Protests in Russian Dagestan region against new draft
Demonstrators in Russia’s Dagestan region have clashed with police, in the latest protests to break out against Moscow’s new “partial mobilization”.
OVD-Info, an independent Russian human rights monitor, said over 100 people were arrested during protests in the regional capital Makhachkala.
The group added that it was concerned about reports of “very tough detentions” occurring in the province.
Dagestan is a mainly Muslim region of Russia once noted for intense violence.
While large protests have taken place in major cities across Russia in recent days – with more than 700 people being arrested on Saturday alone – the images of Dagestani demonstrators fighting with police mark a rare outbreak of violence against authorities.
Dozens of videos posted to social media showed protesters confronting police and other security officials in Makhachkala, with OVD-Info reporting that officers resorted to using stun guns and truncheons on the crowds.
In one video, a man detained by officials headbutts a police officer, before being beaten by other personnel.
Another video showed a security officer fleeing from a large group of demonstrators, some of whom attempted to grab and trip him as he ran.
Elsewhere, a large group of women confronted an officer guarding a recruiting center and angrily condemned the war in Ukraine, with one telling the officer that “Russia is on the territory of another country”.
“Why are you taking our children,” the women shouted. “Who was attacked? Russia was attacked? They didn’t come to us. It was us attacking Ukraine. Russia has attacked Ukraine! Stop the war!”
OVD-Info also reported that locals in the village of Endirey had blocked a federal highway, in an attempt to stop security officials seeking to enforce the draft from entering the area.
Footage obtained by the group showed police officers firing automatic rifles in the air as they sought to break up the demonstration, but locals continued to block the road.
In an attempt to ease the outbreak of anger, Dagestan’s Governor Sergei Melikov admitted on Sunday that “mistakes have been made” during mobilization.
Agencies