Chechnya through the eyes of Russian

Фото: Depositphotos

Some time ago, in one of the social networks, I left a message with the following content: “They say that in Chechnya now peace and quiet, and God's grace. Kadyrov almost daily swears allegiance to Putin (promising to die for him on occasion), and the Chechens do not think of themselves without Russia, with which they had only recently fought ...

Well, it's time, probably, and I should go there, see if this is really the case. The last time peaceful Russian residents in Ichkeria were killed exactly six years ago. In August 2009, unknown perpetrators shot a family of five people. Then, however, there were still acts of terrorism, the attack of militants on Grozny, the burning of the House of Press. Now, it seems, Ramzan Akhmatovich keeps the situation under control ...

I’m going there alone, without any invitations, recommendations or letters of safe conduct (if you’re afraid of wolves, don’t go into the forest). I’m going to travel around Chechnya, talk to the most ordinary, ordinary people. Find out how they live, what they breathe... You know me, friends - I will not fawn or pander to anyone. I will write honestly about everything I witness. See you when we see you..."

No sooner said than done. Soon your obedient servant was already boarding a plane departing towards Grozny. In his salon I was going to, as usual, carefully ask some neighbor about the sights of Chechnya, but a gloomy-looking uncle of absolutely monstrous proportions was sitting next to me. Most likely, these were some kind of “fighters without rules”. Huge fists, broken noses and ears - it’s not like talking to them, it was scary to watch them ...))

They looked around proudly, if not arrogantly, scribbling to each other in some strange mixture of Russian and Chechen words. Do they lack their own vocabulary, or what, since they are forced to use someone else’s?.. The Chechen language seemed to me harsh, guttural, not much inferior in rudeness to German. “It’s good to give execution orders in such a language,” I thought, shuddering...))

Finally, the plane roared with engines, the athletes sat back in their seats (almost breaking them) and began to mumble something under their breath, turning over the rosary. It must have been in such a simple way that they prayed for a safe flight ... After another two hours, all the women on board, as if on command, donned headscarves. We flew to Grozny ...

Generally, in Chechnya, as I later noticed, there are a lot of people leading a healthy lifestyle. The streets are full of strong guys, of whom few are smokers, even less than those who drink. Kadyrov is trying his best to encourage such moods - he organizes countless competitions in various kinds of martial arts, invites sports celebrities ... In his speeches, the words “the spirit of the nation”, “the health of the nation” are constantly heard ...

At the airport of the Chechen capital they tried to convert me to Islam. Not personally, of course, but through visual campaigning. It was placed directly on the wall of the terminal and read the following: “Where does your path lead? To sin, judgment day, interrogation in the grave, death...” All this splendor was addressed to the atheists, unbelievers and the lost... Only one salvation from inevitable troubles was indicated - the adoption of Islam. It was only necessary to testify that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet... A good start, however...))

Driving around Grozny in the evening in search of a suitable hotel, among other things, I asked the taxi driver: “How are Russians treated here?” “So far so good,” he says. I almost choked in surprise: “What do you mean bye?”... “Of course, the Russians owe a debt, but you pay,” and he looked at me so kindly, as if he had slashed me with a knife... By God, I’m in the Donbass under I felt calmer with bullets...)) “Well,” I think to myself, “guys, we won’t agree on anything with you like that”...

Chechens are simple people. They can calmly come up on the street and ask something bluntly... At first it offended me - you don’t know the person, but he pokes at you... Then someone told me that in the Chechen language there is no pronoun “you”, that’s why in Russian they forget about him.)) By the way, Chechens speak Russian (unlike other Caucasians) with almost no accent. And many of them look like Europeans...

