Elena Patyaeva—a friend of Seda Suleymanova, who disappeared three years ago after being forcibly returned from St. Petersburg to Chechnya—was detained in Grozny. On August 23, Patyaeva stood by the monument to journalists who died for freedom of speech, holding a sign that read: "I demand an investigation into the murder of Seda Suleymanova." This was reported by the human rights project "Slovo Zashchite" (Word for the Defense).
Over 9 months, among the regions of the Russian Federation, the tourist flow has grown most significantly in Chechnya (by 103%), Dagestan (by 85%), Karachay-Cherkessia (by 72%) and North Ossetia (by 52%).
In general, the demand for travel in Russia increased by 25% compared to the same period last year. This is due to the sharp rise in prices for holidays abroad (devaluation of the ruble) and the cancellation of direct flights between the Russian Federation and Western countries.
Earlier, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia named Dagestan the most successful region in terms of tourist flow growth. Thus, the republican authorities recently reported that the number of trips in the fall of 2023 was 10-12% higher than the figure for the same quarter last year and 50% higher than the statistics for the last 4 years.