Nine local officials in Daghestan fined for not hoisting Russian flag on administrative buildings

Authorities in Daghestan have fined nine village heads in Babayurt for failing to hoist Russian flags on their respective administrative buildings.

As a result of the inspection, the heads of the nine villages in Babayurt, Daghestan were fined for committing an administrative offence by improperly using state symbols. A court has found all of them guilty and imposed fines ranging from ₽5,000–₽7,000 ($60-$80), according to Daghestan’s Prosecutor’s Office.

The name of the nine officials or their villages have not been made public.

In addition to the fines, official warnings were issued to the nine local officials, instructing them to raise the Russian flag on their respective administrations’ buildings. The Prosecutor’s Office in Daghestan later confirmed that flags had been duly raised on the buildings in compliance with legal requirements. The village heads also faced internal disciplinary action.

It was not an isolated incident in the region — there have been multiple cases across the North Caucasus in which both public officials and private citizens have been held accountable for perceived disrespect towards Russian state symbols.

In April, courts in Karachay–Cherkessia and Kabarda–Balkaria issued fines to eight individuals who refused to stand at attention as the Russian national anthem played during sporting events. Each of them — six adults and two minors — were fined ₽2,000 ($25).

In July 2024, a magistrate’s court in Nalchik fined eight people ₽3,000 ($35) each for also not standing during the national anthem at a school graduation ceremony. The case drew attention after a complaint was filed by Andrei Kartapolov, a member of the Russian Parliament.

In August 2024, several football fans at a match between Dynamo Makhachkala and Krylia Sovetov in the Daghestani city of Kaspiysk remained seated during the anthem. The incident caused public outcry on social media, and the football club issued a statement saying it ‘strongly disapproved’ of such actions.

Since 2018, weekly flag-raising and anthem ceremonies have become mandatory in Russian schools. The initiative has been actively promoted by Russia’s Ministry of Education and regional governments. Particular attention has been paid to its enforcement in North Caucasian republics, where there has historically been a degree of separation between federal identity and local traditions. Authorities in these regions often demonstrate loyalty to the federal centre through increased control over public displays of ‘patriotism’.

Eight fined in North Caucasus for refusing to stand during Russia’s national anthem

The courts imposed an administrative fine of ₽2,000 ($25).

OC MediaElizaveta Chukharova