Soldiers of someone else's war: why Russian national minorities are fighting against Ukraine and Israel

The column was written for Haqqin.az, reprinted with the permission of the editorial board

One of the most striking phenomena in modern Russia, especially in the North Caucasus, is the attitude of people toward Israel and the Middle East conflict in general.

Everything becomes more or less clear when it comes to those representatives of the Dagestani, Vainakh, and Adyghe peoples who support the Kremlin's official course. It is, in fact, a separate tragedy when you meet many North Caucasians on social media who repeat all the mantras of Russian propaganda: "The West wants to destroy us and take away our resources." And by "us" and "ours" they mean not Chechnya, Ingushetia, or Kabardino-Balkaria, but Russia as a whole.

It is important to understand that this is not a blind repetition of slogans that no one really believes in, but a belief that has already taken root.

This is evidenced by the fact that a significant number of Caucasians voluntarily go to fight against Ukraine.