Chechens. Cultural and historical heritage of the village

From time immemorial, Chechens have been famous as hardy, strong, dexterous, inventive, tough and skillful warriors. The main features of the representatives of this nation have always been: pride, fearlessness, the ability to cope with any life difficulties, as well as high respect for blood kinship. Representatives of the Chechen people: Ramzan Kadyrov, Dzhokhar Dudayev.

Take it to yourself:

Origin of the Chechens

There are several versions of the origin of the name of the Chechen nation:

• Most scientists are inclined to believe that the people began to be called this way around the 13th century, after the village of Bolshoi Chechen. Later, they began to call this not only the residents of this locality, but also all neighboring villages of a similar type.
• According to another opinion, the name “Chechens” appeared thanks to the Kabardians, who called this people “Shashan”. And, supposedly, representatives of Russia simply slightly changed this name, making it more convenient and harmonious for our language, and over time it took root and this people began to be called Chechens not only in Russia, but also in other countries.
• There is a third version - according to it, other Caucasian peoples initially called the inhabitants of modern Chechnya Chechens.

By the way, the word “Vainakh” itself translated from Nakh into Russian sounds like “our people” or “our people.”

If we talk about the origin of the nation itself, it is generally accepted that the Chechens have never been a nomadic people and their history is closely connected with the Caucasian lands. True, some scientists claim that in ancient times, representatives of this nation occupied larger territories in the northeastern Caucasus, and only then migrated en masse to the north of the Caucasus. The very fact of such a relocation of people does not raise any particular doubts, but the motives for the move are not known to scientists.

According to one version, which is partly confirmed by Georgian sources, the Chechens at a certain moment simply decided to occupy the North Caucasus space, where no one lived at that time. Moreover, there is an opinion that the name Caucasus itself is also of Vainakh origin. Allegedly, in ancient times this was the name of the Chechen ruler, and the territory received its name from his name “Caucasus”.

Having settled in the North Caucasus, the Chechens led a sedentary lifestyle and did not leave their native places unless absolutely necessary. They lived in this territory for hundreds of years (from about the 13th century).

Even when in 1944 almost the entire indigenous population was deported due to the unfair accusation of supporting the Nazis, the Chechens did not remain on “foreign” land and returned to their homeland.

Caucasian War

In the winter of 1781, Chechnya officially became part of Russia. The corresponding document was signed by many respectable elders of the largest Chechen villages, who not only put their signature on paper, but also swore on the Koran that they accepted Russian citizenship.

But at the same time, the majority of the nation’s representatives considered this document a mere formality and, in fact, intended to continue their autonomous existence. One of the most ardent opponents of Chechnya's entry into Russia was Sheikh Mansur, who had enormous influence on his fellow tribesmen, since he was not only a preacher of Islam, but was also the first imam North Caucasus. Many Chechens supported Mansur, which later helped him become the leader of the liberation movement and unite all the dissatisfied mountaineers into one force.

Thus began the Caucasian War, which lasted nearly fifty years. Ultimately, Russian military forces managed to suppress the resistance of the mountaineers, although extremely tough measures were taken to achieve this, including burning hostile villages. Also during that period, the Sunzhinskaya (named after the Sunzha River) line of fortifications was built.

However, the end of the war was very conditional. The established peace was extremely shaky. The situation was complicated by the fact that oil deposits were discovered on the territory of Chechnya, from which the Chechens received practically no income. Another difficulty was the local mentality, which was very different from the Russian one.

The Chechens then repeatedly staged various uprisings. But despite all the difficulties, Russia greatly valued the representatives of this nationality. The fact is that men of Chechen nationality were wonderful warriors and distinguished themselves not only physical strength, but also with courage, as well as an unbending fighting spirit. During the First World War, an elite regiment was created, consisting only of Chechens and called the “Wild Division”.

The Chechens have indeed always been considered wonderful warriors, in whom composure is amazingly combined with courage and the will to win. The physical characteristics of representatives of this nationality are also impeccable. Chechen men are characterized by: strength, endurance, agility, etc.

On the one hand, this is explained by the fact that they lived in rather harsh conditions, where physically weak person it was extremely difficult to exist, and on the other hand, because almost the entire history of this people is connected with constant struggle and the need to defend their interests with arms in hand. After all, if we look at the events that took place in the Caucasus, both in ancient and modern times, we will see that the Chechen people always remained quite autonomous and, in case of dissatisfaction with certain circumstances, easily went into a state of war.

At the same time, the military science of the Chechens has always been very developed and the fathers early childhood They taught their sons to wield weapons and ride horses. The ancient Chechens managed to do the almost impossible and create their own invincible mountain cavalry. They are also considered the founders of such military techniques as roaming batteries, the technique of blocking the enemy, or the deployment of “crawling” troops into battle. From time immemorial, the basis of their military tactics was surprise, followed by a massive attack on the enemy. Moreover, many experts agree that it was the Chechens, and not the Cossacks, who were the ancestors guerrilla method conducting combat operations.

National characteristics

The Chechen language belongs to the Nakh-Dagestan branch and has more than nine dialects that are used in oral and writing. But the main dialect is considered to be Planar, which in the 20th century formed the basis of the literary dialect of this people.

As for religious views, the overwhelming majority of Chechens profess Islam.

Chechens also attach great importance to observing the national code of honor “Konakhalla”. These ethical rules of conduct were developed in ancient times. And this moral code, to put it extremely simply, tells how a man should behave in order to be considered worthy of his people and his ancestors.

By the way, Chechens are also characterized by very strong kinship. Initially, the culture of this people developed in such a way that society was divided into various teips (tribes), belonging to which was of great importance for the Vainakhs. Attitude to one or another clan was always determined by the father. Moreover, to this day, representatives of this people, when meeting a new person, often ask where he is from and what teip.

Another type of association is “tukhum”. This is the name given to teip communities created for one purpose or another: joint hunting, farming, protecting territories, repelling enemy attacks, etc.

Chechen. Lezginka.

The national Chechen cuisine, rightfully considered one of the most ancient in the Caucasus, also deserves special attention. From time immemorial, the main products that Chechens used for cooking were: meat, cheese, cottage cheese, as well as pumpkin, wild garlic (wild garlic) and corn. Special importance is also attached to spices, which, as a rule, are used in huge quantities.

Chechen traditions

Living in the harsh conditions of mountainous terrain also left its mark on the culture of the Chechens and their traditions. Life here was many times harder than on the plain.

For example, mountaineers often cultivated the land on the slopes of peaks and, in order to prevent accidents, they had to work in large groups tying himself with one rope. Otherwise, one of them could easily fall into the abyss and die. Often half the village gathered to carry out such work. Therefore, for a true Chechen, respectable neighborly relations are sacred. And if there was grief in the family of people living nearby, then this grief was for the entire village. If a breadwinner was lost in a neighboring house, then his widow or mother was supported by the entire village, sharing food or other necessary things with her.

Due to the fact that work in the mountains is usually very hard, the Chechens have always tried to protect members of the older generation from it. And even the usual greeting here is based on the fact that they first greet an older person, and then ask if he needs help with something. Also in Chechnya, it is considered bad manners if a young man walks past an older man doing hard work and does not offer his help.

Hospitality also plays a huge role for Chechens. In ancient times, a person could easily get lost in the mountains and die from hunger or an attack by a wolf or bear. That is why it has always been unthinkable for Chechens not to let a stranger into their house who asks for help. It doesn’t matter what the guest’s name is or whether he knows the owners, if he is in trouble, he will be provided with food and lodging for the night.

Take it to yourself:

Of particular importance in Chechen culture There is also mutual respect. In ancient times, mountaineers moved mainly along thin paths encircling peaks and gorges. Because of this, it was sometimes difficult for people to disperse on such paths. And the slightest careless movement could cause a person to fall from the mountain and die. That is why Chechens, from early childhood, were taught to respect other people, and especially women and the elderly.

The first Chechen states appeared in the Middle Ages. In the 19th century, after the long Caucasian War, the country became part of Russian Empire. But even in the future, the history of Chechnya was full of contradictory and tragic pages.

