By
Valery Dzutsati
A
massive fist fight between Ingush students and ethnic Armenians in Stavropol
region reignited the discussion about North Caucasian migrants in Russian
regions. The incident took place in the city of Pyatigorsk, on February 15, but
became widely known only in March. An estimated group of 70 Ingush and an
unknown number of Armenian young men decided to use violence to settle their
differences (Kmv.gorodskoitelegraf.ru,
March 3). Interestingly, a local newspaper described the incident as a fight
between “the newcomers [the Ingush] and the representatives of the local
Armenian diaspora,” as if the Ingush students were not Russian citizens. After
the police became involved, 22 Ingush students from the colleges in Pyatigorsk
were removed from their programs and sent back home to Ingushetia (Bloknot-stavropol.ru,
March 3).
While
the Ingush authorities reprimanded the parents of the Ingush students for the
lack of control over their children (Kmv.gorodskoitelegraf.ru,
March 3), some Ingush academics defended them. Anzhela Matieva said that the
Ingush young men were right to protect their dignity after the Armenians
allegedly disparaged the flag of Ingushetia (Haqqin.az, March 9). Moreover, it
appears that mass street fights between the Ingush and the Armenians in
Stavropol region have become a regular occurrence in the past several years.
The
Russian government’s strategy of trying to promote a “melting pot” solution for
the North Caucasians by sending more students to the predominantly ethnic-Russian
regions has been marked by scandals. In Stavropol region, especially in its
southern part known as Kavminvody (acronym of Kavkazskie Mineralnye Vody), it
appears that various ethnic groups clash particularly often. The latest violent
episode in the region and its aftermath indicate that the various ingredients
of the Russian “melting pot” may not be incorporating harmoniously; and the
government clearly chooses to employ collective punishment to deal with these resulting
inter-ethnic conflicts.