Dangerous Dagestan. Myths and facts about Dagestan

The region containing the southernmost point of Russia, the oldest city in Russia, and also inhabited by the maximum number of different peoples. This is of course the Republic of Dagestan.

We already had a chance to visit here 2 years ago during a trip to Iran (and even celebrate the New Year here). Someday I will have to write about that trip. Then I happened to visit Derbent and quite a bit of Makhachkala. Since "a little" was very strong, it was decided in this case to correct this gap.

Indeed, many people consider the Republic of Dagestan to be very different from other Russian provinces. In general, there is nothing surprising, the percentage of the Russian population here is quite small (less, probably, only in Tuva). Even the conversations of the locals are often structured in such a way that Dagestan is already perceived as something separate: "That's how it is in Russia, and that's how it is in Dagestan."

With all this, however, it is Russian that is the main language in the republic and there are practically no inscriptions in any other language. The explanation for this is very simple - unlike, say, Tatarstan, or the same Tuva, where one people lives with one language (and all signs in this language can be duplicated), a lot of different peoples live in Dagestan, with languages that differ from each other a little more than completely. Many visitors (I was no exception) do not know these features, and they believe that Dagestanis live here and speak the Dagestan language (for which, I believe, you can get in the face from the locals). The most numerous peoples of Dagestan: Dargins, Lezgins, Avars, Kumyks, Nogais, etc. (thousands of them!) It is clear that they all need some kind of language in which they could communicate with each other. Of course, the Russian was the best candidate for this role. Because if one of the minor languages were chosen, this would lead their speakers to a more privileged position over the rest, which could subsequently create a social explosion. And so, in the interethnic plan, everything is politically correct here and there is no social tension - all nations coexist quite peacefully with each other.
However, not everything is as rosy here as one might think. If you remember the main neighbor of Dagestan, you can imagine what it was like to live here throughout the 90s and the beginning of the 2000s. And now everything is very restless. Unlike the previous calm Kalmykia, Dagestan will probably be in 2nd place among the southern republics after Chechnya in terms of the number of incidents and mentions in the media. Employees of law enforcement agencies and law enforcement agencies are subjected to the greatest attack - several people a year constantly die in terrorist attacks and shootouts with groups of bandits. We were brought up by a convoy of Dagestan cops, who were driving armored UAZ vehicles from Nizhny Novgorod, specially bought by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan, in order to protect their employees.

In general, despite the apparent difference in mentality, Dagestan society has a lot in common with Russian. The saddest thing is that it has taken over from the Russian its worst features, which are swollen here to incredible proportions. This is corruption on such a scale that you will not find it everywhere in Russia. This is an immense love for show-offs, which have a much higher status than Russians. It seems that they say that the European mentality is prone to individualism, and the Asian to collectivism. You can’t say this at all in Dagestan - everyone wants to build their own house (preferably bigger than their neighbor’s), drive exclusively in their own car (of course, as abruptly as possible). For the sake of this, you can not eat or drink, but if you do not have your own house and car, then what kind of a man are you? The outskirts of Makhachkala are being built up by the private sector at an astronomical pace - almost the entire republic is building housing here. As many locals told us, "Everyone complains that there is no money, but everyone is under construction" ..
Of course, that on the roads, traffic on the roads most of all resembles Brownian. Of course, before Cairo, Makhachkala is still growing and growing, but there are already considerable advances.

Again, I think that driving around Makhachkala, in Moscow you will feel like in Europe. Actually, in Moscow, many do not like Dagestan drivers precisely because they are trying to transfer here the methods of movement used in their own country. Ride without show off here as it is not particularly accepted. On the track, it sometimes looks very scary, overtaking on a two-lane road right in front of an oncoming car is in the order of things here. One smart guy even guessed to drive on an empty three-lane road along the middle lane (at that moment oncoming for him) in the dark with the headlights off, our driver barely managed to dodge him.

Let's move on, motherfucker. Thank God, I didn’t have a direct encounter, but I had a chance to look from the side. Some representatives of the younger generation have quite characteristic gopnicheskie habits, reminiscent of smart boys from some Nizhny Novgorod, Kurgan, or Tulun. Only in the Caucasian version it looks much worse. Just like in our latitudes, they don’t like hairy people (only here is a slightly different explanation - like you mow like a woman with your long hair, thereby disagreeing with your masculine essence, thereby insulting their masculine essence ... In short, a solid FGM). In general, such a popular image of a Caucasian horseman refers specifically to the Dagestanis (and to the inhabitants of other southern republics of Russia), the Transcaucasian peoples (Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Armenians) are very poorly suited to it.