Ethnogenesis

The Chechen people were formed over a long period of time. The Caucasus has always been distinguished by ethnic diversity, so even in the scientific community there has still not been a single theory about the origin of this nation. The Chechen language belongs to the Nakh branch of the Nakh-Dagestan language family. It is also called East Caucasian, according to the settlement of ancient tribes who became the first speakers of these dialects.

The history of Chechnya began with the appearance of the Vainakhs (today this term refers to the ancestors of the Ingush and Chechens). A variety of nomadic peoples took part in its ethnogenesis: Scythians, Indo-Iranians, Sarmatians, etc. Archaeologists attribute the carriers of the Colchis and Koban cultures to the ancestors of the Chechens. Their traces are scattered throughout the Caucasus.

Ancient history

Due to the fact that the history of ancient Chechnya took place in the absence of a centralized state, it is extremely difficult to judge events until the Middle Ages. What is known for certain is that in the 9th century the Vainakhs were subjugated by their neighbors, who created the Alanian kingdom, as well as by the mountain Avars. The latter, in the 6th-11th centuries, lived in the state of Sarire with its capital in Tanusi. It is noteworthy that both Islam and Christianity were widespread there. However, the history of Chechnya developed in such a way that the Chechens became Muslims (unlike, for example, their Georgian neighbors).

In the 13th century, the Mongol invasions began. Since then, the Chechens have not left the mountains, fearing numerous hordes. According to one hypothesis (it also has opponents), the first early feudal state of the Vainakhs was created at the same time. This formation did not last long and was destroyed during the invasion of Tamerlane at the end of the 14th century.

Tapes

For a long time, the lowland areas at the foot of the Caucasus Mountains were controlled by Turkic-speaking tribes. Therefore, the history of Chechnya has always been connected with mountains. The lifestyle of its inhabitants was also shaped in accordance with the conditions of the landscape. In isolated villages, where sometimes only one pass led, teips arose. These were territorial entities created according to tribal affiliation.

Originating in the Middle Ages, teips still exist and remain an important phenomenon for the entire Chechen society. These unions were created to protect against aggressive neighbors. The history of Chechnya is replete with wars and conflicts. The custom of blood feud arose in teips. This tradition brought its own characteristics to the relations between teips. If a conflict flared up between several people, it would inevitably escalate into a tribal war until the complete destruction of the enemy. This has been the history of Chechnya since ancient times. existed very for a long time, since the teip system has largely replaced the state in the usual sense of the word.

Religion

There is practically no information about what the ancient history of Chechnya was like to this day. Some archaeological finds suggest that the Vainakhs were pagans until the 11th century. They worshiped a local pantheon of deities. The Chechens had a cult of nature with all its characteristic features: sacred groves, mountains, trees, etc. Witchcraft, magic and other esoteric practices were widespread.

In the XI-XII centuries. In this region of the Caucasus, the spread of Christianity began, which came from Georgia and Byzantium. However, the Constantinople empire soon collapsed. Sunni Islam replaced Christianity. The Chechens adopted it from their Kumyk neighbors and the Golden Horde. The Ingush became Muslims in the 16th century, and the inhabitants of remote mountain villages - in the 17th century. But for a long time Islam could not influence public customs, which were much more based on national traditions. And only at the end of the 18th century Sunnism in Chechnya took approximately the same positions as in Arab countries. This was due to the fact that religion became an important tool in the fight against Russian Orthodox intervention. Hatred towards strangers was kindled not only on national, but also on religious grounds.

XVI century

In the 16th century, Chechens began to occupy the deserted plains in the Terek River valley. In the same time most of this people remained to live in the mountains, adapting to their natural conditions. Those who went north were looking for a better life there. The population grew naturally, and scarce resources became scarce. Crowding and hunger forced many teips to settle in new lands. The colonists built small villages, which they named after their clan. Some of this toponymy has survived to this day.

Since ancient times, the history of Chechnya has been associated with danger from nomads. But in the 16th century they became much less powerful. Golden Horde fell apart. Numerous uluses constantly fought with each other, which is why they could not establish control over their neighbors. In addition, it was then that the expansion of the Russian kingdom began. In 1560 The Kazan and Astrakhan khanates were conquered. Ivan the Terrible began to control the entire course of the Volga, thus gaining access to the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus. Russia had loyal allies in the mountains in the form of the Kabardian princes (Ivan the Terrible even married the daughter of the Kabardian ruler Temryuk).

First contacts with Russia

In 1567, the Russians founded the Terek fort. Temryuk asked Ivan the Terrible about this, who hoped for the tsar’s help in the conflict with the Crimean Khan, a vassal of the Ottoman Sultan. The construction site of the fortress was the mouth of the Sunzha River, a tributary of the Terek. This was the first Russian settlement that arose in close proximity to the lands of the Chechens. For a long time, it was the Terek fort that was the springboard for Moscow expansion in the Caucasus.

The colonists were the Greben Cossacks, who were not afraid of life in a distant foreign land and defended the interests of the sovereign with their service. It was they who established direct contact with the local natives. The history of the people of Chechnya interested Grozny, and he accepted the first Chechen embassy, ​​which was sent by the influential Prince Shikh-Murza Okotsky. He asked for protection from Moscow. The son of Ivan the Terrible already gave consent to this. However, this union did not last long. In 1610, Shikh-Murza was killed, his heir was overthrown, and the principality was captured by the neighboring Kumyk tribe.

Chechens and Terek Cossacks

Back in 1577, the basis of which was formed by the Cossacks who moved from the Don, Khopr and Volga, as well as Orthodox Circassians, Ossetians, Georgians and Armenians. The latter fled from Persian and Turkish expansion. Many of them became Russified. The growth of the Cossack masses was significant. Chechnya could not help but notice this. The history of the origin of the first conflicts between the highlanders and the Cossacks is not recorded, but over time, clashes became more and more frequent and commonplace.

Chechens and other indigenous people of the Caucasus staged raids to capture livestock and other useful booty. Often, civilians were taken captive and later returned for ransom or made slaves. In response to this, the Cossacks also launched raids into the mountains and plundered villages. And yet there were such cases rather an exception than the rule. There were often long periods of peace when neighbors traded with each other and formed family ties. Over time, the Chechens even adopted some farming features from the Cossacks, and the Cossacks, in turn, began to wear clothes very similar to mountain clothes.

XVIII century

Second half XVIII century in the North Caucasus was marked by the construction of a new Russian fortified line. It consisted of several fortresses, where more and more new colonists came. In 1763, Mozdok was founded, then Ekaterinogradskaya, Pavlovskaya, Maryinskaya, Georgievskaya.

These forts replaced the Terek fort, which the Chechens once even managed to plunder. Meanwhile, in the 80s, the Sharia movement began to spread in Chechnya. Slogans about gazavat - the war for the Islamic faith - became popular.

Caucasian War

In 1829, the North Caucasus Imamate was created - an Islamic theocratic state on the territory of Chechnya. At the same time, the country had its own national hero, Shamil. In 1834 he became an imam. Dagestan and Chechnya were subordinate to him. The history of the emergence and spread of his power is connected with the struggle against Russian expansion in the North Caucasus.

The fight against the Chechens continued for several decades. At a certain stage, the Caucasian War became intertwined with the war against Persia, as well as Crimean War, when Western European countries came out against Russia. Whose help could Chechnya count on? The history of the Nokhchi state in the 19th century would not have been so long if not for the support of the Ottoman Empire. And yet, despite the fact that the Sultan helped the mountaineers, Chechnya was finally conquered in 1859. Shamil was first captured and then lived in honorable exile in Kaluga.

After the February Revolution, Chechen gangs began to attack the outskirts of Grozny and the Vladikavkaz railway. In the fall of 1917, the so-called “native division” returned to its homeland from the front of the First World War. It consisted of Chechens. The division staged a real battle with the Terek Cossacks.

Soon the Bolsheviks came to power in Petrograd. Their Red Guard entered Grozny already in January 1918. Some Chechens supported the Soviet regime, others went to the mountains, and others helped the whites. Since February 1919, Grozny was under the control of the troops of Peter Wrangel and his British allies. And only in March 1920 the Red Army finally established itself in

Deportation

In 1936, the new Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist republic. Meanwhile, partisans remained in the mountains and opposed the Bolsheviks. The last such gangs were destroyed in 1938. However, some residents of the republic still have separate sentiments.