The nature of Chechnya is amazingly beautiful and peculiar; it’s not for nothing that all our famous writers and poets have so enthusiastically glorified the Caucasus. Majestic, many things that have seen mountains in their time; rivers gushing with gigantic energy; the amazing cleanliness of the lake (Kezenoy-Am alone is worth something) - it would seem that in such a reserved place very poetic natures should be born ... However, for some reason, the Russians who came here from the plain wrote the best lines about the Caucasus. Truly, “face to face - not to see the face, the big is seen at a distance” ...

For the people who have not so long ago been at war with the Russian army on their territory, the Chechens live very, very well ... They have houses, for the most part, solid, of good quality, made of red and gray bricks. The gas was carried out even in the most high-mountainous areas (in contrast to Russia, where it is not always possible to find it even fifty kilometers from Moscow). I even thought it a sinful thing that if some depressive Russian region had declared a war against the center in its time, then today it would have lived no worse than Chechnya. Because rights are given only to those who fight for them. And those who are silent, they are only taken ...

If we talk about the “national cuisine of the Chechens,” it is extremely poor and undemanding. Actually, there are few Chechen dishes in it, and they are either very fatty or almost tasteless. The Vainakhs themselves admit that their food is of little health benefit. The main difference between Chechen cuisine lies in its asceticism, because the Nokhchi had absolutely no time to cook - they preferred competition in raids to competitions in the culinary arts...

As for Chechen women, they, not being, of course, written beauties, could nevertheless serve as a good example for our charming women. The Chechen women sacredly honor the traditions of their people; they are moderately devout and modest, they have a lot of dignity. In addition, Chechen women are very hard at work and, very importantly, they never complain about their fate.)) In the markets, in shops, hotels and cafes, they mostly work. Whereas men prefer to serve in security structures, whom in Ichkeria are countless ...

By the way, in Chechnya, people advocating inter-ethnic marriages are considered almost terrorists, because they are undermining the monolith of the nation. Local officials say this without hesitating, Kadyrov is talking about this ... Try someone in Moscow to say that a Russian girl should not marry, suppose an African - he will be immediately accused of all mortal sins. We have such a strange state ...

The personality cult of a famous clan in Chechnya could have been envied by Stalin himself. The whole republic was hung with portraits of Kadyrov Sr., Junior and Putin. As they say, father, son and holy spirit ... Local TV without heartburn is impossible to watch. No matter what is on the screen, be it a gala concert, a sporting event or just news, every artist, official and journalist considers it his duty and sacred duty to sing some praise to "dear Ramzan Akhmatovich." Of course, I understand that the proud and independent Vainakhs are absolutely sincere in expressing their loyal feelings, but even it would not hurt them sometimes to remember that only a sense of proportion is good ...

Terrible, of course, does not represent any special historical value (since almost all of them are new), but it is surprising how quickly Ramzan (with federal money, of course) managed to restore it from the ruins. So the statements that the Chechens do not want, do not know how and do not like to work, in this case do not correspond to reality - someone has built all these houses and bridges ...

Some evil tongues claim, however, that these were Turkish and Tajik builders, but I don’t believe in such malicious insinuations... The Vainakhs - after all, they themselves have a mustache... At least you can visually imagine where our countless rubles and kopecks were spent ...

Here is Minutka Square, where the fiercest battles between local separatists and the Russian army took place during the first Chechen war. Now there are residential buildings made of glass and concrete in which Vainakhs live... But the suburb of the Chechen capital - the man-made Grozny sea splashes there now...

The most impressive and beautiful avenue in Grozny bears the name of Putin. It was renamed from Victory Street by personal order of Kadyrov - as a sign of gratitude of the Chechen people to the president, who is surprisingly generous with subsidies...

The Chechens are very impressed with the militant name of their capital, but nowhere else will you find any mention that the city of Grozny was founded by Russian General Yermolov in 1818, and it was terrible for Abreks in the first place. By the way, an abrek is not at all an offensive word - as Caucasians themselves called Highlanders leading a robber and dashing way of life ...

