Representatives of the Roma community apologized for a fight in a village in the Volgograd region.

"We've lived in Solodushino for 40 years. There have been no scandals, no conflicts, no complaints against us. We've already put down roots here, our children have grown up. And we'll continue to live peacefully. There will be no conflicts," said one of them.

"But on May 18th, a conflict between two families occurred in the village of Solodushino. Both sides are at fault. But we apologize for our side. It will never happen again. We want to live in peace and harmony. We have children and grandchildren growing up. We need to live in harmony and not ruin each other's lives," agreed the other.

"The conflict began on May 13th with a small dog." Then it led to a conflict between children, and on May 18th it escalated into an illegal Roma gathering and a mass brawl with sticks and mops, in which, according to various estimates, up to 30 people participated, writes V1.

"It was a domestic dispute. The children argued among themselves in the park in the evening. And the mothers blew it out of proportion. They blew it out of proportion to the Roma. But nationality has nothing to do with it. Both sides are good. The children were in the park. The Russians had a small dog. But these small dogs are worse than big ones. They rush and grab legs. The Roma children asked for the dog to be removed. A verbal altercation began, which escalated into a fight between the adults. As for the sticks— "It was a defensive reaction. The Russians reported the beatings to the police, but the Roma didn't, not wanting to escalate the conflict. Both sides were beaten," the newspaper quoted the head of the settlement, Elena Tokareva, as saying.

After the fight, one of the victims was hospitalized, Bloknot Volgograd reports.

On May 21, the "Russian Community" published a video in which a local resident says the conflict with the Roma in the settlement has been going on for several years and asks for help on behalf of the villagers. About 15 people were present in the recording.

After the incident, police detained 10 participants in the fight. Two women were remanded in custody, and another was fined 10,000 rubles. The fourth participant will serve a sentence of forced labor.

Administrative proceedings have been initiated against the legal representatives of the remaining participants in the incident under Article 5.35 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. One of the minors has been placed in the Temporary Detention Center for Juvenile Offenders of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Volgograd Region, Vysota 102 reported on May 21.

Previously, the "Caucasian Knot" reported that in August 2024, Ilovlya resident Mikhail Zazulin published a video message on social media addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin. In the message, he described a two-month conflict between his large family and their neighbors, a Roma family. According to Zazulin, the conflict culminated in an attack on his home by members of the Roma family and their friends. On August 14, after meeting with authorities and security forces, the heads of the Roma families in Ilovlya apologized to the village residents and promised to keep an eye on the youth.

The practice of public apologies, adopted in Chechnya at the instigation of Ramzan Kadyrov, has spread to other regions of Russia, even reaching Moscow. For example, in the summer of 2023, Volgograd blogger Pavel Prokudin apologized for insulting Muslims and residents of the Caucasus in his video stream. He explained that his statements were provoked by insults directed at Russians and himself.

The International Crisis Group's report "Chechnya: The Inner Abroad," published in June 2015 on the "Caucasian Knot," noted that such apologies are the result of pressure and threats. How this practice is spreading to other regions of Russia can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" report "The Fashion for Apologies: From Chechnya to the Outskirts."

The "Caucasian Knot" posts materials about the practice of public repentance on its thematic page "Whom the Caucasus makes apologize".