The most difficult ethno-political problem in the Republic of Daghestan (RD) is still the question of the restoration of the Aukh district. The lack of regulation of this problem negatively affects the socio-political situation in the Kazbekovsky, Novolak and Khasavyurt districts of the Republic of Daghestan and in the city of Khasavyurt, where periodically protest and commemorative actions of the Daghestani Chechens take place, and at times there are domestic clashes that threaten to escalate into pogroms and riots. In the first quarter of 2020, activists of the Chechen community of the Republic of Daghestan once again tried to actualize the issue of restoring the Aukh district by holding public events, including a protest (“nationwide”) rally of Chechens in the city of Khasavyurt. However, the introduction from March 18 of a ban on holding mass events on the territory of the Republic of Daghestan in order to avoid a worsening of the epidemiological situation in the region did not allow them to organize a protest rally. In early July, the leadership of the main public organization of the Chechens of Daghestan, advocating the restoration of the Aukh district, was replaced, which temporarily reduced their public activity. In October, the political leadership of the Republic of Daghestan changed. The new head of the region, S. Melikov, has not yet voiced his position on this ethno-political problem and has not yet met with activists of ethnic and territorial communities, whose interests are affected by the issue of restoring the Aukh district. In the current conditions, when the regional government habitually ignores the sociopolitical demands, protests and commemorative events of the Chechen public of the republic, the Chechens of Daghestan (especially the youth) are more and more oriented towards Grozny than towards Makhachkala. This leads to weakening of the already weak Daghestani identity of the Akkin Chechens. This trend is observed in the informational, cultural, religious and other social spheres. The new leadership of the republic will have to develop its own approach to solving problems associated with the process of restoring the Aukh district.
Daghestan, interethnic relations, prevention of extremism and terrorism, Chechen diaspora, Aukh district, migration, coronavirus in the Republic of Daghestan.