If you now offer the Chechens to rename “Grozny” to “Peaceful”, they will never agree. And all because show-off is more expensive than money.)) With all their might, always and in everything, they try to maintain the reputation of the Vainakhs as brave and fearless warriors. It's getting ridiculous - more than once or twice I heard on local TV that the Victory Banner over the Reichstag, it turns out, was hoisted by the Chechen Ismailov, and only the derogatory attitude towards the highlanders of official Moscow did not allow them to properly witness this feat...

It’s embarrassing to talk about the Brest Fortress even ... Everyone has long known in Chechnya that it lasted a month just because it was defended by valiant Vainakhs. It remains only to convince the Russian war veterans of this ... What is now Putin, by the way, is engaged in the most active way ...

As often happens with Caucasians, in Chechnya, a lot of pretense. It is clear, because Kadyrov should have the best of everything ... Recently, Chechen television proudly reported about the next "construction of the century", which the head of the republic personally launched. The Akhmat tower (in honor of his father, of course) will have to fly up to the clouds to a height of over 400 meters and become one of the highest in the world ...

The estimated price of an ambitious project is more than a billion rubles. At his solemn laying ceremony, an official invited from Moscow looked bewildered how bravely the Chechens demonstrate their disregard for the economic crisis ... And this is despite the fact that most of the high-rises built in the capital of Chechnya are still empty ...

Vainakhs generally liked to realize their mega-fantasies at the federal expense. All right, in general. Why not be creative if given? .. For example, the mosque of Akhmat Kadyrov in Grozny is the largest in Europe, the name of the stadium (guess who?) Is the largest in the North Caucasus, the Veduchi ski resort is one of the most impressive in Russia ...

Well, in general, people here have almost no work - there are a lot of unemployed young people who are forced to leave for other regions in search of work. This is the biggest paradox of the Chechen economy. Mosques and towers are good, of course, but where are your factories and plants?..

Now, with regard to security ... In Grozny, you can walk more or less calmly, without the risk of becoming a prisoner of the Caucasus once.)) It is unlikely that with the number of policemen who are in this city, someone will kidnap or beat you. But I would not recommend anyone to travel alone through Chechnya unaccompanied by local, especially to remote, alpine villages. The Russian man there looks, to put it mildly, exotic, and this is in the “small but proud republic”, which recently survived the war, is fraught with the most serious consequences ...

Hypocrisy is enough here. So Kadyrov constantly claims that his republic has the lowest crime rate. Perhaps this is true, Ramzan will not miss ... At the same time, we are witnessing a huge shaft of ethnic crime that has swept over other regions of the country. It turns out that local criminal elements have simply moved to where, in their concepts, you can commit crimes ...

However, what am I talking about ... I hope that no one will argue with the fact that the Chechens, in their overwhelming majority, are very cultured, law-abiding and educated guys. They come to Moscow to study and work, they have no time to do any criminal nonsense ... Just some of them have such customs - from time to time to shoot somebody and do something ... They are old mountain traditions, which all of us should, of course, respect ...

Or take, for example, the same lezginka ... For the 10 days spent in Chechnya, I have never seen Chechens dance it somewhere on the street. In Moscow, they strive to perform this fiery dance at every opportunity. Moreover, they choose the most iconic places - at the monument to Pushkin, on Red Square ... Say, look, what we are cool mountaineers ...

Some experts suggest that in this way they, like, mark the territory. But I hope that it is not. Still, we are writing about people, not about animals ... Most likely, it’s only about the attempt of hot Caucasian guys to introduce the celebrating Muscovites to their outstanding choreographic culture ...))

Chechens are very offended when they hear that someone wants to disconnect the Caucasus from Russia. They even insisted on introducing criminal liability for such appeals in our country ... They say that they did not voluntarily join Russia, and would not voluntarily leave it.)) As the saying goes, "you will love the black ones, and the little ones everyone will love us "...

But you can't force yourself by force ... I went to an Orthodox church once (Kadyrov next to the largest mosque in Europe ordered to restore the church destroyed during the war years). On the bench at the entrance are three gray-haired old women.

