Authorities responded with threats to calls for protest action in Makhachkala
Authorities threatened criminal prosecution for those who responded to a call for an unauthorized protest in Makhachkala published on social media. The imam of the mosque asked city residents not to respond to the call for a rally.
As "Kavkazsky Uzel" wrote, in 2023, calls were also published on social media to go to a protest on Malygina Street in Makhachkala and demand the release of those detained after the riots at the airport. The imam of the mosque on Malygina Street asked Muslims not to participate in the protests. The administration of the head of Dagestan and the Security Council of the republic threatened criminal prosecution, fines and imprisonment for those who respond to calls to participate in unauthorized protests.
On October 29, 2023, mass riots occurred at the Makhachkala airport due to the announcement of the arrival of a plane with passengers from Israel. More than 20 people were injured in the riots, including nine police officers. 1,200 people were brought to administrative responsibility, by July 18, 2025, the courts handed down 28 sentences 135 defendants in criminal cases related to the riots. What happened at Uytash airport and how the investigation is proceeding is described in the "Caucasian Knot" report "The case of the pogrom at Makhachkala airport".
The appeal to the residents of Dagestan in connection with the calls for a rally was made by the deputy of the Dagestan parliament Marat Aliyarov on July 24 in his Telegram channel. "Calls for our youth to participate in rallies and dubious actions have begun to appear again. All of this is obviously another provocation by anti-Russian services. No large-scale events that would require mass participation of young people are planned in our republic in the near future, and, moreover, they are not invited to participate in youth actions," he wrote, calling "not to succumb to provocations" and "to think about the consequences."
A day earlier, on July 23, a similar appeal was made by member of the Public Chamber of Dagestan, chairwoman of the republican Union of Women Intizar Mamutayeva. She stated that the authors of the calls "are trying to destabilize the situation in the republic and are constantly pushing young people to commit illegal actions that entail criminal liability."
Do not participate in unauthorized rallies and actions
"Therefore, we urge you: do not succumb to various provocations, do not participate in unauthorized rallies and actions. Do not violate the law, order and remain calm. Resolve all issues through dialogue and legal procedures. Avoid any actions that lead to unrest and unrest. Do not forget that unauthorized rallies and actions violate the laws of our country," her words are quoted in the Telegram channel of the Yuzhno-Sukhokumsk administration.
On July 21, the Ministry of Nationalities of Dagestan published a video message from the imam of the Juma Mosque on Malygina Street Yunus Israfilov "to young people in connection with the information being disseminated calling for participation in an unauthorized rally."
"The other day I heard a person speak on social networks. He said the following: "Today we are announcing a rally in Makhachkala, at the mosque on Malygina Street." He also named the day of the rally, but I will not mention it so as not to advertise this event, since perhaps he is waiting for this," Israfilov said in the video.
I want to warn you that there will be no "peaceful rally" on Malygina
According to the imam, this person made a similar announcement several months ago. "He didn't succeed because people realized that this man is not quite healthy. And you shouldn't pay attention to his words. I want to warn you that there will be no "peaceful action" on Malygina, as is being said on the Internet, and we will not allow this. Because the house of Allah was built for worship, and not for provocateurs to organize rallies or so-called peaceful actions," he said.
According to the authors of the telegram channel "Antipod. Dagestan", a call was published on social networks "to all Dagestanis" to gather for a protest on July 25 near the mosque in Makhachkala.
The anonymous Telegram channel "Conscience of Dagestan" linked the calls to the name of Abakar Abakarov.
Abakar Abakarov, politician Ilya Ponomarev (included in the register of foreign agents) and preacher Israil Akhmednabiyev (Abu Umar Sasitlinsky) have been charged in absentia with organizing mass riots in Makhachkala. The investigation believes that they were the ones who published "false information" about the arrival of a flight from Tel Aviv with Israeli citizens and thereby organized the riots.
The form of the calls is quite tricky
"Calls are being made to hold some kind of peaceful action [...]. The form of the calls is quite tricky, since according to the idea [...] of the provocateurs, believers will still come to the mosque on Friday for the "Juma prayer", and the action can then be declared to have taken place," the publication says.
According to the calendar posted on the website of the Dagestan Muslim Spiritual Directorate, the lunch prayer on July 25 is scheduled for 12:01 Moscow time.
The authors of the publications and appeals did not specify where and when the calls to come to the action were published. According to the Chairman of the Dagestan Public Monitoring Commission Shamil Khadulaev, the calls were made, among other things, on behalf of the parents of those convicted in the "airport case".
"The parents of the boys convicted in the "airport" case are already aware of the call being spread in their name on social networks for another protest, but they are not aware of those [...] who are calling for this," he wrote on July 22 in his Telegram channel.
This is not true. Fake
The authors of the comments to Khadulaev's post expressed their distrust of the information about the participation of the parents of the convicted in the announcement of the action. "This is not true. Fake. On the contrary, all the parents ask that it not be spread," wrote, in particular, Maga M. "What, are the "parents" in on it again? What nonsense!" - said a user with the nickname "Deleted account".
"He just won't calm down. We don't know him," said Gulya Ramazanova. User Ahmad asked her if she meant "Abakarov, who called for a rally near the mosque on Malygina."
"Yes. He won't leave us alone, he's supposedly speaking on behalf of the parents. [...] Many parents don't even know who he is, so they might fall for his calls. But know that the parents of the airport kids don't have time for rallies. They have enough of their own problems. These trials, transfers, and parcels have already worn them out. In this heat, there are about 70 kids on transfers. There simply aren't enough funds or resources for parcels," Gulya Ramazanova wrote in response.
Recall that many of the defendants said that they were at the airport, but did not take part in the riots. At the same time, some of the guilty verdicts were handed down despite the testimony of witnesses. Thus, in January, police officers could not identify two defendants in court - Magomedgadzhi Chirgilaev and Yasin Gadzhiev.
Chirgilaev and Gadzhiev themselves claimed that they went to the airport out of curiosity to see what was going on there. They told their lawyer that they were beaten to force them to incriminate themselves. Despite this, the court sentenced them to long terms in a penal colony, and the appellate court upheld the sentence.