Dagestan is one of the states in the Russian federation and the current outbreak of a conflict is right up Putin’s street. Why? Because it gives Putin yet another reason to prove to the Ru population that he will protect them. This protection by the ‘ Father Figure’ is one of the legs of a three legged stool that continues the strategy of what keeps Putin - and by extension his predecessors - in power. The impoverished state of Dagestan are brainwashed to ‘mind their own business and never to threaten Putin and he will ‘look after them and protect them’
To this extent , therefor, it’s important that Ru is constantly ‘at war’ against all kinds of internal threats eg ISIS, UKr bombing it and external threats eg NATO, Ru speaking people living in Donetsk and being Treated as subhumans by a UKr.