Hundreds of Chechens in Dagestan honored the memory of the victims of Stalin's repressions.

Participants in the memorial ceremony for the deportation of the Vainakhs gathered at the memorial complex in the village of Novokuli. However, the authorities are calling the event a religious event.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," memorial events to mark the 82nd anniversary of the forced deportation of the Vainakhs to Central Asia are also being held today in Chechnya and Ingushetia.

Hundreds of people gathered at the memorial complex in the village of Novokuli (Yaryksu), according to a video obtained by a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent from the site.

The event began with prayer and a reading of the Koran, one of those present at the memorial event told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. He also noted the large crowd at the event "despite the cold weather."

It should be noted that on February 20, representatives of the Aukh public council, together with local residents, prepared for the anniversary at the memorial. They cleared the area, burned dead wood, mowed the grass, fixed the lighting, and cleaned the memorial grounds, according to a video obtained by the Caucasian Knot.

On Thursday, February 19, a special meeting was held at the Novokulinsky District Administration with the participation of municipal leadership, representatives of the prosecutor's office, police, and organizers. The main format of the event was defined as religious—a collective movlid (memorial prayer) at the monument in the cemetery of the village of Novokuli (Yaryksu), where residents and relatives of the deportees gather, according to a message on the district administration's Telegram channel.

At the same time, the organizers were officially instructed that political activity—rallies, marches, pickets, and the use of banners and slogans—was unacceptable. "The events are held in a strictly regulated format as religious and memorial events," the statement stated.

As a reminder, Operation Lentil began on February 23, 1944, during which nearly 500,000 Chechens and Ingush were deported en masse from the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. More details about these events and their consequences can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" report "Deportation of Chechens and Ingush".

The deportation of the Vainakhs is directly linked to the unresolved issue of the rights of the Chechens of Dagestan, who have been waiting for the restoration of the Aukh district for nearly 30 years, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "The main thing about Aukh: what the Chechens demand from the Dagestani authorities".

The restoration of the Aukh district, which was planned for completion by 2025, has in fact been stopped for many years; the resettlement of the Laks and the construction of new houses have been disrupted, Dagestani activists stated in 2024.

On February 23, 2024, residents of the Novolaksky District, at a rally dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the deportation of the Vainakhs, noted that they have to remind the authorities of the need for the full territorial and political rehabilitation of the Chechen people.

Meanwhile, in 2022, commemorative events for the anniversary of the deportation of the Vainakhs were banned in the Novolaksky District. Representatives of the local Chechen community considered such actions by the authorities offensive. Despite the ban, about 50 people still attended the mourning event.

In 2023, authorities recommended that organizers of commemorative events for the anniversary of the deportation in the Novolaksky District avoid discussing political issues and problems of the Aukhovsky District at rallies.