The mayor of Izberbash's personal watering of flowers on a city street has sparked controversy online.

A video has circulated on social media showing Izberbash Mayor Rasul Bakayev personally watering flowers on a city street. Izberbash residents, commenting on the video, called on him to focus on administrative work. They pointed out a number of unresolved issues in the city, including water shortages and dilapidated roads.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot," Izberbash residents periodically complain about various problems in the city. In particular, on September 16, 2025, they complained about regular water interruptions.

A video showing Izberbash Mayor Rasul Bakayev watering flowers on a city street was published, among others, on the Instagram* public page sapa_kavkaz.

The footage shows a street in the morning and a man in a tracksuit. He's holding a hose, the other end of which is attached to the barrel of a watering truck. He's using the hose to water flowers in a flowerbed.

"The head of the Izberbash administration began his workday at five in the morning by watering flowers in a city alley," the post reads.

This video was also published on the Instagram* page dagizvestiyaa. "Early this morning, Izberbash residents spotted the mayor, Rasul Bakayev, in his tracksuit, personally watering flowers and greenery on one of the central streets. According to sources, such morning rounds are not uncommon for the mayor of Izberbash," the video description reads.

This post on the Instagram* page dagizvestiyaa, which has approximately 460,000 followers, had garnered 1,359 likes and 59 comments as of 12:35 p.m. Moscow time on June 9.

"We don't have water. It would be better if he addressed this major city problem this morning, and let someone who gets paid to do the flower work," wrote da.brat5.

"Watering flowers is fine. But doesn't he see the condition of the road next to the flowers?" – asked sara_m_167.

"Mayor, please, the flowers can wait. Fix the roads on the suburban streets. Install proper street lighting, because children walk through these dark alleys home from school and practice," noted user izberbur.

A video of the Izberbash mayor watering flowers was also published on the Instagram* page dagestan_inform, which has about 655,000 followers. As of 12:35 p.m. Moscow time on June 9, this post had 1,116 likes and 151 comments.

"We're waiting for a video of the pothole repairs. The roads are impossible to drive on. And it'll rain and flowers will pour," said ibragimhalilovaelmira.

"The roads are like a roller coaster," noted _osman_1003.

"That's probably why we don't have water pressure," quipped zina.9303.

"What, the city's landscaping services aren't working? Everyone should mind their own business," wrote user marzhanat6753.

"The mayor "He should be handling the city's administrative and economic issues. And there? There's work to be done there. I'm sure of it. Everyone should mind their own business. The green management department should be watering the flowers, and the mayor should be managing the city. If you get caught up in administrative and economic matters, you won't have time to water the flowers, even in your own yard," emphasized user jamidin117.

As of 12:35 Moscow time, the Izberbash administration website has no comments regarding local residents' complaints about road problems and regular water outages.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that, as early as December 10, 2022, Izberbash authorities declared water shortages to be the city's main problem. Former mayor Magomed Isakov noted that partial replacement of water pipes has not improved the situation. He also appealed to the Dagestan government for help in resolving the problem.

Izberbash residents complained about the water supply problem back in 2021. The problem is systemic, because half of the water that should flow to Izberbash is being stolen from the water supply, the mayor's office explained at the time.

* Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.