Guide

Ruslan Kutaev (born in 1957, resident of Achkhoi-Martan village, Chechen Republic) is the President of the international public-political movement "Assembly of Caucasian Nations", head of the international committee on North Caucasus problems, member of the Supreme Political Council of the party ‘Alliance of Greens and Social Democrats’. Kutaev has been kept under arrest since February 20, 2014 on charges of illegal drug possession. On June 19, 2014, the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial" recognized Kutaev to be a political prisoner. On July 7 he was sentenced to four years of imprisonment in general regime colony.

The "Caucasian Knot" has compiled a set of most serious environmental problems associated with the Olympic Games in Sochi. The below chronology is based on the materials of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondents for the period from 2006 to 2013.

The 2014 Winter Olympic Games and the city of Sochi are more and more often an object of attention of Russian and foreign mass media. Journalists try to get information about what happens in the city not only from official sources, but also from civil society activists. In order to help our Russian and foreign colleagues, the editorial board of the "Caucasian Knot" hereby presents a brief directory with contact data of independent Sochi activists, lawyers, ecologists and politicians, who are ready to communicate with media people. The directory also provides contacts of the city and territorial officials and power bodies.

According to calculations made by the "Caucasian Knot", starting from 2000, the territory of Russia saw 81 terror acts, involving 123 suicide bombers with at least 52 female suicide bombers among them. The terror acts killed 1216 persons and wounded more than 3260 persons.

In 2013, in the Krasnodar Territory, a broad range of civil and political activists were persecuted by local authorities. The pretexts were the campaign launched by the authorities to tighten control over non-profit organizations (NPOs) and the growing social tension related to the upcoming Olympic Games in Sochi. The "Caucasian Knot" has compiled the most notable cases of pressure on activists in Krasnodar and Sochi.

During the last twelve years, in the territory of Russia, 46 female suicide bombers committed 26 terror acts (some terror acts involved several women at the same time).

This is a set of rules and morals that guide Muslims in their everyday life. Like a lot in the Muslim world, the Muslim ethic is primarily based on the Koran and Sunnah.

These are holidays traditionally celebrated by Muslims. The most important of them are common to the entire Muslim world.

Muslim rituals reflect Muslim beliefs and serve as a basis for the Islamic cult. The most important of them are common to the entire Muslim world.

The organization unites heads of Muslim spiritual boards around the country. This is done for coordination of their activities; a board remains entirely independent when its leader joins the Council.

Like other contemporary successful Muslim movements in Russia, the Union of Russian Muslims is quite moderate in its platform. Since its leader was arrested its activity has remarkably fell though.

The CMSBR succeeds to the Orenburg Mohammedan Spiritual Assembly established by Empress Catherine II's edict in 1788-89. It has survived the USSR and is now successfully developing.

Nur is a broad-based Muslim socio-political movement in Russia. Its moderate, but consistent platform allows it to enjoy increasing support of the Muslim public around the country.

The Muslim renaissance brought about by the break-up of the USSR has led to the emergence of a number of Muslim movements in Russia. Some of them have already left the scene, while others are still developing.

The Battle for the Caucasus is a series of military operations in the N. Caucasus conducted by the Armed Forces of Russia and Nazi Germany. It began on July 25, 1942, and ended on October 9, 1943.

Borga Kash is the earliest of the surviving Muslim monuments in Ingushetia. It was built in 1405-06 in honor of a certain Bek-Sultan and since then has become a very revered place.

Islam is the second religion in the number of adherents in Russia. The Muslim community has survived the Russian Empire and Soviet government and is now going through a renaissance.

The Khushtada ziyarat is the "holy" grave of three Naqshbandi sheikhs of the XIX-XX centuries, evidence of the cult of "holy" martyrs among the Muslims in Soviet and present-day Dagestan.