Again, maybe all this is a consequence of being part of the state of the Russian Federation. Even leaving Dagestan for Azerbaijan, you feel relieved. There, of course, the mess is no less, but the people are much more relaxed, and there is no such strong tension in the atmosphere.

The only unpleasant Russian feature that is practically not found here is drunkenness. Still, the people are mostly religious, so alcoholism is rare here. Well, another distinctive feature is a high birth rate. Dagestan is in the 2nd or 3rd place in terms of the birth rate in Russia, and the population here is growing steadily. Thus, with its population growth, it compensates for its decline in most regions of the country.

After so much negativity, it is impossible not to mention the positive qualities of the inhabitants of Dagestan. First of all, this is, of course, traditional oriental hospitality. Few places in Russia, we were so sincerely received here, that the first time was in Derbent, that the second was in Makhachkala.
Visiting a member of the hospitality Renata

On the left is the tenant Renata Zaur

One of the most famous members of the hospitality in Dagestan, Bagdat, also known as bagdat

Makhachkala.
By and large, there is nothing remarkable in it. But the city is just pleasant, with its low-rise buildings in the center

Main Lenin Square

On which his namesake also registered. As you can see, Premier Vovan no longer considers Dagestan to be Russia.

local fast food

hotel

National theater (Kumyk). Rare sign in one of the local languages

Sparkling Caucasian humor

Makhachkala stands on the shores of the Caspian Sea .. Which, in fact, is not a sea, but a lake, the largest in the world

There is even a port

Finding yourself in the Caucasus, or rather in Dagestan, over time you begin to understand - it seems that at first the inhabitants of this hospitable country are the same, in fact, everyone is completely different. On the same land, there are dissimilar traditions, customs, dialect and even language. Why is this happening? Ethnographers say with confidence: 33 peoples live on the territory of the Republic of Dagestan. Let's learn a little more about them.

Nationalities of Dagestan

In another way, the country is called a unique constellation of peoples. Speaking about the number of them, it is difficult to count. However, it is known that all nationalities are divided into three main language families. The first is the Dagestan-Nakh branch, belonging to the Iberian-Caucasian language family. The second is the Turkic group. Third - Indo-European

The concept of “titular nationality” does not exist in the republic, however, its political attributes still apply to representatives of 14 nationalities. Dagestan is one of the most multinational regions of Russia, and today more than 3 million citizens live on its territory.

A little more about language families

As we have already said, the nationalities of the Republic of Dagestan are divided into three language groups. The first - the Dagestan-Nakh branch - includes Avars, Chechens, Tsakhurs, Akhvakhtsi, Karatins, Lezgins, Laks, Rutuls, Aguls, Tabasarans. This community also includes Andians, Botlikhs, Godoberins, representatives of Tindals, Chamalals, Bagulals, Khvarshins, Didoys, Bezhtins, Gunzibs, Ginukhs, Archins. This group is also represented by the Dargins, Kubachins and Kaitags. The second family - Turkic - is represented by the following nationalities: Kumyks, Azerbaijanis, Nogais.

The third group - Indo-European - is made up of Russians, Tats. This is how nationalities in Dagestan look like today. The list can be replenished with lesser-known nationalities.

Avars

Despite the fact that there is no titular nationality in the republic, there is still some division among the Dagestanis into more and less widely represented nationalities of Dagestan (by number). Avars are the most numerous region (912 thousand people, or 29% of the total population). The regions of the western region are considered their main area of residence. The rural population of the Avars makes up a large part of the total population, and their resettlement occurs on average in 22 regions. They also include the Ando-Tsez peoples, who are related to them, and the Archins. Since ancient times, the Avars were called Avars, they were also often called Tavlins or Lezgins. This nation received the name "Avars" on behalf of the medieval king of Avars, who ruled the kingdom of Sair.

