Experts do not rule out Chechen-Ingush armed conflict

Protests of residents of Ingushetia against the agreement on the Chechen-Ingush border could escalate into an armed conflict of the two republics, Svetlana Gannushkina, a rights defender, and Mikhail Roschin, a historian, are afraid. They are sure that the situation has worsened because the Ingush authorities made a decision without taking into account the position of local residents.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that for the second day, the city of Magas, the Ingush capital, is hosting a protest rally, demanding to bring the border issue to a referendum and the resignation of Yunus-Bek Evkurov, the head of Ingushetia.

The adoption of the Chechen-Ingush agreement on mutual land transfer can provoke a military conflict, says Svetlana Gannushkina, the head of the Civil Assistance Committee.

She has noted that the story about the transfer of part of Ingush lands to Chechnya dates back to the presidency of Akhmat Kadyrov. She believes that the situation has aggravated because the decision to transfer land was made without the participation of residents of Ingushetia.

"As for Chechnya, there is no law other than Ramzan Kadyrov's order there; and people don't dare to object," Ms Gannushkina has stated.

The border agreement with Chechnya reminded Ingush residents about the loss of the Prigorodny District, said Mikhail Roschin, an Orientalist. According to his version, the Chechen authorities claimed to join the Malgobek and Sunzha Districts entirely.

In his opinion, in the future the conflict may escalate into a Chechen-Ingush military confrontation.