters by firing into the air.

Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, is also protesting against mobilization. Local officials came out to meet with people in the streets, but refused to answer their questions about the mobilization quota — the number of men expected to be drafted in the republic.

The day before, Sept. 25, 20 Nalchik women had gathered in front of the state house, expressing their disapproval of the war and mobilization.