Dargins

What nationalities live in Dagestan? The second largest ethnic group is considered to be the Dargins (16.9% of the population, which means 490.3 thousand people). Representatives of this people live mainly in the mountainous and foothill regions of central Dagestan. Before the revolution, the Dargins were called a little differently - Akushins and Lezgins. In total it occupies 16 regions of the republic. Dargins belong to the believing group of Sunni Muslims.

Recently, the number of Dargins near the capital of Dagestan - Makhachkala - has begun to increase significantly. The same is happening with the Caspian coast. Dargins are considered the most commercial and artisan among the entire population of the republic. Their ethnos was formed for many years at the junction of passing trade roads, which left its mark on the way of life of the nationality.

Kumyks

We learn further what nationalities live in Dagestan. Who are the Kumyks? This is the largest Turkic people in the North Caucasus, which is ranked third among the nationalities of Dagestan (431.7 thousand people - 14.8%).

Kumyks inhabit the foothill and plain regions of the republic, occupying a total of 7 regions. They are attributed to the peoples of agricultural culture, firmly settled in the place chosen for this. This nation has well developed agriculture and fishing. More than 70% of the economy of the entire country is also concentrated here. The national culture of the Kumyks is very rich and original in its own way - it is literature, folklore, and art. There are a lot of famous wrestlers among them. However, the misfortune of the people is that the Kumyks represent those nationalities of Dagestan, among which there are a lot of uneducated residents.

Lezgins

So, we learned the nationalities of Dagestan by their numbers. We touched a little on the three leading nationalities. But it would be unfair not to touch on some of the nationalities of the country. For example, Lezgins (385.2 thousand people, or 13.2% of the population). They inhabit the flat, upland and foothill regions of Dagestan. Their historical territory is considered to be the adjacent regions of today's republic and neighboring Azerbaijan. Lezgins can rightly be proud of their rich history, stretching from ancient times. Their territory was one of the earliest lands of the Caucasus.

Today the Lezgins are divided into two parts. Also, this nationality is considered the most militant, and therefore the most "hot". So how many nationalities are in Dagestan? The list could go on for a very long time.

Russians and Laks

A few words should also be said about the Russian-speaking representatives of the country. They also represent the nationalities of Dagestan, inhabiting mainly the Caspian Sea and the surroundings of Makhachkala. Most Russians (104 thousand, 3.6%) can be found in Kizlyar, where more than half of the total population lives. It is impossible not to mention the Laks (161.2 thousand, 5.5% of the population), who have inhabited the central parts of mountainous Dagestan since historical times.

It was thanks to the Laks that the very first orthodox Muslim state arose on the territory of the country. They are recognized as jacks of all trades - the first Caucasian handicraftsmen came from this nationality. To this day, lacquer products participate in various international competitions, taking the most honorable places.

Small peoples of Dagestan

It would be unfair to talk only about the numerous representatives of this country. The smallest people of the republic are the Tsakhurs (9.7 thousand, 0.3%). Basically, these are residents of villages that are located in the Rutulsky district. There are practically no Tsakhurians in the cities. The next smallest nation is the Aguls (2.8 thousand, 0.9%). They live mainly in the Agul region, most of them also live in settlements.

Aguls can be found in Makhachkala, Dagestan fires and Derbent. Another small people of Dagestan are the Rutuls (27.8 thousand, 0.9%). They inhabit the southern territories. Their number is not much more than the Aguls - the difference is in the range of 1-1.5 thousand inhabitants. Rutulians try to stick to their relatives, so they always form into small groups. Chechens (92.6 thousand, 3.2%) are the most irascible and aggressive people. The number of this nation was much larger. However, military operations in Chechnya had a significant impact on the demographic situation. Today, Chechens can also be attributed to the small nationalities of the Republic of Dagestan.

Outcome

So, what are the most important nationalities of Dagestan? There can be only one answer - everything. As they say about the republic, Dagestan is a kind of synthesis of many ethnic groups. It is noteworthy that almost every nationality has its own language, which is strikingly different from its neighbors. How many nationalities live in Dagestan - so many customs, traditions and features of life exist in this sunny country.

The list of languages of the Dagestan people lists 36 varieties. This, of course, makes communication between representatives of these peoples difficult. But in the end, you need to know one thing - the Dagestan people, represented by so many nationalities, has its own historical past, which gave rise to today's diverse, interesting and so unlike each other national ethnic group of the republic. Be sure to visit this place - you won't regret it! You will be welcomed in any corner of the country.

