Queues remain at the Russian-Georgian border following temporary restrictions on traffic through the Verkhny Lars crossing. The situation has drawn additional attention amid rumours circulating in Russia about a possible new mobilisation, recalling the autumn of 2022, when large numbers of men eligible for military service left the country through the crossing. There is no official evidence linking the current restrictions to any mobilisation measures.
In Dagestan, 82,000 people have received compensation following the devastating spring floods — less than 30% of the residents who applied for assistance. In neighbouring Chechnya, authorities have reported paying out 726 million roubles to those affected.
The updated figures for Dagestan were presented at a meeting of a government commission chaired by Russia's Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov. According to the regional government, the total amount of assistance paid has exceeded 3 billion roubles.
By May 22, however, flood-affected residents in Dagestan had submitted around 274,000 applications for assistance. This means that only about 30% of applicants had received payments. On Aug. 7, authorities reported that more than 80,000 people had received assistance, with 2.9 billion roubles paid out.
The government said it now plans to speed up compensation for damaged or destroyed homes. Housing certificates are expected to start being issued soon.
"We have completed the field-based collection of applications from residents of the affected areas. We are now processing the final applications from people who, for objective reasons, were unable to submit the full set of documents," the regional government said.
Construction of replacement schools damaged by the floods is also continuing. The new building in Adilyotar is 80% complete, while construction in Tsiyab-Tsilitli is 70% complete, in Rukel 35% complete and in Arablinsky more than 20% complete.
In early July, residents of Adilyotar appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking him to personally oversee the situation with compensation payments and the provision of housing certificates.
In Chechnya, flood victims had received a total of 726 million roubles by Aug. 14, according to Chechen Prime Minister Magomed Daudov.
A week earlier, Daudov said an additional 505 million roubles had been allocated from the regional budget. The federal government also provided 320.7 million roubles to support farmers affected by the floods.
By July 29, residents of Chechnya had submitted more than 52,000 applications for assistance. There were also reports of delays, with some families who had lost property and livestock saying they had yet to receive the promised compensation.
The spring floods began across the North Caucasus in late March following heavy rainfall and were among the most destructive in the region in recent years. Dagestan and Chechnya were the hardest-hit areas.