Moscow's rule crumbles in Daghestan

Abstract

The Russian autonomous republic of Daghestan, bordering Chechnya in the north-eastern Caucasus, is increasingly racked by violence from ethnic nationalists, Muslim radicals and criminal groups. Instability in Daghestan threatens not just to spread to other Russian regions, but to undermine Moscow's geopolitical strategy in the Transcaucasus, which rests on securing a Russian pipeline route, via Daghestan, for Azeri oil exports. But as President Boris Yeltsin's administration slips ever further into financial, economic and political crisis, it has less and less money and attention to spare for such issues. A de facto Russian withdrawal from Daghestan therefore appears to be taking place, with important implications for the entire region.