The Republic of Dagestan belongs to the multinational regions of the Russian Federation. More than a hundred different nationalities live in a relatively small area, and it is difficult to calculate the exact number of them. The Republic is called a constellation of peoples. Descriptively speaking, there are many nationalities in Dagestan - how many stars are in the sky.

Nationality groups in the Republic

Dagestan is the most multinational region of our country. However, it is difficult to even simply list all the peoples who live here, because there are more than a hundred of them. In Dagestan, nationalities can be generally divided into three groups according to language: the Dagestan-Nakh branch (otherwise it is called the Nakh-Dagestan), Turkic and Indo-European. The first belongs to the Iberian-Caucasian language family and is most clearly represented in the Republic. First of all, these are the Avars, who are almost a third in Dagestan, as well as other Caucasian peoples. The Turkic group of peoples belongs to the Altaic language family, it is represented in the country by almost 19 percent of the population. The Indo-European branch includes other non-Caucasian and non-Turkic peoples living in Dagestan. It is curious that in the Republic there is no so-called titular nationality. If you write all the nationalities of Dagestan, the list will be more than impressive. But there are 14 indigenous peoples officially recognized in the Republic.

Dagestan-Nakh branch

The population of Dagestan is represented primarily by Nakh families. First of all, these are the Avars - the most numerous ethnic group of the Republic. They live on these lands 850 thousand people, which is 29 percent of the population. They live in mountainous regions in the west. In some areas (for example, Shamilsky, Kazbekovsky, Tsumadinsky, Akhvakhsky) there are up to 100 percent of Avars. In the capital of the Republic - Makhachkala - there are 21 percent of Avars.

The second largest nationality in Dagestan is the “Dargins”, there are 16 percent of them in the country, or 330 thousand people. They live mainly in the mountains and foothills in the center of the Republic and mainly inhabit rural areas. In the cities of Izerbash, Dargins make up more than half of the inhabitants - 57%.

12 percent are represented by Lezgins, who live in the Republic more than 250 thousand people. They are mainly settled in the southern regions: Akhtynsky, Kurakhsky, Magaramkentsky, Suleiman-Stalsky, Derbensky districts.

Also, the Dagestan-Nakh branch is expressed by Laks (5 percent of the population), who live mainly in the Novolaksky district, Tabasarans (4.5 percent), Chechens (3%, mostly live in Khasavyurt, making up a third of those living in the city). Less than one percent are in Dagestan Aguls, Tsakhurs, Rutuls.

Turkic peoples in the Republic

Nationalities living in Dagestan are significantly represented by the peoples of the Turkic language branch. Thus, there are more than 260 thousand Kumyks in the Republic, which is almost 13 percent of the population. They mainly settle in the foothill areas and in the Tersko-Sulak lowland. Half live in cities and the remaining 52 percent live in rural areas. 15% of the inhabitants of the capital of the Republic are also Kumyks.

The Nogais, 16% of whom live in Dagestan, are a nationality that dates back to the Golden Horde. Otherwise, these peoples are called Crimean Nogai (also steppe) Tatars. There are 33,000 Nogais living in Dagestan, mostly in the Nogai region, also in the village of Sulak.

The third of the Turkic peoples represented in the Republic of Dagestan are Azerbaijanis. They number 88 thousand people - 4 percent of the population. Citizens live in Derbent, Dagestan Lights.

Indo-European peoples of Dagestan

Since the Republic is part of the Russian Federation, the population is also represented by Russians. They live in Dagestan 150 thousand people, which is more than 7 percent of the citizens. More than half of the Russian population lives in Kizlyar (54%), the Russian diaspora is also strong in Kaspiysk and Makhachkala (18%). Terek Cossacks also belong to this group. They live in Tarumovsky and Earlier, during the Soviet Union, the Republic also had a significant Ukrainian and Belarusian population. Now the percentage is extremely low - from 300 to 1500 people.

The Tats belong to the Indo-European branch, who are classified in the same group with the Jews and are united under the name of Tat Jews. There are currently 18 thousand of them in Dagestan, which is 1% of those living in Dagestan. The number of Tats continues to decline as many move to Israel.

