Daghestani village head dismissed following local protests

On Wednesday, the Head of Khubar village in Daghestan’s Kazbekovsky district, Kamilpasha Khaibulaev, was dismissed amid ongoing protests by local residents over land issues and the management of the local school.

Speaking to OC Media, Rashid Isakov, a member of the village council, noted that the official reason for Khaibulaev’s dismissal was the two-year lack of reports on his activities.

However, he claimed the real reason was Khaibulaev’s approval of a new general development plan for the village, under which 236 hectares of land, historically belonging to the village, were allocated for the creation of a new settlement in the Sulak Canyon area.

Since late 2024, Khubar residents have been protesting against this decision, considering it a violation of their rights.

‘The quorum was six people. Five voted for Khaibulaev’s dismissal, and one, his relative, abstained’, Isakov told OC Media.

According to Isakov, Khaibulaev is now attempting to challenge the legality of the deputies’ decision in the prosecutor’s office.

The conflict in Khubar escalated in February 2025 when teachers at the local school went on strike, demanding the reinstatement of former director Magomedrasul Isakov, unrelated to Rashid Isakov, who they believed was unfairly dismissed due to his stance on the land issue. The majority of students did not attend classes, supporting the teachers’ demands.

Daghestan’s head, Sergei Melikov, responded to these events, calling the protests in Khubar ‘shameful actions’ and suggesting that they were aimed at discrediting the local authorities. He stressed that any attempts to disrupt the educational process would have consequences for those involved.

In response to Melikov’s statements, Khubar residents recorded a video message demanding an investigation into the situation and the return of their land. They also planned to hold protests in Moscow to draw the attention of federal authorities to their problems.

Following this, Daghestan’s Prime Minister, Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov, visited the village and promised to meet the teachers’ demands, after which the school director was reinstated and the strike ended. However, the land issue remained unresolved, continuing to cause tensions in the village.

In March, the situation worsened after the head of the Kazbekovsky district, Gadzhimurad Musaev, publicly insulted the Khubar residents, sparking outrage among villagers. They appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking him to intervene in the conflict and remove Musaev from his post.

Musaev’s insults also drew a response from Rashid Isakov, who challenged Musaev to a fight, suggesting they settle the conflict ‘man to man’. Musaev did not respond to the challenge.