- How are you, grannies? — I turned to them with a smile.

“We live, we chew bread, even though we have no teeth,” they answer.

- How long have you been here?

- Yes, honor it all your life, falcon.

—Are there many Russians in Grozny now?

- Who knows? Maybe there will be several hundred.

-Where did the rest go? About three hundred thousand people lived here...

The grandmothers cast a frightened look at me: “Well, everyone left...

We were silent ... Where defenseless old men, women and children could “leave” during the years of Dudayev’s lawlessness, I already understood ...

Some Chechen leaders now argue that no one has persecuted Russians from Chechnya. They, themselves, having abandoned all their property, for some reason escaped from the hospitable republic ... But even the main Chechen authority, V. V. Putin, does not agree with them here. In an interview with the French weekly Paris Match, he said: “In fact, in recent years, we have witnessed large-scale genocide against Chechen people against the Russian people, against the Russian-speaking population ...”

Why do we all remember this? Oh, not to, of course, to incite the notorious "ethnic strife." In the end, those who killed the Russians in Chechnya did it much more successfully ... It’s just that it would not hurt for all of us to at least sometimes think with our own head, so that one day it will not be lost ...

By the way, the so-called Russian nationalists (those who are not among the most intelligent) are only going to make Russia for the Russians, while the Chechens, in fact, have already arranged Chechnya for the Chechens ... Which, practically, got away with them. But this is so, by the way ...

In principle, the Chechens are satisfied with Moscow: she regularly pays money (or as some patriots say), does not pay with silly lectures, and even allows Kadyrov to show his muscles (one of the other governors would try to bend the power structures under him - how many would he sit in the power chair?). However, in such an explosive region as Chechnya, without a personal army anywhere ...

It so happened that I myself was once brought up in a school for difficult teenagers, and therefore, I think, I understand a little the psychology of the Chechens. After all, they, as a people, also grew up in unfavorable conditions: the harsh environment (the mountains are not the most comfortable place to live) and the constant struggle for existence with no less wild neighbors hardened the national character of the Chechens, made it tough, touchy, uncompromising ...

Hence the tendency to various kinds of adventures (often very risky and dangerous), the desire to solve all their problems with the help of brute force, the desire to always and in everything be first, including among other more developed peers (peoples) ... Perhaps over time, the customs of the Chechens will be softened, and they will understand that in the modern world one can succeed not only through recklessness and recklessness, but also with the help of other virtues ...

Many of us ask questions: at the end of 90, the Chechens actively fought for their independence, and after Putin (or Allah, as Kadyrov interpreted) began to drench their money tranches from Moscow, they suddenly changed their mind about disconnecting. It turns out that the brave Vainakhs just bought? How long? And will we not get the third Chechen war in the case of shallowing the financial flows flowing into this republic? ..

Some go even further in their reasoning - they say that Chechens and Russians have completely different mentalities, and the only thing that unites them in one state is the abundant funding of the rebellious republic and the personal loyalty of Ramzan Akhmatovich to Vladimir Vladimirovich... What will happen to Chechnya when its benefactor, for one reason or another, will he leave his post?..

“Kadyrov is only scratching his tongue, he needs to at least somehow demonstrate his loyalty to the owner with whom he is dining,” skeptics share their experiences. “The Chechens have never helped the Russians anywhere (they only harmed them), and we see no reason why they could forget their centuries-old hatred of us. Please note that Kadyrov always talks about his devotion to Putin, but never about respect and love for Russians - his fellow tribesmen simply will not understand him”...

Well, to say, in principle, we have only two options: either we leave this troubled region, and our sworn “friends” immediately warm up against Russia, turning the Caucasus into a constantly rotting hotbed of terrorism and drugs, or we continue ( all the last three centuries) to control this space, burning the crap out of the heads of the local Wahhabis with a hot iron and giving all reasonable and respectable Caucasians the opportunity to serve the great Russian Empire ...

