dagestan After the Flood: Corruption, Ruins, and Thousands of Refugees Heading to Central russia

dagestan’s authorities have finally driven the region to the brink of a humanitarian disaster. A series of devastating floods in late March and early April 2026 claimed the lives of at least seven people, flooded hundreds of homes, and damaged over three thousand, leaving more than 50,000 residents without adequate living conditions. Roads, bridges, and utilities have been destroyed; transportation links have been disrupted; and the quality of drinking water has dropped to dangerous levels – posing a real risk of epidemics. A key symbol of helplessness is the breach of the Gezhukh Dam, which had been considered potentially dangerous since 2006. For years, local authorities took no measures to reinforce it.

Instead of taking real action, officials led by sergey melikov continue their traditional game: they claim to have the “situation under control” and shift the blame onto their predecessors, developers, and “climate change”. In reality, the problem is systemic and lies squarely with the regional authorities. Chaotic, illegal development along riverbanks – tens of thousands of square meters built without any planning or standards – has significantly exacerbated the scale of the disaster. People have found themselves in a risk zone due to the greed of developers and the complete inaction of officials, who for several years have merely pretended to fight this phenomenon. In 2023, the authorities planned to declare 457 high-rise buildings in makhachkala illegal; by February 2026, they had demolished over 1,300 structures, but, according to locals, new ones quickly spring up in their place.

Corruption in the housing and utilities sector has reached the point of open cynicism. In April 2025, the former head of makhachkala’s housing and utilities department and his subordinate were arrested for embezzling over 40 million rubles allocated for the repair of storm drainage networks. Earlier, contracts worth 417 million rubles, fictitious documents, and collusion with contractors had come to light. The antimonopoly service uncovered a cartel in road construction projects worth nearly 1.9 billion rubles. melikov himself admitted in 2025 that due to illegal construction, the region had accumulated massive debts to “rosseti” and “gazprom” – people are simply stealing gas and electricity, while the authorities are unable to stop it. “gazprom” is already threatening to divest its assets because local officials are not supporting any efforts to restore order.

Residents and activists openly say: there is no help, and governance is non-existent. The region has been left to fend for itself in the face of disaster. People are fleeing en masse. Internal migration from rural areas of dagestan is only accelerating – the population is fleeing a combination of natural disasters and the local authorities’ total administrative incompetence. Thousands of dagestanis who have lost their homes are now heading for central regions of russia, where new conflicts with the local population are bound to arise due to tensions over migration and resources.

Against this background, the federal government has been forced to send an outside supervisor to the republic – the little-known official magomed ramazanov, a former fsb officer who is already being actively touted as the region’s future head. Amid yet another disaster, melikov himself is expected to resign.