Explained | What and where is Dagestan, why is it in news?

We all have our favorite subjects in school. For some, it is Geography. But for all our mugging (and reading after school years) there comes a time when a name stumps us. Is it a country? Is it a province? Don't feel bad if you felt the same way when you heard 'Dagestan' because there are many like you who had to come down from their perch which had the tag 'knowledgeable'.

Before we delve deeper, take it as a working idea that Dagestan is a place. This will help in quickly explaining why it is in news before going into more detail.

Why is Dagestan in news?

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Anti-Israel protesters stormed an airport in Makhachkala (a place in Dagestan) on Sunday (October 30). This resulted in quite a chaos and twenty people were injured. The protesters numbered in hundreds.

After some efforts. securty forces were able to control the situation and remove the demonstrators from the scene.

The incident has been noticed across the world. Russia said that the protest and ensuing chaos was caused due to "outside influence".

Israel expressed concerns and urged Russia to protect Israelis in Dagestan and also inside the airport.

Now, why are nations turning to Russia when there's a situation in what sounds like the name of a country (Dagestan)?

Read on to know more.

What is Dagestan?

Although the name Dagestan or the word 'Republic of Dagestan' tempts us into declaring it a country, Dagestan is a province of Russia, within the Russian Federation. It does not matter that the official name is 'Republic of Dagestan'. The province is the southernmost tip of the largest country in the world.

Where exactly is Dagestan?

(Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Dagestan translates as "land of the mountains'. It is a mountainous territory located in the eastern part of the North Caucasus. Dagestan has Georgia and Chechnya to the west and Azerbaijan to the south. To its east is Caspian Sea.

Some places in the mountainous terrain are so high and unreachable, you'll only have take a helicopter in order to reach there.

What about ethnicity in Dagestan?

The mainly Muslim republic of Dagestan is ethnically and linguistically a varied region. The diversity is so rich, that its Russia's most diverse region.

Sample this.

There are at least 40 different ethnicities in Dagestan. More than 30 languages are spoken here.

The Avars are the largest ethnicity. They form about a fifth of the population in the province. After the Avars, there is a sizeable presence of Dargins, Kumyks and Lezgins.

The republic within the Russian Federation has a population of about 3.2 million, say official figures from the Russian government. About 10 per cent of the population is ethnically Russian.

Whatis the capital of Dagestan?

It's Makhachkala. And if the word sounds familiar then the chaos at the airport mentioned inthe beginning took place in this city. It is located on Dagestan's Caspian Sea coast. It was conquered by the Russian Imperial Army in the 19th century. It was a major pre-revolutionary trading port.

In present times, Dagestan is a conduit for major oil and gas pipelines going from the Caspian Sea to the Russian heartland. Dagestan itself has oil and gas reserves.

Watch | Israel-Palestine war: Protesters storm Russia's Dagestan airport in search of Israelis

However, the region witnesses organised crime and is part of Russian regionthat's unstable. Russian security forces battled an armed insurgency for almost a decade till 2017. They fought various Islamist militant groups in Dagestan, neighbouring Ingushetia and Chechnya.

Imam Shamil, a 19th-century Islamic fighter who has a legendary halo around him was born in Dagestan. He resisted Russian rule for 25 years in the 19th century. Today, many places and streets in the region are named after him.

A quick look at Dagestan's situation20th century onwards

1920s: Dagestan becomes an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation as USSR attempts to gain control in the Caucasus.

1991: As the Soviet Union fell, authorities in the Republic of Dagestan remained loyal to Russia but the region soon became infamous because of corruption and lawlessness.

1990s: Separatist elements from Chechnya conduct armed attacks in Dagestan multiple times.

1995-1996: Forces led by the Chechens take hundreds of hostages in hospital located in the Dagestani towns of Budennovsk and Kizlyar. Large number of people die in these attacks.

2007-2017: Islamist insurgency in North Caucasus causes conflict with Russian forces. Post 2015, Russian forces also battle with Islamic State fighters. Such fights mostly remain concentrated in Chechnya, Ingushetia, Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria.

2010: Russia alleges Dagestani fighter Magomed Vagabov is responsible for the suicide attack in Moscow metro. Shortly afterward, Russian forces kill Vagabov in Dagestan

2017: Russia's internal intelligence agency FSB says last outfit of insurgents in the North Caucasus has been destroyed.

2022: Clashes erupt in Makhachkala. Protesters clash with police as they oppose Moscow's call-up of military reservists in order to help Russian war effort in Ukraine. The protesters also express there anger over the death of large number of Dagestani servicemen in the Ukraine war.

(With inputs from agencies)

WATCH WION LIVE HERE