October 2, 2020
Chechnya. The name conjures up different ideas and emotions for many people. For many Americans, the only thing connected to the name of this small southern republic is terrorism, and for many Russians, the same thought arises, only a thousand times more bitter, that bitterness burned into their psyche.
While only a three-day weekend, this was a big trip for me. The mental aspect was similar to my first trip to Dagestan, with thoughts of what could go wrong flashing through my mind, even waking me up at night days before the flight as I wondered if this was a bad decision. I had read articles about travel to Chechnya, which said it is now safe and there is nothing to worry about, but the U.S. Department of State website says otherwise, claiming that there is still the chance of terrorism and kidnapping. As in Dagestan, I knew I would stand out, even with a full beard; I do not have the complexion or hairstyle of a Chechen. The last thing I wanted was to get harrassed while there, or worse. Going to Chechnya, I knew I would have to take a slightly more agreeable approach than normal. The Chechens take honor and religion seriously, and there is no place for jokes or offense. I had the mindset that if someone tells me something that I disagree with, it would be better not to challenge them but rather to simply acknowledge what they say, and go with it. After finding some cheap tickets and gathering up a bit of courage, I took a trip to this troubled yet intriguing part of the world.
Before continuing, I must warn you that a section of this post will read more like a foreign policy article. In this post you will read about the people I met and how I made my way into the mountains to behold some breathtaking scenery, but we will also take a cold, hard look at a region, its people, their history, and the current situation. If you don't want to read about the often grim details, I suggest you skip ahead until you see the photo of a couple boys on a bicycle.
Chechnya has a reputation, interpreted positively or negatively depending on whom you ask. In the west, it is considered a dictatorship within a dictatorship, a personal fiefdom with a cult of personality surrounding the current president, Ramzan Kadyrov. It is associated with bloodshed, human rights abuses, and terrorism. To many Russians, the viewpoint is not so different; the trauma of the Chechen Wars remains not so distant for many and deeply personal, and some consider the republic and its people to be untrustworthy, playing by their own rules. On the other hand, Ramzan Kadyrov is like the president's best friend, which must be confusing for Russians. To many in the Muslim world, Chechnya and its current regime is the paragon of an Islamic warrior culture, a nation of strong men loyal to faith and tradition; extremists most likely think that the current regime has betrayed Islam and sold out to Russia, as do some Chechens, evident by the terrorist activity which continued well after the Second Chechen War was declared to be over in 2009. Yet, no matter whom you ask, one thing is true, that Chechnya stands out, a nation that punches well above its weight, and that many have heard of.
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| Chechen artwork |
I grew up hearing about the casualties of war in faraway places like Iraq and Afghanistan. I remember the whole thing, really, starting with where I was on 9/11 and the subsequent endless media footage of that terrible event. My family watched the news together nearly every day, so I remember the details of America's far-flung conflicts; American soldiers being blown up by IEDs and civilians being accidentally identified as terrorists and gunned down in their homes. Then as an adult, I worked with the traumatised survivors of that conflict, with Iraqis and Afghans who had been accepted as refugees in the state of Maine, where I did what I could to integrate them into our wonderful country. But those far away conflicts were unclear for the average American. Can you imagine what it would have been like if, for example, Iraq were on the border of the United States? That was the situation for Russia, that the terrorists were close to home, at times planting bombs in the Moscow metro. Just as many Americans recognize places like Baghdad and Fallujah, Russians may remember the names of towns in Chechnya and Dagestan which became hotbeds for Islamic terrorism.
I remember hearing about the Beslan School Siege in 2004, during which 334 people, half of them school children, were killed during a hostage stand-off between Chechen terrorists and heavy-handed Russian security forces in the North Caucasus Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. Only 12 at the time, I recall where I was at the time, much like I remember where I was during 9/11. These were the events that woke me up to the reality that the world is not always a kind place. Yet this event shook me; I was a little older, and hearing about a bunch of school children being massacred felt close to home, despite the event being so far away.
I saw the movie Beyond Borders with my family as a teenager. In this film, Angelina Jolie follows her lover, Clive Owen, to war-torn regions around the globe, one of them being Chechnya. Looking back at it, it seems a little far-fetched, but much about the scenes from that part of the film were pretty accurate, from the grey landscape of destroyed buildings to the landmines to the armed gunmen wearing balaclavas. It was then that I became interested in conflicts occuring around the globe, and continue to be interested to this day. Never did I imagine I would go to a place where such a conflict had taken place.
