Detentions and clashes between police and protesters reported at rally against mobilisation in Dagestan’s Makhachkala

Detentions and clashes with the police have started occurring at the protest against mobilisation in Dagestan’s Makhachkala, there are shots being fired, protesters are trying to fight back against the policemen detaining people, report local Telegram channels GORETS, Utro Dagestan, and Podval Dagestana.

There are reports that a big number of law enforcement agents arrived in the place of the protest in the evening. There are also videos showing the policemen beating the detainees. One of the videos shows a man being led by two policemen start fighting back.

Earlier today, head of Russia’s Dagestan Sergey Melikov said in a post on his Telegram channel that it was necessary to fix the mistakes made at the beginning of mobilisation. He added that among the men mobilised in Dagestan there were those who did not meet the criteria of mobilisation, students, fathers of multiple young children, and “boys that have never held a rifle in their hands”.

Today, 25 September, protesters against mobilisation blocked the federal highway Khasavyurt-Makhachkala near the village Endirei, while the police were shooting in the air, trying to break up the protest. According to Telegram channel Tut Dagestan, 110 people were drafted in Endirei. “People came out to protect their sons, brothers, and husbands,” the message on the channel states.

On 22 September, residents of the Babayurt district in Russia’s Dagestan took to the streets to protest the “partial mobilisation”.