Leaders of Dagestani NGOs urge not to blow up Kizlyar conflict

Shamil Khadulaev, the head of the Coordinating Council of Non-Commercial Organizations (NCOs) of Dagestan, has called on Dagestanis and Chechens to reach mutual understanding. Facebook users criticized the sluggish reaction to the harsh statements of Magomed Daudov, Speaker of Chechen Parliament speaker at the site where a road sign in the outskirt of Kizlyar was dismantled.

Mr Khadulaev has urged residents of Dagestan and Chechnya, as well as Chechen authorities, "not to admit statements that offend someone's honour and dignity."

"The public is agitated; there's a lot of false information," Denga Khalidov, a member of the Public Chamber of Dagestan, said in his video message.

Alisultan Gazimagomedov, the editor of the "Dagestanis" newspaper, has stated that "Chechens and Dagestanis should not conflict in matters that are resolved by authorities," and called on residents of both republics to be "prudent and law-abiding."

Earlier, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, called on residents of both republics "not to succumb to provocations," and promised "to break fingers and tear out tongues" of authors of abusive comments. The words of the head of Dagestan, Vladimir Vasiliev, about the absence of claims to the authorities of Chechnya gave rise to criticism from Dagestani social network users.