What Happened: Russia's Constitutional Court has issued a ruling upholding the legality of a land swap deal that the regions of Chechnya and Ingushetia signed on Sept. 26, The Moscow Times reported Dec. 6.
Why It Matters: The ruling could reignite tensions over the controversial deal between the two regions, which sparked protests throughout Ingushetia for several weeks in late September.
Background: Ingushetia and Chechnya, located in the volatile North Caucasus, have a history of tense relations over territorial disputes, as Chechnya's invasion of Ingushetia in the early 1990s prompted the first Chechen war.
Read More:
- Russia: A Local Border Dispute Puts Moscow in a Bind (Oct. 30, 2018)
- Looking Back on the Russian-Georgian War, 10 Years Later (Aug. 7, 2018)
- Russia: Chechnya's President Threatens the Kremlin With Undying Loyalty (Nov. 27, 2017)