The Great Patriotic War soon began, from which both Chechnya and Russia suffered. The history of the fight against the German offensive in the Caucasus, as on all other fronts, was difficult for Soviet troops. Large losses were aggravated by the appearance of Chechen formations that acted against the Red Army or even colluded with the Nazis.

This gave the Soviet leadership a reason to begin repression against the entire people. On February 23, 1944, all Chechens and neighboring Ingush, regardless of their relationship to the USSR, were deported to Central Asia.

Ichkeria

The Chechens were able to return to their homeland only in 1957. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, separate sentiments arose again in the republic. In 1991, the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria was proclaimed in Grozny. For some time, its conflict with the federal center remained frozen. In 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin decided to send troops into Chechnya to restore Moscow's power there. Officially, the operation was called “measures to maintain constitutional order.”

The First Chechen War ended on August 31, 1996, when the Khasavyurt Agreements were signed. In fact, this agreement meant the withdrawal of federal troops from Ichkeria. The parties agreed to determine the status of Chechnya by December 31, 2001. With the advent of peace, Ichkeria became independent, although this was not legally recognized by Moscow.

Modernity

Even after the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements, the situation on the border with Chechnya remained extremely turbulent. The republic has become a shelter for extremists, Islamists, mercenaries and simply criminals. On August 7, a brigade of militants Shamil Basayev and Khattab invaded neighboring Dagestan. The extremists wanted to create an independent Islamist state on its territory.

The history of Chechnya and Dagestan is very similar, and not only due to geographical proximity, but also due to the similarity of the ethnic and religious composition of the population. Federal troops launched a counter-terrorism operation. First, the militants were thrown out of the territory of Dagestan. Then the Russian army re-entered Chechnya. The active combat phase of the campaign ended in the summer of 2000, when Grozny was cleared. After this, the counter-terrorist operation regime was officially maintained for another 9 years. Today Chechnya is one of the full-fledged subjects of the Russian Federation.

1957 . The return of Chechens to their homeland.

Life in the republic before the collapse of the USSR

Thirteen years have passed since the tragic events of February 1944. The cult of J.V. Stalin was debunked by N.S. Khrushchev at the 20th Congress of the CPSU. The eviction of many peoples from their homeland was considered wrong, and in 1957 the USSR Government restored their right to live where they had lived for centuries. This Resolution was perceived by all the offended, including Chechens and Ingush, as recognition of the mistake that was made by the country's leadership, and brought them great joy. The return home has begun. But this fact was overshadowed by a tragic event in Grozny. In the village named after S.M. Kirov, one of the Chechens who returned home killed a demobilized Russian sailor. His funeral turned into a demonstration. The funeral procession, moving on foot behind the coffin, turned into a huge column, which, stopping at the Regional Party Committee on the square. V.I. Lenin, started a rally demanding that the Chechens be prohibited from returning back. With great difficulty and the efforts of NKVD workers and active party members, the spontaneous rally was suppressed, and the procession moved to the cemetery. But this fact did not remain without a trace and remained in the memory of the city residents for a long time.

The deportation of thirteen peoples must be recognized as unjust. But, taking a closer look at the Chechens who returned to their homeland in 1957, we can conclude that they were already different people. Living separately in a foreign land, among Russians, Germans, and other peoples,
Chechens were forced to adopt the way and style of life that those around them lived. But it was very different from life in the mountains, and therefore they, like sponges, absorbed all the most useful things. Chechens and Ingush learned to live and think in Russian, studied in Russian schools, technical schools, institutes, worked at serious industrial enterprises, some began to occupy leadership positions. Many became friends with Russian families, adopted housekeeping methods, learned how to decorate an apartment’s interior in Russian, and much, much more.

What was it like before the eviction? I remember the year 1937. 1st of May. All the neighbors of our barracks gathered at the apartment of one of the workers to celebrate this holiday. By some chance, an elderly Chechen was among the guests. For a working group, the table was set decently for those times, along with vodka, wine, fried and boiled potatoes were always served, and with these dishes - herring, pickles and tomatoes from barrels, meat (back then everyone kept various livestock), and, well, of course: onions, garlic, parsley, dill and other herbs. Bread in those days was usually black; there was not enough money for white. They ate, drank, sang songs. In general, we celebrated International Workers' Day. If that modern Chechen, brought up in exile and scolding a woman with a “Ryazan muzzle”, would have seen, like a guest of a workers’ company during a meal, he began to slowly drag sauerkraut from the table with his hand and put it in his pocket. He probably really liked her, and he decided to please his relatives at home, or maybe he wanted to show them what Russians eat, or maybe, out of habit, he decided to scoop something up (to steal, that is). His tablemates noticed his actions, but pretended that nothing was happening. When the owner of the apartment noticed that the guest had put a fork in his pocket, his nerves could not stand it, and he screamed: “Eh...! Eh...! When you carried the cabbage, I endured it, but the fork! I don’t have enough of them myself.” The unlucky thief had to part with his loot. They allowed him to take away the cabbage so that he could show what the Russians were “eating.” Before the above example from the past, we were talking about what the Chechens endured from life outside their homeland.

Let's continue. Once, around the seventies, I quite accidentally got into a conversation in the parking lot of the Grozny department store with a Chechen standing next to me. During our conversation, he unexpectedly declared: “Thank you to Stalin. He at least taught us how to live there, in Kazakhstan.” He did not develop his idea further, but I understood him. He probably wanted to say exactly what I wrote above.

From the above we can conclude that the Chechens and Ingush returned from exile more adapted to life in society with other peoples. In Grozny, in the early seventies, a building was finally built and the Checheno-Ingush State University them. L.N. Tolstoy, which enrolled many young people of indigenous nationality. If the forge of personnel for the oil industry, the Grozny Petroleum Institute, mainly enrolled only Russian-speaking students, then after 1957 the number of students gradually began to include Chechens and Ingush who had returned to their homeland.

Realizing the advantages of oil workers over other professions, local Chechen residents flocked to oil refineries and drilling rigs. This is how a layer of Chechen oil workers appeared, albeit a small one. But the leadership of the republic’s oil industry still included qualified Russian personnel. This began to irritate educated Chechens. I already wrote about this above. By 1991, there was a redistribution of personnel in light industry and in trade. Over thirty-four years, the workforce in trade has completely changed. Now almost 90% of Chechen women stood behind store counters. Quite a lot of jobs at construction sites, in the oil, oil refining, metallurgical and especially in light industry were occupied by Chechens and Ingush. Many residents of nearby villages and villages began to travel to work in the city by bus. Another part of the Chechens, having not found work in the city and in the village, created construction teams, mainly from relatives, and began to travel outside the republic to earn money (“for the sabbath,” as they called it). Going out for the whole summer, brigades of cohab workers entered into agreements with collective farms, state farms and other enterprises for the construction of cowsheds, schools, kindergartens, housing and other facilities. Having finished the work, having received the money they earned, the builders returned home for the winter to next year repeat it all over again. And so on from year to year. The third group of local residents became speculators (as they say now - “shuttles”). The Grozny-Moscow train contributed very well to this. From Moscow, future shuttles brought modern things for that time, televisions, carpets and other shortages. Chechens in Grozny have become trendsetters.

I won’t look far for an example. From 1966 to 1995, my wife worked at the Grozny Department Store as a women's dress cutter and was friends with many Chechen saleswomen. One day she told me the contents of a conversation with a young saleswoman. The girl told her: “Oh, Aunt Emma, ​​you don’t know us Chechens. For example, if my friend bought a dress I liked, then I won’t eat for a week or two, but I will definitely buy the same one for myself.” You see, her pride does not allow her to look worse than her friend. This is the Chechen character.

By the time of collapse Soviet Union In Chechnya, a large layer of Chechens appeared long ago in all areas of production activity, there were engineers, technicians, scientists, teachers, and doctors, in short, all the professions necessary to ensure the normal functioning of enterprises and institutions appeared. In the oil industry, site foremen and heads of installations and workshops appeared. In oil production, especially in the Directorates of Malgobekneft, Goragorskneft, Starogrozneft, Oktyabrneft, the number of ordinary Chechen drillers grew much faster than management personnel, and this is the ultimate dream of many.

