Ingush villagers recorded a video appeal to the authorities due to the sale of pastures.

Residents of the village of Barsuki in the Nazran district of Ingushetia recorded a video appeal to the authorities, stating that they lost their pastures after the sale of land that they had used for grazing livestock for decades. The villagers asked for the situation to be addressed and their interests to be protected.

The video appeal from the residents of the village of Barsuki in the Nazran district of Ingushetia was published on September 4 by the Instagram* public vesti_ingusheti_. The footage shows several elders speaking to the camera. Residents are standing on one of the streets of the village.

The villagers stated that the plot of land that residents had used as pasture for decades has been sold. For many families, livestock keeping is a source of livelihood, and the new owners may close access to the land, as noted in the video description. It also states that the deal was made without public discussions.

This post in the Instagram* public vesti_ingusheti_, which has about 52.2 thousand followers, had received 1009 likes and 141 comments by 10:40 MSK on September 5.

Commenters supported the villagers. "Why are there so few people? More people need to gather and go to the administration," believes sudan_helpp.

"Illegal pastures need to be reclaimed," stated user asset_012.

Residents of other settlements reported facing similar problems. "The same situation in the city of Karabulak, they sold the pasture, everything they could... even the land where the canal was..." wrote eva25372.

"In Plievo, not only pastures have been sold, but also shrubs around the federal highway... how is this possible?" questioned leyliii_06.

"The same is happening in Sagopshi. Forests and hills are already being sold," stated kharon_tangiev.

Some commenters placed the blame for the situation on officials and demanded a review of land decisions. "Where is the administration looking? In Sunzha, the same thing – legal documents were made on illegal lands," stated user hafsa_06.27.

"Our officials have nothing sacred, money solves everything <…>. I live in Nasyr-Korte, not a single person has received land in their village. And you know, these officials change, but nothing changes for us ordinary mortals," wrote saliii42.

As of 09:55 MSK on September 5, there were no comments on the video appeal from the residents of Barsuki on the website of the Nazran district administration.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that residents of Ingushetia periodically complain about the transfer of pastures they use to other parties. For instance, on April 2, 2023, residents of Karabulak asked the head of Ingushetia to intervene after a municipal plot of 20 hectares, where villagers grazed livestock, was leased.

Meeting participants stated that they lost the opportunity to use the pasture because of this, and social media users pointed out that a similar problem exists in other settlements of the republic.