By 2025, the armed underground in the North Caucasus is seen by many people in Russia as something belonging to the past. It is usually recalled only after occasional reports of new attacks, including the terrorist attacks in Dagestan in 2024.
For residents of the North Caucasus itself, however, the issue has not vanished. Russian security agencies periodically report the killing of new “militants” in the region, indicating that although the activity of radical groups has fallen sharply, they have not disappeared completely.
A Long History
The article stresses that this underground has a long history and that it helps explain not only developments in the Caucasus but also the broader Russian political context.
To clarify the origins and evolution of the phenomenon, the publication spoke with Aleksandr Cherkasov, a human rights defender from the Memorial center. His account is presented as a detailed explanation that resembles a full lecture.
What Cherkasov Explains
According to the article, he examines the history of radical Islam in the Caucasus, shows how the armed underground worked to the advantage of Vladimir Putin, and explains why Russian security forces never managed to eliminate Shamil Basayev.
The piece therefore treats the armed underground not as a vanished episode, but as a phenomenon whose consequences and inner logic, in the author’s view, still matter today.