Recently, at the beginning of 2006, President Putin, in a conversation with a group of leaders from Chechnya, asked them the question: “Who could become the President of the republic at this time?” On asked question The President responded to Ramzan Kadyrov: “If you go out into the street now and ask this question to any Chechen you meet, you will hear the only answer: “I.” Here is a portrait of a real Chechen. They really love leadership positions.

Once, in 1976, when recruiting personnel for the position of The head of the security, consisting of ten people, was hired as a Chechen. He dressed to the nines, walked around the circus, no, he didn’t walk, but moved sedately, slowly, looking around “his possessions” with a master’s gaze. Sometimes he was even confused with the director of the circus himself, by the way, also a Chechen, Yunus Yakubovich Gazaloev, who later became an Honored Worker of Culture of the Chechen Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The number of Chechens at the Krasny Molot plant also grew. The plant was expanding, and there was no longer an influx of Russians, as in the old days. At this point I would like to note that it was during that period that a young Chechen girl, Sazhi Umalatova, appeared at the plant. Having started working as a welder's apprentice, she rose to become a foreman. She was elected as a deputy Supreme Soviet of the USSR. And what a deputy she became! Probably, few people remember that she was the first to criticize the policy pursued by M.S. Gorbachev in the field of state restructuring. At that time, few would have dared to criticize the head of state. Now Sazhi is the leader of one of the socialist parties.

A large cement plant was built in Chiri-Yurt, which was fully serviced by workers from this and surrounding villages. The Republic has risen to its feet. The Grozny proletariat received the first Order of the Red Banner in 1924 for the restoration of the oil industry, and in 1931, for the great successes achieved by the selfless labor of workers, the Grozny oil industry was awarded the Order of Lenin, and in 1942 the second field, Malgobekneft, was awarded the same order. And in 1971, the NGNPZ named after him was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. Anisimov, and the order October revolution"Starogrozneft" and the "Red Hammer" plant. The entire Chechen Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1965, in 1972 - the Order of the October Revolution and the Order of Friendship of Peoples, and in 1982, it was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. It turns out that during the years of Soviet power, the peoples living in the republic and devoting all their strength to ensuring its prosperity were awarded ten orders in total. This is even more than the famous Komsomol, which was awarded only six.

“Friendship of peoples is an ever-blooming tree, the roots of which go far into the past, but its crown blossomed after the Aurora salvo,” said the Chechen poet Magomet Sulayev.

The following lines were written by the Ingush poet Salman Oziev:

“And the shoots of lasting friendship grow stronger

From year to year, from century to century

In a country where brother is people to people

And to man is man.”

For thirty-four years, from 1957 to 1991, the republic changed beyond recognition for the better. In addition to Grozny, four more cities appeared: Malgobek, Gudermes, Argun, Nazran. If a little more time had passed, Shali, Achkhoy Martan, and Urus Martan would also have turned into cities. Based on the number of residents, they can already claim this status. Grozny became the third largest city in the Caucasus after Rostov and Krasnodar. It turned into a large industrial and cultural center. From a dirty, uncomfortable town, in which in 1913 the only Vokzalnaya (Komsomolskaya) street was paved with cobblestones, the city turned into a blooming garden, where not just trees, but also fruit trees grew on the streets; there were very few unpaved streets left. Until 1991, the city could be proudly shown to all visitors. Not all TV viewers notice that now, when it comes to Grozny, they never show a panorama of the streets, the city as a whole, but only individual houses, with difficulty restored after bombing and shelling by the Russians. Because it’s a shame to show what the builder of the new “capitalist society” has done. I don’t even want to remind him of his name once again.

Here I will repeat myself again and say: yes, I am a native resident of Grozny and remember it with nostalgia. Well, how can you forget that before the collapse of the country, you could move freely around the republic without fear that someone would take you prisoner and turn you into a slave. On Sundays, many residents of the republic flocked to spontaneous clothing markets in Grozny, Shalya, Urus-Martan, Kurchaloy and others populated areas. Everything from the latest cars to antiques was sold there, and the sellers and buyers were people of all nationalities.

Without fear, you could go into the forest to pick mushrooms, not because Chechens don’t eat mushrooms, but because no one thought about the danger. My family and friends often went mushroom hunting in the forest behind Duba-Yurt, in the Alkhazurovsky forest. One day, having arrived outside Vedeno, we came across a huge clearing dotted with young honey mushrooms. We collected a full car trunk. I also visited the famous Gunib, where Shamil was captured by Russian troops at one time. And I got there for the simplest of everyday needs. A good friend of mine suggested that in Gunib they sell the most delicious Dagestan potatoes. “Not knowing the ford, I plunged into the water.” On the way from Khasavyurt, several Chechens who needed to go to Leninaul asked me to be passengers. I knew from the map that this was on the way to Gunib, but I didn’t realize that this road was constantly going steeply uphill, and motorists know what it’s like to drive uphill, and even with a full complement of passengers. Having reached Leninaul and disembarked the passengers, I, in first gear, with an overheated engine and a burned-out clutch, finally reached my goal. Having wandered along the mountain road inside the village, I bought the ill-fated potatoes and, in the hope that now I would have to go downhill, I set off on the way back. On the way home, I thought about how difficult it was for the Russian soldiers to storm Gunib, and never at that time would the thought have occurred to me that the descendants of the old Russian soldiers, a hundred and fifty years later, would have to crawl along these impregnable rocks, fulfilling the will of the narrow-minded leaders of Russia. But they crawled. Remember Karamakhi and Chabanmakhi in the Kadori zone of Dagestan in 1999? I think that I have given enough examples that proved that it was possible to live in Chechnya in friendship and harmony. All that was needed was the will of smart leaders.

In the summer, Chechen gangs began to systematically attack the Grozny-Khasavyurt section of the Vladikavkaz railway, and in September, after the withdrawal of regular units of the Russian army from Grozny, Chechen gangs began to attack oil fields and set them on fire. They also carried out systematic and devastating raids on German colonies, Russian economies, farms, villages, settlements of Khasavyurt and adjacent districts. On December 29 and 30, the villages of Kakhanovskaya and Ilyinskaya were completely devastated and burned.

In the fall of 1917, a real battle broke out in Grozny between units of the Chechen cavalry regiment of the Caucasian Native Division that had returned from the front and the Terek Cossacks, which escalated into a pogrom of the Chechens of Grozny. In response, the Chechen National Committee was formed, headed by Sheikh Denis Arsanov. Grozny turned into a besieged fortress, oil production completely ceased.

In December 1917, Chechen units of the Caucasian Native Division captured Grozny. In January 1918, Red Guard detachments from Vladikavkaz established control over Grozny and power in the city passed into the hands of the Military Revolutionary Committee. In March 1918, the Congress of the Chechen People in Goyty elected the Goyty People's Council (chaired by T. Eldarkhanov), which declared support for Soviet power. In May 1918, the Third Congress of the Peoples of the Terek was held in Grozny.

By mid-1918, during clashes between mountain peoples and the troops of General Denikin’s Volunteer Army, the unification of the mountain people around the Avar sheikh Uzun-Hadzhi began. Uzun-Khadzhi with a small detachment occupied the village of Vedeno, entrenched himself in it and declared war on Denikin. In September 1919, Uzun-Haji announced the creation of the North Caucasus Emirate

On August 11, 1918, troops of Terek White Cossacks numbering up to 12 thousand people under the command of L. Bicherakhov attempted to capture Grozny. The city garrison repelled the attack, but after that the siege of Grozny began. For defense, the Bolsheviks assembled a detachment of up to 3 thousand people, consisting of soldiers of the city garrison, highlanders of the surrounding villages and the poorest Cossacks, over whom the commander of the city garrison N.F. Gikalo took leadership. With the participation of G.K. Ordzhonikidze and M.K. Levandovsky, detachments of Red Cossacks with a total number of 7 thousand people under the command of A.Z. Dyakov were created, which in October began to strike at the White Cossack troops from the rear. On November 12, with a simultaneous attack by the besieged from the city and the Red Cossacks under the command of Dyakov, the resistance of the White Cossacks was broken and the siege of Grozny was lifted.

