When we stated at the end of last week that Dagestan was on the verge of an epidemiological catastrophe, the Kremlin bots’ commentaries began to accuse us of spreading misinformation and sowing panic. However, the truth of such assessments was acknowledged yesterday by Vladimir Putin himself, who dedicated a separate meeting to the situation in Dagestan as one of the most unfavorable regions of Russia. He acknowledged certain systemic problems on the part of the authorities in the fight against the epidemic and promised Dagestan the necessary support, but he mainly shifted the responsibility for the difficult situation to the Dagestani people themselves.
«People say that necessary medical help is not always and not everywhere available in time and in full, but according to experts’ assessments, the main causes of serious complications among the region’s residents are late visits of patients for medical help and self-medication at home,» he said.
In turn, the so-called head of the republic, Vladimir Vasilyev, called the fact that Dagestani residents do not allow autopsies of their deceased relatives the «biggest problem». The great epidemiologist of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not explain how this affects the fight against the epidemic, considering that only people with confirmed coronavirus tests or typical signs of complications from pneumonia and asphyxia are dying.
On the other hand, what else can be expected from a leader who, when asked about the causes of the catastrophic situation with the coronavirus in Derbent, began to talk about the «process of spatial development of the city, preserving it as a monument and at the same time as a city of the future» and talked about its ancient history or budget indicators that have nothing to do with the issue.
But the main loyalist at this meeting was the chairman of the People’s Assembly of Dagestan, Khizri Shikhsaidov. In his opinion, in the situation of the unfolding catastrophe in Dagestan as a whole, and in particular in certain villages, where people are blocked and die every day, the Dagestani people want above all … to vote as soon as possible for Putin’s constitutional amendments. «The people are asking you to make sure that the changes we need to make to the Constitution of the Russian Federation are not delayed and are adopted on time. People are waiting for it, there is understanding!» Shikhsaidov said.
It is not surprising that such «epidemiologists» and «constitutionalists» appointed by the Kremlin to oversee Dagestan have brought the situation to such a state that it has become a headache for their Kremlin bosses. Against this background, even the super-loyal head of the Dagestani State Assembly, Ahmed Abdulayev, who himself was infected with the corona virus and who told Putin about the real situation in Dagestan and asked for help for the Dagestani people, looked almost like a dissident.
By the way, about the religious factor. Putin addressed Muslims all over Russia, calling on them to celebrate this holiday of Uraza-Bayram (Eid al-Fitr) at home. In principle, this is an obvious decision, and the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Russia had already closed mosques for collective prayers at the beginning of the epidemic. However, it should be noted that although many regional authorities (and obviously not without the Kremlin’s knowledge) also tried to close churches during Orthodox Easter, Putin himself did not dare to make a similar request to the Orthodox.