A resident of Dagestan publicly repented for dangerous driving

An 18-year-old resident of Dagestan publicly repented after law enforcement detained him for dangerous driving without a driver's license. Other locals, commenting on social media about the video featuring the young man, doubted the effectiveness of public repentance as a preventive measure.

The video with the apologies of the 18-year-old resident of Dagestan was published on September 12 by the Instagram* public makhachkala_. The footage shows a "Lada" car making sharp maneuvers on the road next to other cars. Then, a young man is shown standing in a room and answering questions from an unseen interlocutor. He explained that he was detained by law enforcement for violating traffic rules.

"I regret, I repent, this will not happen again," he said in the video.

This clip in the Instagram* public makhachkala_, which has about 251 thousand followers, had received 51 likes and 12 comments by 08:50 MSK on September 13.

Users doubted the effectiveness of public repentance. "Something tells me it will happen again," wrote dag_0761.

"And what, is that it? Go home, right? 18 years old? Already the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation," stated abulav92. "If you don't think about your life, think about others who want to live," urged ezz05.ok.

The young man was detained in Makhachkala, and law enforcement established that he was driving the car without a driver's license. The car was placed in a tow lot, and the question of initiating a criminal case for hooliganism against the young man is being considered.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that residents of Dagestan periodically offer public apologies after various incidents, violations, and offenses. For instance, on July 19, a local blogger apologized to traffic police for insults after they issued a protocol against him for tinting. On June 28, a resident of Leningrad region offered public apologies after a conflict with teenagers.

The practice of public apologies, initiated by Ramzan Kadyrov, has spread beyond Chechnya to other regions of Russia. More about this practice can be read in the reference "Caucasian Knot" "The Fashion for Apologies: from Chechnya to the Outskirts". "Caucasian Knot" also maintains "Chronicle of Public Apologies in the Caucasus".