In a word, Russia needs to return to the Caucasus (from which we, de facto, left, and which immediately plunged into the medieval chaos of intertribal squabbles and blood feuds). Russia has always pacified (not enslaved, but rather pacified) the warlike highlanders with the power of its weapons and intellect. Without its cultural, humanitarian, civilizational influence, the Caucasus today would be missing dozens of peoples - they would simply be slaughtered by their bloodthirsty neighbors...

I visited many cities and villages of Chechnya - Argun, Vedeno, Gudermes, Itum-Kale, Shali, Urus Martan, Grozny ... Only by these names you can study the geography of military actions that once rattled ... And every time the question: “Where are you from? ? ”Replied -“ I am Russian. ” Honestly, I didn’t notice much cordiality, but no-one showed obvious hostility. Maybe only some surprise, like: and how did you, boy, drift here?)) Sometimes, though, they said something in Chechen, but I don’t know: they were welcome, say, “Welcome”, either showered curses ...))

One day, some Chechen, from whom I had the imprudence to ask for directions, flashed his eyes unkindly and said to me: “Why did you come here? This is not Russia for you!” I put on my face some semblance of a smile: “Why? Kadyrov called. He says we need to develop tourism in the Chechen Republic... “Oh, well, if only Kadyrov,” the native bared his teeth ferociously...

Obviously, this name influenced him soberly. Ramzan is afraid and respected. They say that, putting things in order in Chechnya and crushing the disgruntled by themselves, his people did not shun anything ... But, apparently, it was impossible to act in another way in this permissive enclave ...

I talked somehow with a Chechen in a store, and asked what other local sights deserve my attention. And he says: “Go to the memorial near the village of Khangish Yurt, you will like it there” ... I know quite well the history of Russian-Chechen relations, and therefore, cold looking into his eyes, I ask: “That is, you offer me, the Russian, to go look at the monument to the killers of Russian soldiers? ”...

The Chechen was taken aback for such a few seconds with such impudence, and then howl like: “What kind of chauvinistic manners do you allow yourself ?! Vainakhs are real warriors! Even the girls were ready to strangle the Russian invaders with their bare hands! ”... I answer him as calmly as possible:“ Let us take you, too, in turn, to the monument to the Russian soldiers who destroyed the predatory nests in Chechnya ”... I have not heard, because, after looking at the provocateur with a scornful look, I left the store ...

And yet, on the road I met one Caucasian who partially rehabilitated Chechnya in my eyes. His name was Hasan. We traveled with him almost the entire republic, and he told me a lot about the Chechens. I will not retell here everything that we talked about with this extremely worthy person (especially since much has already disappeared from my mind) - I will only dwell on the main points of interest to the Russian reader...

“Hassan,” I turned to my accidental travel companion, “some Caucasians, including Chechens, ostentatiously beating themselves in the chest with their heels and shouting at every step that they are “noble mountaineers,” are committing mayhem in Russian cities, committing serious crimes - murders , robberies, rapes... What do you think about this?

“Oleg, I’ll tell you this,” Hassan answered me, “the people you’re talking about are not Caucasians, but cowardly jackals, worthy only of contempt! I also sometimes watch the news: they show some scumbag who is crying into the camera, saying that he was arrested only because he is a Chechen. Lies, dog!..”

“Several years ago I had the opportunity to live in Saratov, I studied there at the Ministry of Internal Affairs school - and so they never asked me for documents on the street. Although I don’t look very Russian, right? (Hassan winked at me conspiratorially). “So your cops are doing everything right, the special forces don’t just knock anyone’s face into the asphalt.” We must deal with these bandits in the most merciless way, because they are a disgrace to the Caucasus! And many people in Russia are beginning to think that all Chechens are rapists and robbers. But this is not so!”…

“Hassan, you said that you lived in Saratov some time ago. How did the Russians treat you? "..." By and large, it is normal, although anything has happened. I remember once sitting, doing a crossword puzzle. And so it was cleverly turned out for me that one of my friends exclaimed: “I never would have thought that a Chechen could guess at least one word ...”. But I am not mad at her, she just someone already sang that all Caucasians are stupid ”...

