The number of blockaded villages in the mountains of Dagestan has grown to 16.
After rising river water levels and landslides, residents of 14 more villages in the Kurakhsky and Charodinsky districts were left without transport links.
As "Caucasian Knot" reported, on May 24, two villages in Dagestan - Ursun and Khpyuk in the Kurakhsky district - were left without transport links.
On May 18, "Dagestanavtodor" reported that there were no more blocked settlements in the republic. However, due to spring floods, there is a risk of collapse of a section of the Tsurib-Archib highway in the Charodinsky district.
As of 10 Moscow time on May 25, already 16 settlements – three in the Kurakhsky District and 13 in Charodinsky, Dagestanavtodor reports on its Telegram channel.
According to the publication, two villages in the Kurakhsky District remain blocked, as access to the road "Access from the Kurakh-Usug-Khveredzh highway to the village of Khpyuk" is closed due to rising water levels in the Khpedzhchay River and the erosion of culverts.
Another village was left without transport links after access to the road "Access from the Kasumkent-Kurakh highway to the village of The Bakhtsug road was closed due to rising water levels in the Kurakh River.
In the Charodinsky District, the Tsurib-Archib road is temporarily closed to traffic due to a collapse of the upstream slope, the publication states.
According to the Caucasian Knot weather service, moderate rain is expected in the village of Tsurib (the administrative center of the Charodinsky District) today. Moderate precipitation is also expected tonight and on May 26. Wind speeds are predicted to be below one meter per second today and tomorrow. The weather service is a partnership between the Caucasian Knot and Gismeteo. The service allows you to correct meteorological data for a more accurate forecast. The service is also available in the light version and in the Caucasian Knot apps for Android and AndroidGO.
Mountain road reconstruction planned to bypass the dangerous section
As a reminder, on April 26, traffic on the Tsurib-Archib road was also closed following a rockfall. Access to 16 villages in the Charodinsky District was blocked, and road clearing was complicated by repeated landslides. Later, a temporary traffic route was established on the Tsurib-Archib road section.
Dagestanavtodor reported on May 17 that active landslide processes had been occurring on the upstream slope adjacent to the road on the Tsurib-Archib road since October 2025. Until March 2026, the contractor maintained access, periodically clearing the road of landslide debris. However, in March, intense precipitation worsened the situation, and landslide clearance was halted due to the threat of complete collapse of the slope and the road to the village of Khuruh located above it. This section is planned to be reconstructed and the highway rerouted to the opposite slope, bypassing the village of Magar and the landslide area.
In late March and early April, dozens of road sections in Dagestan were closed after floods, landslides, and, in mountainous areas, avalanches and snowstorms. The floods that hit the North Caucasus this spring were among the most devastating in recent years. Six people, including three minors, died as a result of the flooding in Dagestan. Dagestan and Chechnya suffered the most from the natural disaster, according to the Caucasian Knot report "Spring Flooding in the North Caucasus - 2026".
The Caucasian Knot has compiled materials about flooding in the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District in the spring of 2026 on the thematic page "Flooding in the North Caucasus".