Wave of Violence in Ingushetia Could Lead to Imposition of Martial Law in Republic

Paul Goble

            Staunton, December 13 – Several violent incidents in Ingushetia the last 48 hour raise the possibility that the authorities, republic and federal, may impose the martial law provisions of a counter-terrorism operation, a step that would preclude protests against the September 26 border accord reached between Yunus-Bek Yevkurov and Chechnya’s Ramzan Kadyrov.

            That raises the question, of course, as to who is actually behind these various acts of violence.  But even if the powers that be in the republic, in Chechnya or in Moscow have nothing to do with them, it is almost certain that there will be calls for introducing a counter-terrorist operation there.

            The most important acts of violence in the last two days included, first, a bombing outside the office of Bagaudin Khatiyev of the Magas Life information agency and an active participant in the anti-border protests of the last two months.  The authorities have not identified anyone responsible (kavkazr.com/a/29652557.html).

And second, there was an apparently unrelated a grenade attack on two members of the Russian Guard. They were seriously injured, but two bystanders were killed, according to still incomplete reports. One of the dead was Muslim Khashgulgov, a youth activist also involved in the protests (kavkaz-uzel.eu/blogs/342/posts/35721 and  kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/329077/).

The Kavkaz-Uzel news agency reported that the attack on the Russian Guard was the eighth such violent incident in Ingushetia since the start of 2018, several of which led to the introduction of a counter-terrorist operation in one or another part of the republic and the deaths of those thought to be responsible (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/329080/).

Meanwhile, the social networks in Ingushetia and Chechnya were filled with speculation about the true nature of the clashes between ethnic Ingush and ethnic Chechen prisoners in a colony in Kabardino-Balkaria, speculation that has done nothing to lower the temperature on either side of the dispute (kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/329098/).