Realization of the program for development of the North Caucasian Federal District boosted signing of the document in late 2012 and the Olympic construction in Sochi determine the political climate in Russia’s South. Recent scandals around Ahmed Bilalov, dismissed head of the Northern Caucasus Resorts, and accusations against Olimpstroy for wasting 15.5 billion rubles expressed in a report of the Chamber of Accounts, emphasize attention paid to problems of the North Caucasus.
Valery Khomyakov, Director General of the Council for National Strategy, told Vestnik Kavkaza that the construction process was a challenge for many peoples, especially Cherkessians. Krasnaya Polyana (Red Meadow) was named so for all the blood spilt there and Cherkessians would not be proud of that episode of their story.
Regarding Russian Plenipotentiary Presidential Envoy to the NCFD Alexander Khloponin, Khomyakov said that it was a political figure with little involvement in Sochi scandals. The expert believes that the goal of Khloponin is to prevent conflicts between elites. He added that Dagestanis, Ingushetians, Chechens and Russians needed a consolidating figure in the region.
