Russia's restive province of Daghestan has had a tough time of late. The assassination last week of a moderate Muslim leader threatens to add new fuel to a cycle of insurgent attacks and government crackdowns, which have seen scores of people die in recent months. Nonetheless, as Reuters photographer Maria Turchenkova discovered on a recent visit, life goes on for inhabitants of the troubled Caucasus region, despite the precarious security situation.
Postcards From The Edge: Daghestan In Pictures

1
Men build a new madrasah, or religious school, in the village of Gimry.

2
Young men and boys pose for a street picture in Gimry.

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A boy hides his face behind a balloon on a street in Gimry.

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A man rides his bicycle in the mountain village of Gimry.

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Mountain mist floats above Gimry's village cemetery.

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Local residents stand near a mini truck, which was seriously damaged during a special antiterrorist operation conducted by Russian military forces in the town of Kaspiysk in July.

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A man stands near a house that was ruined during a special Russian antiterrorist operation in Kaspiysk.

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A Kaspiysk resident shows her house, which was seriously damaged during the Russian antiterrorist operation.

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A woman walks along a road in the settlement of Akhty in southern Daghestan.

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Young Salafi Muslim women spend time at a public women's beach in the Daghestani capital, Makhachkala.

11
Salafi preacher Abdurakhim Magomedov at his home in the village of Novosasitli.