According to the population census of the beginning of the 20th (2010) century, about a hundred different peoples currently live in the Republic. But it is not possible to calculate their exact number. Some tribal groups in the Caucasus do not even have their own written language. That is why it is so difficult to say how many nationalities there are in Dagestan. In addition, the census is complicated by the fact that some people participating in the census call themselves representatives of non-existent nationalities: Makhachkala residents, mestizos, Russians, Afro-Russians.

As of the beginning of the century, the following ethnic groups were represented in the Republic: Avars, Dargins, Lezgins, Kumyks, Russians, Laks, Tabasarans, Chechens, Nogais, Azerbaijanis, Jews, Rutuls, Aguls, Tsakhurs, Ukrainians, Tatars. These peoples account for more than 99 percent of the total population, and the remaining groups are represented by less numerous nationalities.

What is the most common nationality in Dagestan - the Avars. Their third of the population. The Avarian family includes such groups as the Karatins, Andians, Tyndals, Khvarshins, Ginukhs, Archins and many others.

The list is constantly being updated. So, for example, in 2002, according to the census, 121 nationalities were counted. Eight years later, this figure was reduced to 117 national groups.

Population of the Republic

According to Rosstat, more than three million people live in Dagestan. This is comparable to the population of such cities as Berlin, Rome, Madrid or entire countries: Armenia, Lithuania, Jamaica. In Russia, Dagestan ranks fifth in terms of the number of people.

The population of the Republic is growing steadily. The increase is up to 13 percent per year. In RD, a relatively long life expectancy is noted - 75 years. And every year these figures are growing.

Languages of Dagestan

The vast majority of the inhabitants of the Republic speak Russian. These are 88 percent of the population. 28% speak Avar, another 16% speak Dargin. Also, more than 10 percent of the citizens of Dagestan speak Lezgin, Kumyk. Lak, Azeri, Tabasaran, Chechen are spoken by up to 5 percent of the country's population. Other languages are represented in the minority. These are Rutul, Agul, Nogai, English, Tsez, Tsakhur, German, Bezhta, Andinsky and many others. There are also completely unexpected languages in Dagestan, for example, 90 people speak Greek, more than 100 speak Korean, Italian, Kyrgyz, Hindi.

Religions in Dagestan

Believers in the Republic are mostly Muslims. Such are found among the Dagestan-Nakh and Turkic peoples. The Muslim community is predominantly Sunni, but there are also Shiites among Azerbaijanis and Lezgins. The Jewish people (Tats) profess Judaism. Among the Russian population of the Republic there are also Christians (Orthodox branch).

The federal center is conducting a unique operation in the most complex Caucasian republic - Dagestan, trying to break the political system that has been functioning in the region for decades. The demonstrative cleansing and arrests are of great importance not only for the republic, but for the whole of Russia. Why did Moscow only now take up the solution of this problem and what result does it want to achieve in the end?

The operation to purge the authorities in Dagestan is unique. Therefore, almost no one was surprised even by the exaggeration made by one of the news agencies, which reported that the personnel at the traffic police posts had been completely replaced.

“Instead of them, consolidated groups of the police and the Russian Guard, sent from other regions of Russia, were put on duty,” a source told the agency, but it is clear that to replace all the traffic police officers in a three-million-strong republic, many thousands of troops would be required, which in reality did not exist, so soon the same agency issued a retraction. But the Kremlin took more than seriously to restore order in the three-million-strong republic, and this in itself indicates the onset of a new stage in the life of the country.

Yes, the whole country - and not just one Caucasian republic.

Why? Because only a very strong and self-confident government can start solving the “Dagestan problem”. But hasn't Putin's vertical been like this all these years? Not really.

During the first half of the 2000s, Putin restored the controllability of the country, which had been destroyed almost to the ground in the 90s. The president sometimes manually, through plenipotentiaries, returned powers and control levers to the federal center.

In the second half of the 2000s, the vertical of power was already largely functioning, but both the personnel problem and the contradictions within the elite remained. Both between levels of power and between oligarchic structures, between the state apparatus and the oligarchy. It is no coincidence that back in 2011, Putin said that “everything in our country rests on a living thread.”

After returning to the Kremlin, Putin strengthened and cleaned up the bureaucracy. Arrests of governors, mayors, deputies have become a mass phenomenon, and the elimination of corruption schemes and models has become systemic. The Caucasian republics remained the most difficult in terms of purges. The most difficult situation remained in Dagestan, and it was difficult to even begin to solve it. Because the Kremlin simply had no one to rely on - the very structure of power in this republic was so specific that it was not clear how to shake it up and purge it in such a way as to maintain at least minimal control over the territory.

