Headquarters for stabilisation of environmental situation in Dagestan
The Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation has initiated an investigation into the causes of the unfavorable environmental situation in the Republic of Dagestan following a series of violations and high-profile incidents. For the fifth year in a row (from autumn 2020 to December of this year), hundreds of dead seals have been found on the Dagestan coast of the Caspian Sea. And the total numbers along the republic’s entire coastline have been estimated at thousands! The species is at risk of extinction, being listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and included in the Red Data Book of Russia.
From 2020 to 2025, dead seals were also recorded in other Caspian countries. But in 2020, 2022, and 2025, the number of stranded seals in Dagestan was many times higher than the mortality figures in Russia’s neighboring countries – Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. The conclusions are clear. This endemic species lives throughout the Caspian Sea. It migrates, feeding on fish and crustaceans, primarily in coastal waters 5-50 meters deep. Where it swims, there it dies…
And everything would remain in its place as before. Requirements for the protection of this endangered species – in regulatory legal acts. Penalties and fines – in the Code of Administrative Offenses and the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Tons of seal oil and fur products – on the illegal market. The carcasses of defenseless animals – on the coast. Pollution and fishing nets dangerous for seals – in the sea…
If there were no serious reason.
The Republic of Dagestan, with its natural potential and rich historical and cultural heritage, has been included in Russia’s largest tourism project “Five Seas and Lake Baikal” to create year-round resorts of federal significance (Subproject “Caspian Coastal Cluster”).
And here, on the beaches, for the improvement of which the Government plans to spend more than 100 million rubles in 2026, near hotels and children’s sports and recreation centers, sea waves will wash up seals —”indicators of the Caspian ecosystem’s status”—killed by the bizarre effects of “natural gases,” as well as fishing nets and bird flu. Agree, all this is a serious reason to initiate investigations and take effective measures at the highest government level.
Currently, Headquarters for Stabilisation of Situation in Field of Environmental Protection and Nature Management in Republic of Dagestan is being established by Order No. DP-P11-43502 of the Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation D.N. Patrushev dated November 19, 2025, and on the basis of Order No. 708 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation dated December 12, 2025.
Thу governmental body was headed by Murad K. Kerimov, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation. Raul M. Mishiev, Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Sphere of Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety, and Ilya S. Kuznetsov, Deputy Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Sphere of Environmental Protection and Ecological Safety, have been appointed deputy chairmen of the Headquarters. And Sergey E. Taranov, Head of the Department of Environmental Safety Subdivision at the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Sphere of Environmental Protection of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, has been appointed secretary.
The Headquarters will include representatives from more than 20 federal and regional authorities, agencies, and organisations, including the Ministry of Construction, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Federal Antimonopoly Service, Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources, Federal Agency for Fisheries, and others.
The Headquarters’ main tasks are to assess the environmental situation in the region, develop coordinated measures to stabilise it, and identify and systematise problematic issues. The Headquarters will interact with federal and regional government agencies, public organizations, and experts. Meetings are planned to be held at least once per quarter. Decisions are expected to be advisory.
In the top photo: the middle Caspian Sea, monitoring of dead Caspian seals stranded in Dagestan, December, 2020. Credited by N.R. Shumeyko, Kaspika Caspian Seals Conservation Agency.
Sources: Federal Service for Environmental, Technological and Nuclear Supervision of the Russian Federation; Ecology National Information Agency; Newsfeed of Dagestan.