A meeting between Dagestan's leadership and bloggers gave cause for cautious optimism.
A meeting between Dagestan's new leadership and representatives of popular Telegram channels and independent media offers a chance for criticism of the authorities to be perceived constructively and for their concerns to be heard, Makhachkala residents believe.
As "Caucasian Knot" reported, in July 2024, the "City Is Ours" movement reacted to statements about its representatives, whom Sergey Melikov, then head of Dagestan, called "suckers" in video recordings of a meeting with officials published online. Activists reminded Melikov of Putin's words about Dagestanis being very sensitive to injustice and administrative rudeness.
During one of the recordings of Sergei Melikov's video conference with officials, the head of Dagestan commented on Makhachkala activists. "What, Arsen Magomedov (lawyer, activist of the "Our City" movement – Caucasian Knot) is off to score points, maybe for the next elections to the People's Assembly or the State Duma? Let them deal with these stories; create a joint commission with these city activists, these worriers, the weaklings who worry about everything but do nothing," the video reads. The video, in particular, was published on the Telegram channel "Pearl of the South."
Dagestan's leadership met with bloggers and independent media
On May 23, an informal meeting of the republic's leadership with independent media, bloggers, and representatives of the charitable sector was held at the Dagestan White House, Chernovik reported.
According to the publication, the meeting was attended by: Acting head of the RD Fyodor Shchukin, Prime Minister of the RD Magomed Ramazanov, editor-in-chief of the Novoye Delo newspaper Khadzhimurad Sagitov, and Chernovik representative Magomed Magomedov (Remove link), Rasul Maazov - "Ask Rasul" Telegram channel, Arsen Magomedov, "Our City" project, Ramazan Medzhidov, "Tooba" project, Kamal Salmanov - "Neskuchny Sad" project, Murad Kerimov - "Nadezhda" charity foundation, Aslanbek Daudov - "Lightweight Strollers" store.
This was the first time that the republic's leaders had a meeting with popular bloggers and independent media outlets. The Telegram channel "Ask Rasul" has about 94,000 subscribers, the Telegram channel "Chernovik" has 47,891 subscribers, "Novoye Delo" has 14,592 subscribers, and Arsen Magomedov has 5,209 subscribers.
The meeting resulted in a promise to continue constructive criticism of the authorities.
According to "Chernovik," during the meeting, the parties directly spoke about the problems existing in Dagestan.
"Regarding relations with independent media and bloggers, Fyodor Shchukin admitted that when he arrived in Dagestan two years ago as Chairman of the Supreme Court of Dagestan, he compiled a list of Telegram channels on his devices (in particular, "Chernovik," Arsen Magomedov, "Novoye Delo," "Ask Rasul," etc.), reading which he learned a lot about the state of affairs. "This information, he said, to some extent, allowed him to refrain from a number of incorrect decisions. Therefore, based on his statements, those present clearly understood that he sees the benefit of alternative sources of information," the publication states.
Blogger Kamal Salmanov raised the issue of freer access for tourists from Arab countries to the republic. Specifically, he reported that there are situations where tourists spend 40 minutes going through passport control. This hinders the development of ethnotourism and the formation of a positive impression of Dagestan in the Arab world.
In response to this, Magomed Ramazanov explained that the republic cannot interfere with border measures, but at some stage it may facilitate the approval of visits to Dagestan by individual groups.
"Dagestan's leaders said that they are closely monitoring comments on social media related to the formation of the Public Chamber of the Republic of Dagestan and made it clear that this process is not yet complete. They also responded with interest to proposals that the OP RD include Ziyautdin Uvaisov ("Patient Monitor") and Shamil Khadulaev (Public Monitoring Commission of Dagestan)." Rasul Maazov, in turn, promised Shchukin and Ramazanov that criticism of the authorities would continue on Telegram channels. But, as has been the case to date, it would be well-founded, fair, and free of offensive excesses," Chernovik writes.
As a reminder, on May 21, Chernovik's Telegram channel published an appeal to the acting head of Dagestan, Fyodor Shchukin. It stated that, according to available information, the Information Policy Department of the Administration of the Head and Government of Dagestan had prepared a multi-page document, "Analysis of the Information Field of the Republic of Dagestan."
"It lists the ratings of major Telegram channels in the republic, provides 'citation indices' for something unclear, introduces the concept of a 'high influence index' for something unclear, and also categorizes Telegram channels into loyal, opposition, and neutral." Naturally, channels such as "Chernovik," "Ask Rasul," "Novoe Delo," "DagestaNet," "Arsen Magomedov," and a number of nonexistent and unlikely-to-have-ever-existed channels are mentioned. Given your previous position and extensive judicial experience, we ask that you, in accordance with the "adversarial principle," invite the admins of the aforementioned Telegram channels to the presentation of this report. "And, if the presentation format allows, provide an opportunity to comment on this undoubtedly interesting document," Chernovik stated in its statement.
Khadzhimurad Sagitov, a representative of Novoye Delo, commented on the meeting with Dagestan's leadership on his Telegram channel as "cautious optimism, backed by the experience of some disappointment."
One of the most important issues, in Sagitov's view, for Dagestan is local government reform.
"This is the fate of more than 750 families, multiplied by another 3-5 families who may consider moving to the city if village councils are eliminated as sources of employment. And, of course, this is the fate of hundreds of villages. There is hope that a positive decision will be made there for the republic. Success will largely depend on personnel. If everything was good, then why stir things up? And if it was bad, why keep the old ones?" Melikov was largely destroyed by his suicidal personnel policy. "He had some special talent for surrounding himself with scoundrels and bribe-takers," the journalist noted.
As of 5:00 PM Moscow time on May 24, no comments on the meeting had been published on the social media accounts of the head of Dagestan and the government.
Makhachkala residents expressed hope for change
Makhachkala residents interviewed by a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent shared their impressions of the meeting between the Dagestan leadership and bloggers and representatives of independent media.
"Under previous heads I don't recall such events taking place in the republic. Melikov harshly criticized independent media and Telegram channels, and the authorities rarely invited them to significant events. "I've been reading Chernovik for about 20 years, since its paper version, and Novoye Delo. You can always find truthful information there that the official media hides," said pensioner Rustam Abakarov, who worked in a ministry until 2025.
"I wonder if the question about the long-standing blocking of Telegram in Dagestan and access to independent information has been raised? I don't trust the official media; I read Chernovik, Ask Rasul, and Arsen Magomedov has interesting publications on city issues. If concrete decisions are made to prevent the ban on independent media and channels, that would be good. I hope it doesn't just end in useless discussions," the entrepreneur says. Abakar.
"Until now, the authorities' information people in Dagestan live in some kind of world of their own, not noticing that they are significantly inferior in information delivery to bloggers and independent media. I hope that the situation will change, and I wish for the printed version of Chernovik, which was shut down by the authorities, to be revived," said teacher Zalina.
The socio-political weekly Chernovik has been published in Dagestan since 2003, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Chernovik: threats, criminal cases, murder of the editor-in-chief".
As a reminder, in November 2022, Chernovik reported pressure from the authorities, which forced the editorial staff to href="https://www.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/383480/">cease publishing the printed version of the newspaper. In 2025, the publication "Chernovik" received a refusal from Roskomnadzor to register its Telegram channel, considering it an attempt at censorship and the result of the republic's authorities' self-interest.