In addition, the corruption situation in Dagestan was viewed as a lesser evil against the background of possible problems with the interethnic situation. The most complex interethnic relations within the most multinational republic in Russia served as a kind of insurance, a lightning rod against excessive attention from the center - "we have a special situation here, we need to take into account the balance of all nationalities, otherwise someone will feel dissatisfied."

Hiding behind this, as well as corrupt metropolitan patrons, the Dagestan clans ruled the republic as they pleased. Relying on their relatives and countrymen, feeding on the budget and making sure that the “share” of another clan does not grow beyond measure, and its expansion is not blatantly brazen. So they lived - realizing, however, that this would not end well.

Not only because Moscow inevitably sooner or later had to call officials to order, but also because the situation in the republic itself was degrading in all directions. After the liquidation of the terrorist underground in Chechnya, it was Dagestan that became the main "hot spot" in the North Caucasus. Moreover, both purely criminal or separatist-minded characters went underground, “into the forest”, as well as young believers who protested against the injustice of the local way of life, who fell under the spell of “pure Islam”. Such Dagestan was no longer just turning into a black hole, but also into a dangerous point for the whole of Russia.

Putin made his first attack on Dagestan in 2013 - then Ramazan Abdulatipov, a former federal minister and deputy who left Dagestan many decades ago, was elected to lead the republic. But even this respected public figure failed to build a local elite.

True, it was under him that the process of “liquidating” the shadow rulers of the republic began. The mayor of Makhachkala Said Amirov, the most "strong man" of Dagestan of all post-Soviet times, was arrested. The head of the pension fund branch, Murtazaliev, a former wrestler and informal leader of one of the Avar clans, fled abroad. Some honest and not connected with the clan officials began to move up - but on the whole, the entire system of national quotas remained untouched. And with it, corruption was reproduced. It was impossible to simply “take away” some ministry from, for example, the Kumyks - it was necessary to give them another ministry or an important object “for feeding” as compensation.

In order to maintain the “balance of interests” of even the four main peoples of Dagestan (Avars, Dargins, Kumyks and Lezgins), it is already necessary to forget about any professionalism - and there are still Laks and Azerbaijanis, Tats and Tabasarans ... Even local Russians - whose share, however, has decreased over post-Soviet time almost three times, up to 3.5 percent.

And in October 2017, Putin appointed Vladimir Vasilyev to Dagestan - Vice Speaker of the State Duma, a former employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Security Council, his long-term ally. Although Vasiliev is Kazakh by father (that is, he has Muslim roots, which is important for the republic with the largest number of Muslims in Russia), he is clearly a “Varangian” for Dagestan.

It was important for local elites to understand how the new government would be formed. By what principle? The local elites could not believe in what was purely professional. Until recently, until this week, acting director was arrested. Prime Minister Hamidov, his two deputies and a former minister. The blow was dealt not to the Dargins, Avars and others represented by these officials, but to the entire clan model. The new prime minister was a native of Tatarstan, who has nothing to do with Dagestan.

With this gesture, Moscow says - that's it, we are no longer afraid of "violating the fragile peace." Those who are worthy, who know how to work, who do not steal will lead.

And no "interethnic balance" can scare us - because, of course, local cadres will also be nominated, without them it is impossible to manage the most complex subject of the federation. But "Varangians" will be thrown at the power structures, the government of the republic in order to build an honest management system, to conduct a professional selection of personnel.

Will the situation explode? No. The Dagestanis themselves, ordinary, normal residents, are most tired of the state of their republic. Potentially the richest subject of the federation lives in the "gray", and that in the "black" zone - this applies to both the economy and social relations.

Making Dagestan an all-Russian health resort and breadbasket is not a fantastic idea at all. Dozens of kilometers of Caspian beaches - in Russia, where every kilometer of the warm sea counts, can become our inner Turkey. Harvests of vegetables and fruits, which can be harvested under the local sun, can make rich not only the local "elite", accustomed to cutting everything and everything.

