Russian law enforcement agencies have claimed that members of the Batalkhadzhin Sufi community were linked to the Caucasus Emirate*, a militant Islamist organisation. Human rights advocates, however, have questioned the allegations, noting that the group effectively ceased to exist more than a decade ago and that publicly available case materials contain little evidence of specific acts of support for militants.
Head of Dagestan Sergey Melikov awarded ex-mayor of Makhachkala Yusup Umavov with the medal "For Valiant Labor". As Melikov explains, the award was given "for services to the republic and many years of fruitful work."
"Yusup Dzhanbekovich, unfortunately, faced numerous difficulties - this is connected not only with energy, but also with tragedies that threatened people's lives. This includes the situation with the gas station, and terrorist attacks, and other challenges that directly or indirectly faced him during his time as head of the city. At the same time, he retained his image as a manager, was in constant contact with people, and interacted with authorities. I evaluate his work as follows: a person in his place at the right time coped with the tasks that faced him," the head of the region summarized.
On June 19, after Umavov left his post, Melikov said that the mayor’s office had received “a huge number of complaints,” including about transport collapses and illegal construction.