Chechnya

• 1. Ancient Origins And Prehistory

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  Traces of human settlement dating back to 40,000 BC were found near Lake Kezenoyam. Cave paintings and artifacts indicate continuous habitation for some 8,000 years in this region. People living in these early settlements used tools, fire, and clothing made from animal skins. The Caucasian Epipaleolithic era saw the introduction of agriculture and irrigation systems. Settlements near Ali-Yurt and Magas revealed stone axes and polished stones. In the mountains there were settlements made from stone and surrounded by walls. Some of them dated back to 8000 BC. This period also saw the appearance of the wheel around 3000 BC. Horseback riding emerged alongside metal works including copper, gold, silver, and iron. Artifacts like daggers, knives, and arrow tips appeared in the region. These items were found near Nasare-Cort, Muzhichi, and Ja-E-Bortz. American linguist Johanna Nichols has used language to connect modern people of the Caucasus region to ancient farmers of the Fertile Crescent. Her research suggests that farmers of the region were proto-Nakh-Daghestanians. The Nakh, Dagestanian languages are the closest thing we have to a direct continuation of the cultural community that gave rise to Western civilisation.

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• 2. Imperial Conquest And Resistance

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  Russian Emperor Peter the Great first sought to increase Russia's political influence in the Caucasus when he launched the Russo-Persian War of 1722, 1723. Russian forces succeeded in taking much of the Caucasian territories from Persia for several years. As the Imperial Russian Army took control of the Caspian corridor, they ran into mountain tribes. Peter sent a cavalry force to subdue them, but the Chechens routed them. In 1732, after Russia had ceded back most of the Caucasus to Persia, now led by Nader Shah, Russian troops clashed again with Chechens in a village called Chechen-aul along the Argun River. The Russians were defeated again and withdrew. This battle is responsible for the apocryphal story about how the Nokhchiy came to be known as "Chechens". However, the name "Chechen" had already been used as early as 1692. Under intermittent Persian rule since 1555, in 1783, eastern Georgians signed the Treaty of Georgievsk with Russia. To increase its influence in the Caucasus, the Russian Empire began conquering the Northern Caucasus mountains. The rebellion was led by Mansur Ushurma, a Chechen sheikh belonging to the Naqshbandi Sufi order. He hoped to establish an Islamic state based in the Transcaucasus under Sharia law. He was unable to fully achieve this because he was betrayed by Ottoman Turks and executed in 1794. After Persia was forced to cede current territories of Dagestan to Russia following the Russo-Persian War of 1804, 1813, Russia significantly widened its foothold in the Caucasus at Persia's expense.

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• 3. Soviet Deportation And Return

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  In the 1930s, Chechnya was flooded with many Ukrainians fleeing a famine. As a result, many of the Ukrainians settled in Chechen-Ingush ASSR permanently and survived the famine. Although over 50,000 Chechens and over 12,000 Ingush were fighting against Nazi Germany on the front line, entire nations were deported during Operation Lentil to the Kazakh SSR in 1944 near the end of World War II. Over 60% of Chechen and Ingush populations perished during this deportation. The deportation was justified by materials prepared by NKVD officer Bogdan Kobulov accusing Chechens and Ingush in a mass conspiracy preparing rebellion. Many of the materials were later proven to be fabricated. Even distinguished Red Army officers who fought bravely against Germans were deported. The territory of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was divided between Stavropol Krai, Dagestan ASSR, North Ossetian ASSR, and Georgian SSR. The Chechens and Ingush were allowed to return to their land after 1956 during de-Stalinization under Nikita Khrushchev when the Chechen-Ingush ASSR was restored but with both boundaries and ethnic composition significantly changed. There were many predominantly Russian migrants from other parts of the Soviet Union who often settled in abandoned family homes of Chechens and Ingushes. The republic lost its Prigorodny District which transferred to North Ossetian ASSR but gained predominantly Russian Naursky District and Shelkovskoy District that is considered the homeland for Terek Cossacks.

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• 4. Wars Of Independence And Chaos

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  The First Chechen War took place from 1994 to 1996 when Russian forces attempted to regain control over Chechnya. Despite overwhelming numerical superiority in troops, weaponry, and air support, Russian forces were unable to establish effective permanent control over the mountainous area due to numerous successful full-scale battles and insurgency raids. The Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis in 1995 shocked the Russian public. In April 1996, the first democratically elected president of Chechnya, Dzhokhar Dudayev, was killed by Russian forces using a booby trap bomb and a missile fired from a warplane after he was located by triangulating the position of a satellite phone he was using. After the war, parliamentary and presidential elections took place in January 1997 in Chechnya and brought to power new president Aslan Maskhadov. In light of the devastated economic structure, kidnapping emerged as the principal source of income countrywide, procuring over US$200 million during the three-year independence of the chaotic fledgling state. In 1998, 176 people were kidnapped, 90 of whom were released according to official accounts. President Maskhadov started a major campaign against hostage-takers, and on the 25th of October 1998, Shadid Bargishev, Chechnya's top anti-kidnapping official, was killed in a remote-controlled car bombing. The War of Dagestan began on the 7th of August 1999 when Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade began an unsuccessful incursion into neighboring Russian republic of Dagestan.

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• 5. Kadyrov Era And Human Rights

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  Since 2007, Chechnya has been governed by Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov's rule has been characterized by high-level corruption, poor human rights record, widespread use of torture, and growing cult of personality. Allegations of anti-gay purges in Chechnya were initially reported on the 1st of April 2017. On the 1st of February 2009, The New York Times released extensive evidence to support allegations of consistent torture and executions under the Kadyrov government. The accusations were sparked by assassination in Austria of former Chechen rebel Umar Israilov who had gained access to Kadyrov's inner circle. In 2006, Human Rights Watch reported that pro-Russian Chechen forces under command of Ramzan Kadyrov used torture to get information about separatist forces. If you are detained in Chechnya, you face real and immediate risk of torture. There is little chance that your torturer will be held accountable. On the 1st of July 2009, Amnesty International released detailed report covering human rights violations committed by Russian Federation against Chechen citizens. Among most prominent features was that those abused had no method of redress against assaults ranging from kidnapping to torture while those responsible were never held accountable. On the 9th of July 2017, Russian newspaper published list of 27 names of people known to be dead but stressed that list is not all of those killed. Some of dead were gay but not all.

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• 6. Demographic Shifts And Demographics

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  According to 2021 Census, population of republic is 1,510,824 up from 1,268,989 in 2010 Census. As of 2021 Census, Chechens at 1,456,792 make up 96.4% of republic's population. Other groups include Russians at 18,225 or 1.2%, Kumyks at 12,184 or 0.8%. The birth rate was 25.41 in 2004. In 2004 it was 25.7 in Achkhoi Martan, 19.8 in Groznyy, 17.5 in Kurchaloi, 28.3 in Urus Martan and 11.1 in Vedeno. Despite difficult past, Chechnya has high life expectancy one of highest in Russia. But pattern of life expectancy is unusual and according to numerous statistics, Chechnya stands out from overall picture. In 2020, Chechnya had deepest fall in life expectancy but in 2021 it had biggest rise. Chechnya has highest excess of life expectancy in rural areas over cities. Average population reached 1,509 thousand by 2021 with 30,345 live births and 8,904 deaths. Total fertility rate stood at 2.50 in 2021. Ethnic composition shows dramatic shift from 67.3% Chechens in 1926 Census to 96.4% in 2021 Census.

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