In February 1919, troops of the Caucasian Volunteer Army of General P. Wrangel entered Grozny. In the same month, a train of British troops from Port Petrovsk arrived in Grozny by rail. In March 1919, the Terek Great Cossack Circle began work in Grozny. In September 1919, Grozny attacked a detachment of Chechen pro-Soviet rebels under the command of A. Sheripov. In a battle near the village of Vozdvizhenskoye, A. Sheripov was killed, but in October 1919 the rebel “Army of Freedom” occupied Grozny.

Units of the Red Army entered Grozny in March 1920.

Uzun-Haji died and the “dissolution” of his government was announced.

Chechnya before 1936 Soviet Chechnya

In November 1920, the Congress of the Peoples of the Terek Region proclaimed the creation of the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic with its capital in Vladikavkaz, consisting of six administrative districts, one of which was the Chechen National District. The Sunzhensky Cossack district was also formed as part of the Mountain Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

During the Civil War in Russia, several Russian settlements in large Chechen villages, as well as Cossack villages on the Sunzha, were destroyed by the Chechens and Ingush, their inhabitants were killed. The Soviet government, needing the support of the mountain peoples against Denikin’s Volunteer Army and the Cossacks allied to it, “rewarded” the Chechens by giving them part of the Terek-Sunzha interfluve.

In September 1920, an anti-Soviet uprising began in the mountainous regions of Chechnya and Northern Dagestan, led by Nazhmudin Gotsinsky and the grandson of Imam Shamil, Said Bey. The rebels were able to establish control over many areas within a few weeks. Soviet troops managed to liberate Chechnya from the rebels only in March 1921.

On November 30, 1922, the Chechen NO was transformed into the Chechen Autonomous Region. At the beginning of 1929, the Sunzha Cossack district and the city of Grozny, which previously had a special status, were annexed to the Chechen Autonomous Okrug.

In the spring of 1923, Chechens boycotted elections to local councils and destroyed polling stations in some localities, protesting against the desire of the central authorities to impose their representatives on them in the elections. An NKVD division, reinforced by detachments of local activists, was sent to quell the unrest.

The unrest was suppressed, but there were continuous attacks on the areas bordering Chechnya for the purpose of robbery and livestock theft. This was accompanied by the taking of hostages and shelling of the Shatoy fortress. Therefore, in August-September 1925, another, larger-scale military operation was carried out to disarm the population. During this operation, Gotsinsky was arrested.

In 1929, many Chechens refused to supply bread to the state. They demanded the cessation of grain procurements, disarmament and removal of all grain procurement workers from the territory of Chechnya. In this regard, an operational group of troops and units of the OGPU carried out a military operation from December 8 to December 28, 1929, as a result of which armed groups in the villages of Goyty, Shali, Sambi, Benoy, Tsontoroy and others were neutralized.

But opponents of Soviet power intensified the terror against party-Soviet activists and launched an anti-Soviet movement on a wider scale. In this regard, in March-April 1930, a new military operation was carried out, which weakened the activity of opponents of Soviet power, but not for long.

At the beginning of 1932, in connection with collectivization, a large-scale uprising broke out in Chechnya, in which this time a significant part of the Russian population of the Nadterechny Cossack villages took part. It was suppressed in March 1932, and entire villages were deported from the North Caucasus.

On January 15, 1934, the Chechen Autonomous Region was united with the Ingush Autonomous Region into the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Region. The authorities of the Chi ASSR were dominated by Russians due to the existence of large cities with a predominant Russian population (the cities of Grozny, Gudermes, etc.).

Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

Main article: Checheno-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

On December 5, 1936, the region was transformed into an Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic

Armed anti-Soviet protests continued in Chechnya until 1936, and in the mountainous regions until 1938. In total, from 1920 to 1941, 12 major armed uprisings (with the participation of 500 to 5 thousand militants) and more than 50 less significant ones took place on the territory of Chechnya and Ingushetia. Military units of the Red Army and internal troops from 1920 to 1939, 3,564 people were killed in battles with the rebels.

In January 1940, a new armed anti-Soviet uprising began in Chechnya under the leadership of Khasan Israilov.

Great Patriotic War[edit | edit wiki text]

Main article: Chechnya during the Great Patriotic War

Chechen Republic

"Chechen revolution"

In the summer of 1990, a group of prominent representatives of the Chechen intelligentsia took the initiative to hold the Chechen National Congress to discuss the problems of reviving national culture, language, traditions, and historical memory. On November 23-25, the Chechen National Congress was held in Grozny, which elected an Executive Committee headed by Chairman Major General Dzhokhar Dudayev. On November 27, the Supreme Council of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, under pressure from the executive committee of the ChNS and mass actions, adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Chechen-Ingush Republic. On June 8-9, 1991, the 2nd session of the First Chechen National Congress took place, which declared itself the National Congress of the Chechen People (NCCHN). The session decided to overthrow the Supreme Council of the Chechen Republic and proclaimed the Chechen Republic of Nokhchi-cho, and declared the Executive Committee of the OKCHN, headed by D. Dudayev, to be the temporary authority.

The events of August 19-21, 1991 became a catalyst for the political situation in the republic. On August 19, at the initiative of the Vainakh Democratic Party, a rally in support of the Russian leadership began on the central square of Grozny, but after August 21 it began to be held under the slogans of the resignation of the Supreme Council along with its chairman for “aiding the putschists,” as well as re-elections of parliament. On September 1-2, the 3rd session of the OKCHN declared the Supreme Council of the Chechen-Ingush Republic deposed and transferred all power in the territory of Chechnya to the Executive Committee of the OKCHN. On September 4, the Grozny television center and the Radio House were seized. The chairman of the Grozny executive committee, Dzhokhar Dudayev, read out an appeal in which he called the leadership of the republic “criminals, bribe-takers, embezzlers” and announced that from “September 5 until the holding of democratic elections, power in the republic passes into the hands of the executive committee and other general democratic organizations.” In response, the Supreme Council declared a state of emergency in Grozny from 00:00 on September 5 until September 10, but six hours later the Presidium of the Supreme Council canceled the state of emergency. On September 6, the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Doku Zavgaev, resigned, and acting. O. Chairman of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR Ruslan Khasbulatov became the chairman. A few days later, on September 15, the last session of the Supreme Council of the Chechen-Ingush Republic took place, at which a decision was made to dissolve itself. As a transitional body, a Provisional Supreme Council (VSC) was formed, consisting of 32 deputies, the chairman of which was the deputy chairman of the OKCHN Executive Committee, Khusein Akhmadov. OKCHN created the National Guard, led by the leader of the Islamic Way party, Beslan Kantemirov.

By the beginning of October, a conflict arose between supporters of the OKCHN Executive Committee, led by Akhmadov, and his opponents, led by Yu. Chernov. On October 5, seven of the nine members of the Air Force decided to remove Akhmadov, but on the same day the National Guard seized the building of the House of Trade Unions, where the Air Force met, and the building of the Republican KGB. Then they arrested the republic's prosecutor, Alexander Pushkin. The next day, the OKCHN Executive Committee “for subversive and provocative activities” announced the dissolution of the Air Force, assigning to itself the functions of “a revolutionary committee for the transition period with full power.” The Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR demanded that the Dudayevites surrender their weapons by midnight on October 9. However, the Executive Committee of the OKCHN called this demand “a provocation of an international scale aimed at perpetuating colonial rule” and declared gazavat, calling to arms all Chechens from 15 to 55 years old.

