On June 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Dagestan city of Derbent, where he held a meeting on the development of tourism in the North Caucasus and talked with people in the city park. Against the backdrop of events related to the rebellion of Yevgeny Prigozhin, this visit and its stated purpose - to discuss tourism - according to observers, only served as an excuse to broadcast important political signals.
Tourism with air defense
Putin's arrival in Derbent was not unexpected. Obviously, it had been planned for a long time. In any case, even before the Wagner PMC riot in Dagestan, there were rumors that the head of the republic, Sergei Melikov, was in quarantine, which is mandatory for those who meet with Putin, who fears the coronavirus. And the residents of Derbent noticed the preparations on the streets, usual before the arrival of distinguished guests, and wondered who the city hall was waiting for.
Immediately before the president’s arrival, vehicles with air defense systems were installed around Derbent, some streets were blocked, which increased the already heavy traffic jams in the city.
The meeting on tourism issues was held via videoconference. In the office next to Putin, only the head of the city, Rustam Pirmagomedov, the head of Dagestan, Sergei Melikov, the presidential envoy to the North Caucasus Federal District, Yuri Chaika, and senator Suleiman Kerimov, one of the largest investors in the region, were sitting. The rest - federal ministers, heads of the "Tourism.RF Corporation" and "Kavkaz.RF" and heads of the subjects of the North Caucasus Federal District - participated remotely, via video link. Only the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, was absent; the day before he had spoken with Putin in person in Moscow.
The meeting discussed the development of a tourism cluster in the Caspian Sea and ski resorts, the construction of a cruise ship in Astrakhan, an increase in the number of rooms in Caucasian resorts, new border crossings with Azerbaijan, tax incentives for tour operators and winemakers. However, it was not this that attracted everyone's attention, but Putin's populist remark that Derbent is 5,000 years old. Let us remember that in 2015, the 2000th anniversary of the city was celebrated with pomp in Dagestan. A decree on this was signed by Putin himself after consultations with historians. Meanwhile, Derbent residents were disappointed that the city had been “rejuvenated.”
Focus on Muslims
Putin’s statement about 5 thousand years was only the first nod to the receiving party. He also congratulated Muslims on Eid al-Fitr, and after the meeting he went to the Juma Mosque, where he was presented with the Koran. “It is a holy place for Muslims, and it is a holy place for everyone else. We know that in other countries they act differently - they do not respect people’s religious feelings and also say that this is not a crime,” the president said, apparently hinting at the persecution of Volgograd student Nikita Zhuravel, accused of setting fire to the Koran.
According to political scientists, Putin makes such statements counting on the support of the Muslim Ummah of Russia. At the same time, persecution of “unofficial” Muslims continues in the country, Islamic books are included in the lists of extremist literature, the construction of mosques in Russian cities is each time accompanied by protests, proving that the level of xenophobia in society is off the charts.
Thus, on June 18, five Crimean Tatars were sentenced to long terms (from 12 to 17 years!) for organizing a cell of the Islamic party Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is recognized as terrorist in Russia. According to the Human Rights Center Memorial, in Russia, about 250 people have been convicted for belonging to Hizb ut-Tahrir. Most of them were recognized by Memorial as political prisoners. As human rights activists note, in the affairs of the Crimean Tatars there are no signs of terrorist or simply criminal activity.
This spring, another interfaith conflict broke out in Moscow over an attempt to begin construction of a mosque in the Kosino-Ukhtomsky district of the capital. Russian nationalists did not limit themselves to protests and petitions - they even went so far as to bury the head of a pig, an unclean animal in the eyes of Muslims, at the site of the proposed construction site. Similar actions have been taking place in Russian cities for the last 20 years with the tacit connivance of the authorities. As a result, in Moscow there are only four mosques for 3.5 million Muslims. “We don’t see any freedom of religion, protection of traditional values, or union between faiths in Russia,” notes public figure, consul of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in France Shamil Albakov.
The President goes to the people
Further events in Derbent were completely similar to the pre-election tour of a presidential candidate. Putin went to a park with a multimedia fountain, where a large crowd, mostly women, was waiting for him. For a whole 5 minutes, Putin, despite his caution and reluctance to contact people, took pictures with “voters” and even kissed one girl on the head. This was so unexpected for a politician who usually “communicates” with FSO employees dressed as “people” that many in Dagestan started talking about Putin’s double coming to the park.
There is another opinion - it was important for Putin to demonstrate his confidence, to show that his image was not shaken after Prigozhin’s rebellion, that the people support him, despite the unpopular decree on mobilization, the protracted war in Ukraine, inflation and other negative phenomena.
The publication Meduza, citing a source close to the Kremlin, reported that public opinion measurements showed a drop in the level of trust in Putin by 9-14% after the mutiny of the Wagner PMC. Therefore, political strategists recommended that the president appear in public more often.
According to political scientist and political strategist Abbas Gallyamov, the television picture “Putin and the Jubilant People” was needed to restore this trust, to compensate for the feeling that Putin and his regime were not needed by anyone, which arose during the Prigozhin uprising, when local authorities and the public practically did not react at all. to what is happening.
“The authorities were unable to gather a crowd without the risk of getting negative reactions in the Russian regions, so we had to fly to the national republic. There, administrative resources work much more efficiently, so catching up with the controlled public is not difficult,” says Gallyamov.
This is not the first time Putin has come to Dagestan, and each time it happened at a turning point for him. Perhaps, given his penchant for mysticism, characteristic of old dictators, he considers this region his “place of power”, where he recharges his energy, some observers believe.
Putin and the girl
Obviously, the trip to Derbent seemed quite successful to Putin, and he decided to build on this success. A few days later, he invited a girl to Moscow, who could not get through the crowd in a Derbent park, and her parents. The tears of 8-year-old Raisat Akipova were caught on video.
“When I left Derbent and came to Moscow, they showed me a picture of you crying. “I thought: it’s clear that, unfortunately, I can’t talk to every person who stood in the square, but still, your reaction upset me,” Putin said, greeting the guests in the Kremlin. “Since I can’t travel from Moscow often myself, I decided to invite you with mom and dad.”
The president showed them his workplace, talked about the transformations in Derbent, and then arranged a call with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Finance Minister Anton Siluanov. During the conversation, the head of the Ministry of Finance said that he was allocating an additional 5 billion rubles for the reconstruction of streets, the development of tourism facilities and the completion of the construction of a sports complex. “You have now received 5 billion rubles for Dagestan,” Putin told Raisat.
Reports of the meeting between the president and the girl were widely circulated in the media, once again confirming that Putin's PR team is working to target certain segments of the population who, obviously, must find this production cute. But many commentators on social networks in this regard recalled posters in the style of “Stalin and Children” and the Hague Court’s accusations against the President of the Russian Federation for the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine.
