In autumn 2018, on the border between Ingushetia and Chechnya in Russia’s North Caucasus, border posts began to move mysteriously. Soon after, it was discovered that a boundary agreement had been struck between the two republics, led by Yunus Bek-Evkurov on the side, and Ramzan Kadyrov on the other.
Angered at the transfer of 10% of a border region, a popular movement emerged in Ingushetia to protest this decision. Zarifa Sautiyeva, ex-deputy director of the Museum of Victims of Political Repression in Ingushetia, found herself in the middle of it alongside journalist Izabella Evloyeva - streaming the events live on Facebook.
Zarifa was later arrested as part of a crackdown on the movement, with 26 people charged with violence against the police. She is the only woman arrested for her part in the disruption caused by the issue and has been in a pre-trial detention centre since June 2019.
