In 2018, the count of conflict victims in KBR increased by 500%

Last year, six persons fell victim to the ongoing armed conflict in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), all of them were killed. This is 500% more than in 2017, when one person was killed. These are the results of the calculations run by the "Caucasian Knot" based on its own materials and information from open sources.

As a rule, the main indicator of the intensity of an armed conflict is the number of victims ‑ killed and wounded people ‑ during armed clashes and armed incidents, as well as bombings and terror acts. However, the very number of such cases is no less important and informative.

Armed incidents

January - December 2018

According to the "Caucasian Knot", in January-December 2018, 3 armed incidents were recorded in the KBR, during which 6 people were killed.

January - December 2017

During 12 months of 2017, in the KBR, there was one armed incident, in which one person was killed.

Thus, we can conclude that in 2018, the number of armed incidents in the KBR increased by 200% compared with 2017; and that the number of victims of these incidents increased by 500%.

Explosions and terror acts

January - December 2018

In 2018, in the KBR, there were no recorded explosions or terror acts.

January - December 2017

In 2017, no explosions and terror acts were recorded in the KBR.

Thus, we can conclude that the trend to cease explosions in the KBR in 2018 has preserved.

Year outcomes: breaking the downward trend in conflict victim count

In total, according to the "Caucasian Knot", in 2018, six people were killed in the armed conflict in the KBR. The death toll included one law enforcer and five militants. No information was released about wounded law enforcers and civilian victims.

In 2018, as compared with 2017, the total number of victims among the alleged militants increased significantly – by 400%. After a year break, in 2018, one victim was recorded among law enforcers. As for civilians, no information among them was received for three years, since 2015.

Last year, the total number of victims in the region increased by 500% as compared to 2017; the death toll increased by the same amount.

This allows us to conclude that in 2018, in the KBR, the trend that was obvious in recent years towards a decrease in the number of armed incidents and victims thereof is no longer registered by the "Caucasian Knot". The peculiarity was that for more than nine months – from January to October 3 – there were no armed incidents, and, accordingly, no casualties thereof were fixed at all.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on February 12, 2019 at 11:35 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.