A significant part of the Russian-speaking population, numerically dominant in the Kaliningrad region, has also formed its own local-patriotic narrative. This narrative is based on an attempt to appropriate the pre-Russian history of the region.
PSCRP
On Sunday, August 11, Israeli state-owned TV channel 11KAN reported that the Army leadership had instructed all personnel to evacuate Georgia and Azerbaijan amid concerns over imminent strikes by Iran in retaliation for Ismail Haniyeh’s death in Tehran. The Israeli military press office and other Israeli media outlets have not cited the actual order.
There is a feeling that the negotiation process — or preparations for it — is already underway, but so far it is rather limited to general ideas and cautious contacts, and both sides have so far denied this fact. Even the location where such real negotiations could take place — if, of course, it comes to them — has not yet been agreed upon
The conflict around Wildberries shows that in the event of a collapse or significant weakening of the current political regime in Russia, inter-elite clashes, including those with an ethno-political dimension, over ownership of assets could become much more acute. It is quite obvious that Kadyrov’s forces and other North Caucasian bureaucratic and security groups will become important players in such a scenario.
In July 2024, the research conducted by the BESA PSCRP analysts was thematically dominated by the events in the Caucasus, both South and North.
Iran is waging war against Israel and its allies on all fronts. On July 28, an Iranian-made Falaq missile fired by Hezbollah struck a playground in Majdal Shams, killing 14 children. Iranian media initially praised "Hezbollah's crushing blow that killed six Zionists". Yerevan facilitates Tehran’s disruption in the South Caucasus. Iran's actions extend beyond kinetic attacks on Israel through its proxies; it is actively working in other regions to undermine Israel's allies.
To say that Pezeshkian’s victory came as a surprise to most Iranian experts is to say nothing. Everyone expected Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to become president.
Since 8 October last year, alongside the “Iron Swords” operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Israel has been “actively defending” against Hezbollah, Iran’s chief proxy. Although the conflict remains positional, its geographical depth and intensity are growing, and the prospect of a full-scale confrontation with Hezbollah seems increasingly likely. This war could be the prologue to a major regional war.
Today, only a small part of Circassians (Adyghes) live in their historical homeland. Despite the fact that they consider themselves a single people, official Russian statistics refers them to four different peoples: Kabardians, Circassians, Adyghes and Shapsugs, whose total number in the Russian Federation, according to the census of 2021, is 751,487 people.
Despite the Russian authorities’ undeniable responsibility for the current difficulties in the region, Islamism and the virulent anti-Semitism it engenders are themselves a serious problem in Dagestan. Neither the leadership nor the population of Dagestan should enjoy the condescending attitude of the West.