Dudayev's regime

On October 27, 1991, presidential elections were held in Chechnya, won by Dzhokhar Dudayev, who received 90.1% of the votes. Already on November 1, Dudayev’s decree “On declaring the sovereignty of the Chechen Republic” was issued, and on November 2, the Congress of People’s Deputies of the RSFSR declared the elections to the highest body of state power (the Supreme Council) and the President of the Republic illegal. On November 8, the President of the RSFSR Boris Yeltsin signed a decree introducing a state of emergency in the territory of Checheno-Ingushetia. On November 10, the executive committee of the OKCHN called for breaking off relations with Russia and turning Moscow into a “disaster zone,” and the next day the session of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR refused to approve the Decree introducing a state of emergency. Leaders of opposition parties and movements declared their support for President Dudayev and his government as a defender of the sovereignty of Chechnya. The Temporary Supreme Council ceased to exist.

Since November, supporters of Dudayev began seizing military camps, weapons and property of the Armed Forces and internal troops on the territory of Chechnya, and on November 27, General Dudayev issued a decree on the nationalization of weapons and equipment of military units located on the territory of the republic. During his reign, Russians were displaced in Chechnya, which took on the character of ethnic cleansing.

On March 12, 1992, the Parliament of Chechnya adopted the Constitution of the republic, according to which Chechnya was proclaimed “a sovereign democratic legal state created as a result of the self-determination of the Chechen people.” Meanwhile, during this period, opposition to the Dudayev administration formed again. The most radical representatives of the anti-Dudaev opposition created the Coordination Committee for the restoration of the constitutional order in the Chechen-Ingush Republic. On the morning of March 21, armed oppositionists numbering up to 150 people seized the television center and radio center and spoke on Chechen radio calling for the overthrow of the government and parliament of Chechnya. By the evening of the same day, the guards liberated the radio center and suppressed the attempted rebellion. The participants of the rebellion took refuge in the Nadterechny region of the Chechen Republic, whose authorities, since the fall of 1991, did not recognize the Dudayev regime and were not subordinate to the authorities of the Chechen Republic. On June 7, the only unit of the Russian army located there, the Grozny garrison, was withdrawn from Chechnya. In the summer of the same year

By February 1993, a constitutional crisis had arisen in Chechnya between the executive and legislative branches. On April 15, on Teatralnaya Square in Grozny, first under economic and then under political slogans, an opposition rally began, demanding the resignation of the president and government and the holding of new parliamentary elections. Taking advantage of this, on April 17, Dudayev issued decrees dissolving the Parliament, the Constitutional Court, and the Grozny City Assembly, introduced presidential rule and a curfew in the republic, and disbanded the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On the same day, supporters of the president began their rally. On June 4, armed supporters of Dudayev under the command of Shamil Basayev seized the building of the Grozny City Assembly, where meetings of the Parliament and the Constitutional Court of the Chechen Republic were held, dispersing the Parliament, the Constitutional Court and the Grozny City Assembly.

"Civil War in Chechnya"

On January 14, 1994, the Chechen Republic of Nokhchi-cho (Chechen Republic) was renamed the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (CRI). In the same month, the formation of the National Salvation Committee (KNS) attempted to attack the positions of government troops near Grozny, but on February 9 its head, Ibragim Suleimenov, was captured by DGB officers, after which his group disintegrated. In the summer, the armed struggle against the Dudayev regime was led by the Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic (VCCR), headed by the mayor of the Nadterechny district, Umar Avturkhanov, which arose in December 1993. In July-August, the opposition group of the former mayor of Grozny, Bislan Gantamirov, established control over Urus-Martan and the main territory of the Urus-Martan district, and the group of the former head of Dudayev's security, Ruslan Labazanov, over Argun. On June 12-13, armed clashes occurred in Grozny between government troops and the group of Ruslan Labazanov. On August 2, the head of the Supreme Soviet of the Chechen Republic, Umar Avturkhanov, announced that the council was removing Dzhokhar Dudayev from power and taking upon itself “full power in the Chechen Republic.” On August 11, Dudayev signed a decree introducing martial law in Chechnya and declaring mobilization.

In the fall, the formation of the Provisional Council, created with the assistance of Russian security forces, deployed fighting against the Dudayev regime. On September 1, government troops (Dudaevites) attacked the outskirts of Urus-Martan, on September 5 they defeated Ruslan Labazanov’s detachment in Argun, and on September 17 they surrounded the village of Tolstoy-Yurt. On September 27, government troops unsuccessfully attacked the opposition in the Nadterechny region, and at the same time opposition troops launched a raid on the Grozny suburb of Chernorechye from the direction of Urus-Martan. On October 13, Dudayev’s troops attacked the base of opposition units in the area of ​​​​the village of Gekhi. On October 15, opposition troops entered Grozny from two sides and, without encountering resistance, established control over several districts of the capital, finding themselves “400-500 meters” from the complex of government buildings. However, they soon left Grozny, returning to their positions 40 km from the city. In turn, Dudayev said that “special forces units of the Russian army” entered the city with armored vehicles and artillery, but government troops managed to “stop, surround and neutralize them.” On the morning of October 19, government troops, supported by armored vehicles and artillery, launched an attack on the Urus-Martan district and attacked the regional center of Urus-Martan, where the headquarters of the commander of the united armed forces of the opposition, Bislan Gantamirov, was located, and also advanced in the direction of the village of Tolstoy-Yurt.

Meanwhile, the Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic began preparing its final offensive against Grozny. On November 23, the Government of National Revival (GNR) was formed, headed by the former Minister of Petrochemical Industry of the USSR and leader of the Daimokhk movement, Salambek Khadzhiev. On November 26, the anti-Dudaev opposition, led by the Russian military, stormed Grozny, entering the capital from the northern and northeastern outskirts of the city. The Dudayevites repelled the assault, capturing several Russian servicemen. After the failure of the attempt to overthrow Dzhokhar Dudayev by the forces of the Chechen opposition, the Russian government decided to introduce a regular army into Chechnya. On November 29, the Russian Security Council decided on a military operation in Chechnya, and the next day Boris Yeltsin signed secret Decree No. 2137c “On measures to restore constitutional legality and order in the territory of the Chechen Republic.”

First Chechen War

Main article: First Chechen War

Fights around the building of the former Republican Committee of the Communist Party ("Presidential Palace") in Grozny, January 1995

On the morning of December 1, Russian aviation attacked the Kalinovskaya and Khankala airfields, and then the Grozny-Severny airfield, destroying all Chechen aviation. On December 11, Boris Yeltsin signed Decree No. 2169 “On measures to ensure law, order and public safety on the territory of the Chechen Republic.” On the same day, units of the United Group of Forces (OGV), consisting of units of the Ministry of Defense and Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, entered from the west (from North Ossetia through Ingushetia), northwest (from the Mozdok region of North Ossetia) and east (from the territory of Dagestan) to territory of Chechnya. By the end of December, fighting broke out on the approaches to Grozny. On December 20, the Mozdok group occupied the village of Dolinsky and blocked the Chechen capital from the north-west, and the Kizlyar group during the same period captured the crossing near the village of Petropavlovskaya and, having occupied it, blocked Grozny from the north-east. On the night of December 23, units that were part of this group bypassed the city from the east and occupied the capital village of Khankala. On December 31, the Russian army began its assault on Grozny. Heavy street fighting broke out in the city. On January 19, federal troops took the Presidential Palace, after which the main forces of the Dudayevites retreated to the southern regions of Chechnya. Finally, on March 6, 1995, Shamil Basayev’s battalion retreated from the capital’s suburb of Chernorechye, the last territory of Grozny held by Chechen fighters. After the capture of Grozny, the fighting spread to the flat part of Western and Eastern Chechnya. On March 30, Gudermes was occupied, and the next day - Shali.

By the end of April, the Russian army occupied almost the entire flat territory of Chechnya, after which federal troops began preparing for a “mountain war.” The Russian side announced a suspension of hostilities from April 28 to May 11. On May 12, federal forces launched a broad offensive in the foothills, in the Vedensky, Shatoy and Agishtyn directions. On June 3, Vedeno and the dominant heights around Nozhai-Yurt were occupied, and on June 12, the regional centers of Shatoi and Nozhai-Yurt came under the control of federal troops. However, as federal troops advanced south, Chechen fighters transferred part of their forces to the plain. In addition, the number of terrorist operations directed against federal soldiers and Chechen leaders loyal to Russia has sharply increased. The largest of them were the seizure of a hospital in Budyonnovsk in the Stavropol Territory on June 14 by Chechen militants and the attack on January 9, 1996 by a detachment of militants on the Dagestan city of Kizlyar, which was accompanied by the taking of hostages.

