RIA Novosti reported that the body of Ilyas Shurpaev, 32, was discovered by fire-fighters early on Friday morning in his rented Moscow apartment, as they responded to a fire alert from Shurpaev’s neighbors. The corpse had multiple stab wounds, although experts diagnosed the cause of death as strangulation with a belt. Law enforcement officials said they believed that the perpetrators may have started the house fire as an attempt to cover their tracks.

Police have ruled out robbery as a motive, as a laptop computer and other valuables in Shurpaev’s apartment were left untouched. Agents are investigating whether the murder was connected with journalist’s professional activities, or whether some other personal motives were involved. Shurpaev was a long time resident of Dagestan, and worked as a correspondent covering the North Caucasus, first for NTV and later for Channel One. The Dagestani Ministry of Internal Affairs is already assisting Moscow investigators. No suspects have been apprehended.

Another tragic story unfolded in Makhachkala, the capital of the Republic of Dagestan. As the Interfax news agency reported, Gadzhi Abashilov, the president of the regional state-run TV and Radio company, was killed in a drive-by shooting. Unknown assailants opened fire on Abashilov’s vehicle as it drove through central Makhachkala, and the 58-year-old Abashilov was killed instantly.

Abashilov’s driver has been hospitalized with grave injuries.

Dagestan, which lies on the Caspian Sea and borders Chechnya, has been shaken by growing levels of violence and criminality. Public officials and journalists are frequently targeted by armed assailants believed to be connected with rebel forces and organized crime.

According to the last entry in Shurpaev’s personal blog, a popular Dagestani newspaper had recently included him on a black-list of journalists barred from publishing in the paper, even though he was anything but a dissident.

“I have not participated in the political life of my republic or even my district because I am too lazy and have no time,” Shurpaev wrote.

Gadzhi Abashilov’s name also appears on that list.

Two journalists were attacked and beaten in the capital of the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. As the Novaya Gazeta newspaper reported on March 1st, the victims were Zaur Gaziev, a political columnist for the daily “Svobodnaya Respublica” (Free Republic) newspaper, and Ruslan Gabibulin, a television anchor for the “Dagestan” regional state-owned broadcasting company.

According to Gaziev, doctors have diagnosed him with a concussion of the brain, but he refused hospitalization out of fear for his family. Gabibulin, who had a tooth knocked out and has a swollen cheek, said that he feels “normal, compared with Zaur.”

As Gaziev explained, the two men were attacked as they returned home. As Gaziev exited his car, three men emerged from a nearby VAZ-2114 automobile and knocked him to the ground. Three more men came out of a silver Mercedes and began to pummel Gaziev. Gabibulin, who was still in the car, jumped out and was also assaulted. According to Gaziev, the ordeal lasted around five minutes. The two victims did not notice any distinguishing marks on their attackers.

Asked whether the attack was connected with his professional activities, Gaziev said that he “regularly” receives threatening phone calls, and that he has even published the callers’ phone numbers. “If you engage in political journalism, then you understand that it’s impossible otherwise,” Gaziev said. “One of my latest articles was about the head of the local state-owned TV and radio company. But it could be anything: In Dagestan, the enemy of your enemy could order [an attack] on you, [just] to set him up. I often changed the initials of my protagonists or “made a mistake” with their last names, so they wouldn’t drag me through the courts. But when you publish an article, for some reason they don’t go to court, but threaten you instead.”

Ruslan Gabibulin believes that he was targeted just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. “I don’t deal with politics,” he said, “I have a kid’s show, about cars and the like. What’s more, they first and foremost rushed to attack Zaur. He writes on current events, touching on the Republic’s whole political spectrum. He must have many enemies.”

Russia has become a dangerous place for critical media voices. A recent report by the international Committee to Protect Journalists named Russia as one of the most deadly countries for reporters. The paper found that Kremlin politics were the major reason for the worsening conditions.

Thousands have taken to the streets of the Dagestani capital, as widespread power outages continued across the region. As the Kavkazsky Uzel (Caucasian Knot) Information Agency reported, demonstrators blocked traffic in the city center, and built barricades, even as temperatures reached negative 15 degrees Celsius.

Participants told reporters that they are preparing an appeal to President Vladimir Putin, and are calling for the retirement of both the city and regional leadership. Makhachkala’s mayor, Said Amirov, accused city residents of political provocation.

Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations has stepped in with an urgent warning of possible failures in the public utility systems of Dagestan, as well as the electrical grid. Frequent power cuts have shaken the region since late December.

On January 13th, the agency’s regional head, Murtuzali Gadzhiev, announced the launch of a formal investigation into the recurrent outages, RIA Novosti reported.

According to Dagestan’s Deputy Prime Minister, Rizvan Gazimagomedov, Makhachkala suffers up to eight failures in its electrical network each day. He noted that the crisis was highlighted by the public utility companies, which shift responsibility and blame for the problems on each other.

So far, the Republic’s leadership has pledged 132 million rubles (€3.67 or $5.4 million) toward the replacement of the network, while admitting that any fix to the city’s infrastructure problems will take long-term efforts.

For now, temperatures in the region remain frigid, with no thaw expected for several days.

 Update:

The energy crisis continues in Dagestan.  As of January 18th, 30,000 residents remain without power and heat in Makhachkala.

Picketing residents have set up barricades in the city center. According to anecdotal reports, at least one person has been injured.

The demonstrators are carrying banners calling for the resignation of Said Amirov, the city’s mayor, as well as Mukhu Aliyev, the president of Dagestan. The citizens have charged that the government has been unable and incompetent in dealing with the republic’s problems.

In total, several hundred participants have joined in the unrest

Itar-Tass reports that an investigation is underway, but that no suspects have been apprehended. An official dealing with the investigation noted that Pashaev’s employment was the most likely reason he was targeted.

“For some time now, he had been investigating the murders of members of the “Union of Right Forces” [political party], which took place in the electoral campaign in the Dakhadaevsk region of the Republic,” the official said.

Pashaev’s death comes at a time of rising instability and recklessness in Dagestan, which borders Chechnya. On December 10th, Gaidimagomed Magomedov, a member of the Dagestani Popular Assembly, was shot to death nearby.

On November 21st, the leader of the regional brach of “Yabloko” was wounded in Makhachkala. Like Pashaev, Farid Babaev was shot at the doorstep of his building. He died of his wounds several days later.

Government officials and law enforcement agents are now frequently targeted in Dagestan, and violence is also on the rise in nearby Ingushetia. The perpetrators are rarely caught. Some experts have predicted that the region is heading towards a disastrous destabilization. For now, the Kremlin’s response has been a heavy-handed, and much-resented crackdown. The Special Forces have been given wide leeway in their operations, and have allegedly used any means necessary, including torture, to extract confessions.

Read more about the situation from Telegraph.co.uk.