Tolchinskiy: special operations in Dagestan brought 600 children back to school

In the course of special operations held in some regions of Dagestan it was found out that about 600 children failed to go to school; law enforcers took measures, and now practically all children attend their educational establishments, as reported by Mark Tolchinsky, head of the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Dagestan.

While telling the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about application of the special complex preventive operation (SCPO) regime in Dagestan, Mr Tolchinsky gave additional pros of this regime, not directly related to law-enforcement tasks, but, nevertheless, quite important for normalizing the life of local population.

"We've done a lot during March. Some 600 children were missing school; we managed to persuade practically all of them to resume studies. Only about 30 absentees remain, but we can do nothing with them, since they are 16 already - too late to go to secondary school," said Mark Tolchinsky, having added that they now try to ensure evening education for them.

Earlier he said that now the Dagestan militia fights on militants by means of the SCPO regime.

"Now the task of the operation is to find and neutralize the Gubden grouping with its commander Vagabov. The CTO (counterterrorist operation) regime was introduced last week in Kazbek and Khasavyurt Districts. Four persons were killed there," Mark Tolchinsky told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to his story, the SCPO regime has been known for a long time in Dagestan. Thus, in the Untsukul District, in Gimry village, it is in force for 2 years already.

However, according to Dmitri Berkut, a former employee of Russian MIA's special troops, the SCPO regime in Dagestan is just another way to provide the militia with special powers in the conditions when the CTO regime is not officially possible.

"The MIA dislikes being responsible for difficulties of operating within the usual legal space. They need 'important and emergency exceptions'. And since the CTO regime is already a sort of a 'brand', and its introduction obliges a lot, in particular, to recognize that the situation in the republic is problematic, they try not to use it. Therefore, another, 'light version' of CTO was invented - the SCPO regime. Its introduction allows the militia undertaking many actions, which are inadmissible under the law," Dmitri Berkut asserts.