After the capture of Grozny, republican authorities recognized by the Russian leadership began to operate on the territory of Chechnya: the Provisional Council and the Government of National Revival. A series of Russian-Chechen negotiations took place in the summer. At the beginning of October, the Chairman of the Government of National Revival became former chairman Supreme Council of the Chechen-Ingush Republic Doku Zavgaev. On December 16-17, elections for the Head of the Chechen Republic were held in Chechnya, which was won by Zavgaev, who received 96.4% of the votes. On March 6, 1996, militants attacked Grozny, capturing part of the city. After three days of fighting, militant groups left the city, taking with them supplies of food, medicine and ammunition. On April 21, Dzhokhar Dudayev was killed by a missile strike from two Russian Su-25 attack aircraft, after Russian intelligence services located the signal from his satellite phone. The next day, the State Defense Council of the ChRI announced... O. President Zelimkhan Yandarbiev. Despite some successes of the Russian Armed Forces, the war began to take a protracted character. On May 27, a meeting was held in Moscow between Boris Yeltsin and Zelimkhan Yandarbiev, which resulted in the signing of an Agreement on a ceasefire, hostilities and measures to resolve the armed conflict in Chechnya. On June 10 in Nazran, during the next round of negotiations, an agreement was reached on the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Chechnya (with the exception of two brigades), the disarmament of separatist groups, and the holding of free democratic elections. Already on July 1, the Chechen side stated that the Russian command did not comply with the terms of the truce, since it did not eliminate the checkpoints, which was provided for by the Nazran agreements. A few days later, the Chechen side threatened to withdraw from the negotiation process. On July 8, General V. Tikhomirov demanded from Yandarbiev “explanations on all the facts” and the return of all prisoners held by the Chechen side by 18:00, and the next day the Russian army resumed military operations. On August 6, Chechen militants attacked Grozny. The Russian garrison under the command of General Pulikovsky, despite significant superiority in manpower and equipment, was unable to hold the city. At the same time, on August 6, the militants took control of the cities of Argun and Gudermes. On August 31, Chairman of the Russian Security Council Alexander Lebed and Chief of the Main Staff of the Armed Forces of the ChRI Aslan Maskhadov signed a truce agreement in Khasavyurt, ending the First Chechen War. The result of the agreement was the withdrawal of federal troops from Chechnya, and the question of the status of the republic was postponed until December 31, 2001.

Interwar crisis in Chechnya

Main article: Interwar crisis in Chechnya

After the death of Dzhokhar Dudayev, the influence of Islamic extremists began to increase in Chechnya, the idea of ​​​​creating an independent national republic was replaced by the construction of an Islamic state in the North Caucasus. Supporters of Wahhabism began to rapidly gain positions in the republic, which was facilitated by the politics of... O. President of the ChRI Zelimkhan Yandarbiev. Sharia courts began to operate throughout Chechnya, and the Sharia Guard was created. Camps were created on the territory of the republic to train militants - young people from Muslim regions of Russia. Criminal structures made business with impunity on mass kidnappings, hostage-taking, theft of oil from oil pipelines and oil wells, terrorist attacks and attacks on neighboring Russian regions.

On January 27, 1997, presidential elections were held in Chechnya, won by Aslan Maskhadov, who received 59.1% of the votes. In the face of intensifying contradictions between the field commanders, who have secured various territories, and the central government, Maskhadov is making attempts to achieve a compromise by including the most recognized opposition leaders in the government. In January 1998, field commander Shamil Basayev was appointed acting. O. Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers. Other field commanders went into open confrontation with the president. On June 20, field commander Salman Raduev spoke on local television, calling on Chechens to take active action against the leadership of the republic. The next day, his supporters attempted to seize television and the mayor's office, but the approaching government special forces clashed with them, as a result of which the director of the national security service, Lecha Khultygov, and the chief of staff of the Raduev detachment, Vakha Jafarov, were killed. On June 24, Maskhadov declared a state of emergency in Chechnya. On July 13, in Gudermes, a clash occurred between soldiers of the Islamic special forces regiment of field commander Arbi Barayev and the national guard battalion Sulim Yamadayev, and on July 15, Barayev’s armed group attacked the barracks of the Gudermes national guard battalion. On July 20, President Maskhadov, by decree, announced the disbandment of the Sharia Guard and the Islamic Regiment.

On September 23, Shamil Basayev and Salman Raduev demanded the resignation of the president, accusing him of usurping power, violating the Constitution and Sharia law, as well as pro-Russian foreign policy. In response, Maskhadov dismissed the government of Shamil Basayev. As a result of the standoff, the president lost control of most of the territory outside Grozny. On February 3, 1999, Maskhadov announced the introduction of “Sharia rule in Chechnya” in full" Parliament was deprived of legislative rights, and the Shura, the Islamic Council, became the highest legislative body. In response to this, Basayev announced the creation of an “opposition Shura,” which he himself headed. While there was a confrontation between supporters of Aslan Maskhadov’s course (“moderates”) and “radicals” (the opposition Shura led by Shamil Basayev), the situation on the Chechen-Dagestan border worsened. The leader of the Dagestani Wahhabis, Bagauddin Kebedov, who received refuge in Chechnya, with the material support of Chechen field commanders, created and armed autonomous military formations. In June-August, the first clashes occurred between the militants who had penetrated into Dagestan and the Dagestan police, and on August 7, the united Chechen-Dagestan group of Wahhabis under the command of Shamil Basayev and the Arab mercenary Khattab from Chechnya invaded the territory of Dagestan. On August 15, Maskhadov declared a state of emergency in Chechnya, and the next day, at a rally in Grozny, he accused the Russian leadership of destabilizing the situation in Dagestan.

Second Chechen War

The Chechens were directly related to the formation of such cultures in the Caucasus as early agricultural, Kuro-Araks, Maikop, Kayakent-Kharachoev, Mugergan, Koban. The combination of modern indicators of archaeology, anthropology, linguistics and ethnography has established the deeply local origin of the Chechen (Nakh) people. Mentions of Chechens (under different names), as about the indigenous inhabitants of the Caucasus, are found in many ancient and medieval sources. We find the first reliable written information about the ancestors of the Chechens from Greco-Roman historians of the 1st century. BC. and the beginning of the 1st century. AD

Archaeological research proves the presence of close economic and cultural ties of the Chechens not only with adjacent territories, but also with the peoples of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. Together with the other peoples of the Caucasus, the Chechens participated in the fight against the invasions of the Romans, Iranians, and Arabs. From the 9th century The flat part of the Chechen Republic was part of the Alanian kingdom. The mountainous regions became part of the kingdom of Serir. The progressive development of the medieval Chechen Republic was stopped by the invasion in the 13th century. Mongol-Tatars, who destroyed the first state entities on its territory. Under the pressure of nomads, the ancestors of the Chechens were forced to leave the lowland areas and go to the mountains, which undoubtedly delayed the socio-economic development of Chechen society. In the 14th century recovered from Mongol invasion Chechens formed the state of Simsir, which was later destroyed by Timur’s troops. After the collapse of the Golden Horde, the lowland regions of the Chechen Republic came under the control of Kabardian and Dagestan feudal lords.

The Chechens, forced out of the lowland lands by the Mongol-Tatars until the 16th century. lived mainly in the mountains, dividing into territorial groups that received names from mountains, rivers, etc. (Michikovites, Kachkalykovites), near which they lived. Since the 16th century Chechens begin to return to the plain. Around the same time, Russian Cossack settlers appeared on the Terek and Sunzha, who would soon become integral part North Caucasian community. The Terek-Grebensky Cossacks, which became an important factor in the economic and political history of the region, consisted not only of fugitive Russians, but also of representatives of the mountain peoples themselves, primarily the Chechens. IN historical literature There was a consensus that in the initial period of the formation of the Terek-Greben Cossacks (in the 16th-17th centuries), peaceful, friendly relations developed between them and the Chechens. They continued until the end of the 18th century, until tsarism began to use the Cossacks for its colonial purposes. Centuries-old peaceful relations between the Cossacks and the highlanders contributed to the mutual influence of mountain and Russian culture.