In order for all this to work out, the main thing to do is to bring Dagestan out of the shadows. To return it to the Russian legislative space, to transfer its management into the hands of honest and hardworking representatives of all Dagestan peoples, to break the “proportional system”.

Let this system remain only in Lebanon, on which they were guided when building it in Dagestan. There, by the way, she works not for the development of the country, but to prevent the resumption of the civil war of all against all. And here, in Russia, we need to think about the development of Dagestan, and not about the conservation of an outrageous and explosive situation.

I visited here recently in Dagestan ... yeah, I didn’t expect to see this, of course I wasn’t in the whole republic, but this is exactly the republic, if anyone forgot, anyway, I repeat, I didn’t expect this, there are moments that confirmed my knowledge about republic and strengthened relations with the people who live there ... to Dagestan, I managed to travel to and several times in and, and I went there by car ... straight from Moscow, got into the car and went to the Caucasus ...

Even having visited two republics of the Caucasus, I really wanted to go to Dagestan ... because I wonder ... how people live there, what their customs are, maybe they still cut off their heads and eat people ...

2.

especially since they write a lot of terrible things about the republics of the Caucasus, so I’m interested to see everything with my own eyes ... do you know how many republics there are in the Caucasus? There are seven of them, many do not even know that there are seven of them ... by the way, the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories are also territorially located in the Caucasus ...

The first impressions began to take shape already at the Airport ... from Moscow, three very colorful guys checked in with us, they looked like Dagestanis ... not to be confused with anyone, hairstyles, like from the eighties, beards, moccasins, everything is as it should be .. one of them called his friends all the time and spoke with a characteristic accent ...
- Brother, today I fly only about this, no one knows, I secretly fly, you are not Gavara, you are not Kama ...
having received assurances that his brother would not tell anyone anything, he immediately dialed another number and the dialogue was repeated))))
While we were landing, the whole Dagestan probably already knew that he was arriving))) it was cool, but the fact that they didn’t dance lezginka right at the airport and didn’t whistle to all the girls in the wake, it’s kind of wild, because everyone knows that every Dagestanis must do it)))

I also encountered wildness when I arrived in Makhachkala ... the meeting party was presented in the form of a local girl of pleasant appearance ... she was dressed, to put it mildly, not according to Sharia law ... she stood and talked peacefully with some guy ... well I think he’ll probably set her brains right or, in extreme cases, flog her ... but for some reason this didn’t happen ... we approached, they said goodbye peacefully and that’s it ... I probably thought I knew each other ...

We drove from the airport on an armored bus, in Derbent we checked into a hotel with no windows, we got hungry from the road and naturally went to eat ... before going to the restaurant, a dozen riot policemen joined us, a new escort, the girl who met us left us, a car came for her and her they took him to the office forever and cut off his head ... if you read everything in a row without paying attention to the crossed out words, then this is what the bulk of people in the central part of Russia expect from the post, it is rooted in the minds that Dagestan is scary ... but how in fact, no one knows the situation ... they told me the same thing about Ingushetia and Chechnya, they say, go to the mountainous regions, and they will cut you into shreds ...

I was in the mountainous regions of Chechnya and Ingushetia and I’m alive, but to be honest, I haven’t been in the mountainous regions of Dagestan, we only got to the Sulak Canyon, and it’s in the mountains if anything, we drove through many villages, stopped at a store and a cafe and no one was on us I didn’t look askance ... but I think it will be possible to ride along other routes ...

But let's figure out why Dagestan is still dangerous?

The first danger is locals, any person showed us the way with pleasure, was interested in where we were from, what our impressions were, and then the second danger creeps up, hospitality... everyone strove to invite us to their house, talk, drink tea, eat kebabs, and this is the third danger ... food, everything we ate there is so delicious that you want to eat and eat without ceasing, the local meat dishes are just great, but you shouldn’t eat dry food, especially since the local juices and soda are breathtaking, and here, along with soft drinks, the fourth danger crept unnoticed ... binge, cognac is just waste, the wine is very tasty, and champagne is just a plague ... and it takes a lot of work to refuse something ...)

Of course, I can safely say that while staying in Dagestan, I did not suffer at all ... but my liver does not agree with this ...)))

10.

But I never told why I went there at all, besides what I'm interested in) and I will write about this in the next post about Dagestan and the ancient city of Derbent ...

Stay tuned, it will be interesting... :)