Analysts warn against inciting disputes among Vainakhs after destruction of Ingush towers

The scandal around the towers destroyed by vandals has triggered violent Internet discussions among residents of Chechnya and Ingushetia, whose relations had been strained after changing their mutual borders, an expert on the Caucasus has noted. In his turn, Timur Akiev, the head of the Ingush "Memorial" believes that quarrels in social networks are not reflected in real life; there is no Chechen-Ingush enmity.

On January 5, 2020, Murad Daskiev, the head of the Council of Teips (family clans) of the Ingush people, said that the two men, suspected of destroying ancient towers in the village of Beini, were transported arched ceilings to Chechnya.

There are negative relationships between residents of Chechnya and Ingushetia, both in reality and in the virtual world, Irina Starodubrovskaya, an expert on the Caucasus, believes. She thinks that the scandal surrounding the towers has to do with tense interrelations of the authorities of the two republics.

Timur Akiev, the head of the Ingush branch of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) "Memorial", has stated that he sees no Ingush-Chechen hostility in real life (unlike quarrels in social networks).

Acts of vandalism against historical monuments in Ingushetia have occurred earlier, Anzor Dudarov, the executive director of the "Dzurdzuki" Ingush Historical and Geographical Society, has stated.

Zurab Gadjiev, a Dagestani historian, has suggested that Vainakhs are taking and using ancient stones.