From the end of the 16th century. The formation of the Russian-Chechen military-political alliance begins. Both parties were interested in its creation. Russia needed the help of the North Caucasian highlanders to successfully fight Turkey and Iran, who had long tried to take possession of the North Caucasus. There were convenient routes of communication with Transcaucasia through Chechnya. For political and economic reasons, the Chechens were also vitally interested in an alliance with Russia. In 1588, the first Chechen embassy arrived in Moscow, petitioning for the Chechens to be accepted under Russian protection. The Moscow Tsar issued a corresponding letter. The mutual interest of the Chechen owners and the tsarist authorities in peaceful political and economic relations led to the establishment of a military-political alliance between them. According to decrees from Moscow, Chechens constantly went on campaigns together with Kabardians and Terek Cossacks, including against the Crimea and Iranian-Turkish troops. It can be said with all certainty that in the XVI-XVII centuries. Russia in the North Caucasus did not have more loyal and consistent allies than the Chechens. About the emerging close rapprochement between the Chechens and Russia in the mid-16th - early 17th centuries. The fact that part of the Terek Cossacks served under the command of the “Okotsk Murzas” - Chechen owners - also speaks for itself. All of the above is confirmed big amount archival documents.

In the second half of the 18th century, and especially in the last two decades, a number of Chechen villages and societies accepted Russian citizenship. Largest quantity The oath of citizenship took place in 1781, which gave some historians reason to write that this meant the annexation of the Chechen Republic to Russia.

However, in the last third of the 18th century. New, negative aspects have also appeared in Russian-Chechen relations. As Russia strengthens in the North Caucasus and its rivals (Turkey and Iran) weaken in the struggle for the region, tsarism increasingly begins to move from allied relations with the mountaineers (including the Chechens) to their direct subordination. At the same time, mountain lands are captured, on which military fortifications are built and Cossack villages. All this meets with armed resistance from the mountaineers.

From the beginning of the 19th century. There is an even more dramatic intensification of Russia's Caucasus policy. In 1818, with the construction of the Grozny fortress, a massive attack of tsarism on Chechnya began. Governor of the Caucasus A.P. Ermolov (1816-1827), discarding the previous, centuries-old experience of predominantly peaceful relations between Russia and the highlanders, began to quickly establish Russian power in the region by force. In response, the liberation struggle of the highlanders rises. The tragic Caucasian War begins. In 1840, in the Chechen Republic, in response to the repressive policies of the tsarist administration, a general armed uprising took place. Shamil is proclaimed Imam of the Chechen Republic. The Chechen Republic becomes an integral part of Shamil's theocratic state - the Imamate. The process of annexation of the Chechen Republic to Russia ends in 1859, after the final defeat of Shamil. The Chechens suffered greatly during the Caucasian War. Dozens of villages were completely destroyed. Almost a third of the population died from hostilities, hunger and disease.

It should be noted that even during the years of the Caucasian War, trade, political-diplomatic and cultural ties between Chechens and Russian settlers along the Terek that arose in the previous period were not interrupted. Even during the years of this war, the border between Russian state and Chechen societies represented not only a line of armed contact, but also a kind of contact-civilization zone where economic and personal (kunic) ties developed. The process of mutual knowledge and mutual influence between Russians and Chechens, which weakened hostility and mistrust, has not been interrupted since the end of the 16th century. During the years of the Caucasian War, the Chechens repeatedly tried to peacefully, politically solve emerging problems in Russian-Chechen relations.

In the 60-70s of the nineteenth century. Administrative and land-tax reforms were carried out in the Chechen Republic, and the first secular schools for Chechen children were created. In 1868 the first primer on Chechen language. In 1896, the Grozny City School was opened. Since the end of the nineteenth century. Industrial oil production began. In 1893 Railway connected Grozny with the center of Russia. Already at the beginning of the twentieth century. The city of Grozny began to turn into one of industrial centers North Caucasus. Despite the fact that these transformations were carried out in the spirit of establishing colonial orders (it was this circumstance that caused the uprising in the Chechen Republic in 1877, as well as the resettlement of part of the population within the Ottoman Empire), they contributed to the involvement of the Chechen Republic into a single Russian administrative, economic and cultural and educational system.

During the years of revolution and civil war anarchy and anarchy reigned in the Chechen Republic. During this period, the Chechens experienced revolution and counter-revolution, an ethnic war with the Cossacks, and genocide by the White and Red Armies. Attempts to create an independent state, both religious (the Emirate of Sheikh Uzun-Haji) and a secular type (the Mountain Republic), were unsuccessful. Ultimately, the poor part of the Chechens chose in favor of the Soviet government, which promised them freedom, equality, land and statehood.

In 1922, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee declared the creation of the Chechen Autonomous Region within the RSFSR. In 1934, the Chechen and Ingush autonomies were united into the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Region. In 1936 it was transformed into the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. During the Great Patriotic War(1941 - 1945) Nazi troops invaded the territory of the autonomy (autumn 1942). In January 1943, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was liberated. The Chechens fought bravely in the ranks Soviet army. Several thousand soldiers were awarded orders and medals of the USSR. 18 Chechens were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

In 1944, the autonomous republic was liquidated. Two hundred thousand soldiers and officers of the NKVD and the Red Army carried out a military operation to deport over half a million Chechens and Ingush to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. A significant part of the deportees died during the resettlement and in the first year of exile. In 1957, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was restored. At the same time, some mountainous regions of the Chechen Republic remained closed to Chechens.

In November 1990, a session of the Supreme Council of the Chechen-Ingush Republic adopted the Declaration of Sovereignty. On November 1, 1991, the creation of the Chechen Republic was proclaimed. The new Chechen authorities refused to sign the Federal Treaty. In June 1993, under the leadership of General D. Dudayev, a military coup was carried out in the Chechen Republic. At the request of D. Dudayev, Russian troops withdrew from the Chechen Republic. The territory of the republic became a place of concentration of gangs. In August 1994, the opposition Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic announced the removal of D. Dudayev from power. The fighting that unfolded in the Chechen Republic in November 1994 ended in the defeat of the opposition. Based on the decree of the President of the Russian Federation B.N. Yeltsin “On measures to suppress the activities of illegal armed groups on the territory of the Chechen Republic”, on December 7, 1994, the entry of Russian troops into Chechnya began. Despite the capture of Grozny by federal forces and the creation of a government of national revival, the fighting did not stop. A significant part of the Chechen people was forced to leave the republic. Chechen refugee camps were created in Ingushetia and other regions. The war in the Chechen Republic at that time ended with the signing on August 30, 1996 in Khasavyurt of an agreement on the cessation of hostilities and the complete withdrawal of federal troops from the territory of the Chechen Republic. A. Maskhadov became the head of the Republic of Ichkeria. Sharia laws were established on the territory of the Chechen Republic. Contrary to the Khasavyurt agreements, terrorist attacks by Chechen militants continued. With the invasion of gangsters in August 1999 into the territory of Dagestan, new stage military operations in the Chechen Republic. By February 2000, the combined arms operation to destroy the gangs was completed. In the summer of 2000, Akhmat-haji Kadyrov was appointed head of the Provisional Administration of the Chechen Republic. The difficult process of reviving the Chechen Republic began. On March 23, 2003, a referendum was held in the Chechen Republic, in which the population overwhelmingly voted in favor of the Chechen Republic being part of Russia. The Constitution of the Chechen Republic was adopted, the laws on the elections of the President and the Government of the Chechen Republic were approved. In the fall of 2003, Akhmat-haji Kadyrov was elected the first President of the Chechen Republic. On May 9, 2004, A. A. Kadyrov died as a result of a terrorist attack.

On April 5, 2007, Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov was confirmed as President of the Chechen Republic. Under his direct leadership, dramatic changes took place in the Chechen Republic in a very short time. Political stability has been restored. The cities of Grozny, Gudermes and Argun have been largely restored. Wide construction works are carried out in the regions of the republic. The healthcare and education systems are fully operational. A new page has begun in the history of the Chechen Republic.