“Hasan, if you don’t shoot me right here, then I confess that before I met you, I thought so too,” I smiled. “Don’t be afraid, Oleg, I don’t even have a pistol with me,” answered the cheerful Chechen . We both laughed...

“Hasan,” I continued to torment him with questions, “do the Chechens have a grudge against the Russians? After all, we fought with each other for a long time”... “Why be offended? Did the Russians kill Chechens? So the Chechens also killed Russians. So, one might say, we are in agreement,” Hassan looked at me carefully, “the war, it affects everyone, and the grief of mothers is the same everywhere...”

“Hasan, sometimes you have to read posts on the Internet from Caucasians in which they claim that all Russians are drunkards and drug addicts”... “Oleg,” he interrupted me, “well, you don’t drink or use drugs. That means not everyone... Do you know how many drug addicts and junkies we have here in Chechnya?.. So, don’t pay attention to all sorts of idiots, they themselves don’t understand what they’re writing about...”

“Hassan, every nation has its good and bad sides, even the Russian (although I, because of my short-sightedness, could not find a single minus in it.)) And what, in your opinion, are the Chechens? How do they differ from all the others? ”...

“Chechens are either very good or very bad - there is no middle ground,” Khasan answered me thoughtfully, and after a short pause he continued. “We can both give the last and take the last... It happens that some rich Nokhchi will not give his hand to a poor man, because his hand is always dirty... And another Chechen is ready to pay with his life for the triumph of justice...”

“Hassan, what do you think, is it possible in Chechnya to repeat the bloody events of 90's?” ... “Yes, unfortunately, it is possible if the authorities lose the confidence of the people or weaken. In this case, people, like a muddy mountain stream, will simply flooded the shores ... I really want Chechnya to remain as part of Russia, because without Russians we have no chance of building a normal life ”...

Hassan asked me questions too, and they were quite original. So, for example, among other things, he was interested in: “Why do Russian men often complain that their wives don’t listen to them?”... “How is it,” the Chechen was indignant, “a man’s word should be law for a woman!” I replied to Hassan that I absolutely and completely agree with him. But the cunning women don’t even listen to me...))

Then Hassan asked: “How could such a great nation as Russians, allow such a nothingness to the Kremlin as Yeltsin?” I remarked to this that it is characteristic of everyone to err: the Germans with Hitler, and the Chechens with Dudayev ...

In general, we parted with him, it seems to me, extremely happy with each other. “If only there were more guys like Hasan,” I thought, “there would immediately be friendship between peoples... And what the Chechen thought about me, you’d better ask him...))

Let's be fair: Kadyrov does a lot to ensure peace and harmony for a long time settled in a rebellious republic. Largely due to his efforts, Russian soldiers stopped killing at Sunzha. He is also trying to uproot the medieval traditions of blood feud, actively preventing the outflow of young Chechens to terrorist LIH. But he still has more to do ...

Almost two and a half hundred years Chechens fought with Russia, and without a trace for their mentality did not pass. While we were reading tales about Kroshechka-Khavroshechka and Vasilisa the Wise, the Vainakhs told their children about the “holy fight against infidels” ... I remember how the video with a five-year-old Chechen boy shocked me, who answered the question: “What will you do when you grow up?” Answered : “Kill Russians!” ...

I was leaving Chechnya on the first of September when happy kids all over the country go to school. So it was in Chechnya. I really want to believe that these kids will never be raised in an atmosphere of hatred, which means they will never lose. Because Russia has the future of the world, and good always triumphs over evil ...

Prophetic Oleg