To look at the history of the region, we must first recall that the conflicts in the Caucasus region have deep roots. As the Russian Empire expanded, it came into conflict with highlanders like the Chechens, Ingush, and Dagestanis. These conflicts culminated with the Caucasus Wars of the 1800s, which ended with the surrender of Imam Shamil, the leader of the Caucasus Imamate, in Gunib, Dagestan- you might know this if you read my posts about Dagestan. The region was absorbed into the Russian Empire, and remained even during the Russian Revolution. During World War Two, the Vainakh people, which include Chechens and Ingush (who are the Chechens neighbours and of the same ethnic background and whose language is mutually intelligible with them) saw how Finland, a small nation, was thrashing the Soviet Union in the Winter War. Seeing how a small freedom-loving nation was bravely standing up to the giant that was the USSR, the Chechens and Ingush rekindled their undying desire for freedom, and began a series of low-level insurrections while the USSR still had a non-agression pact with Nazi Germany. For this, Stalin accused them of treason, and during the winter of 1944, had the entire population of Chechens and Ingush stuffed into cattle cars and deported to Kazakhstan, more than half a million people, because in his eyes, they were all traitors.
During the deportation, estimates say more than thirty percent of the Chechen and Ingush population died, with most sources claiming more than a hundred thousand dead. The bodies where thrown out of the cattle cars into the cold and left unburied, and the weak froze and starved to death. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Chechens and Ingush were fighting against the Nazis on the front, unaware that their families were being deported.
Virtually an entire population of people were condemned to the gulag. The Chechens and Ingush were allowed to return only in 1957, after Krushchev was in the process of undoing many of Stalin's excessively heavy-handed policies put into place due to his paranoia. There, the Chechens and Ingush found their homes inhabited by Russians, Dagestanis, and Ossetians who had moved in or even been forcibly relocated; the Vainakh people were homeless in their own country. As you can imagine, this is one of the most tragic events in Chechen and Ingush history, and added to the hatred they had for their occupiers. This event would have repercussions, as intense hatred took root in the psyche of future generations. In a way, the events of the past would have a domino effect, with the independence-minded Chechens of the 1940s conscious of the invasions and ethnic cleansing their great grandparents faced, carried out by the Russian Empire in the 1800s, and the Chechens of the 1990s conscious of the deportation of their grandparents in the 1940s. What will the next generation of Chechens think of the atrocities commited during the Chechen Wars? And what will the future generation of Russians think, when they are told that all Chechens are terrorists? The Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the modern Russian Federation seemed then and seem now to constantly be plagued by ethnic division and mistrust. It is evident that short-sightedness, inattentiveness, and indifference to rising tensions have all lead in large part to these tragedies.
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, many former republics became independent countries, and Chechnya wanted independence as well. The people of Chechnya formed their own secessionist goverment called the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in 1991, and it was initally a secular secessionist movement. Boris Yeltsin's invasion of Grozny during the First Chechen War, which lasted from 1994 to 1996, was a complete disaster and a stain on the reputation of the young Russian Federation. Grozny was completely bombed out, but the separatists technically won. The briefly independent Chechnya became increasingly Islamized, as Wahhabi Sheikhs riled up young men with an ax to grind; it wasn't long before all hopes for a secular and stable government were dashed and Chechnya devolved into a lawless land ruled by Islamic warlords. Among the separatists who fought against Russia was Akhmat Kadyrov, a Chechen separatist leader who would later switch sides and fight to keep Chechnya within the Russian Federation. In 1999, Russia would reassert its dominion over Chechnya with the beginning of the Second Chechen War, which became a jihadist guerilla war between Chechens and foreign fighters and pro-Russia Chechens and Russian armed forces. The new president of Russia showed that there would be no quarter given to terrorists, and that victory would be certain and absolute. Akhmat Kadyrov was given the post of president of Chechnya, but was killed by a bomb blast in 2004 at a football stadium during a Victory Day celebration.
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| Akhmat Kadyrov, the first president of the Chechen Republic |
I have read many articles and watched many videos about the Chechen Wars, and there is something exceptionally repugnant about the conflict; extrajudicial killings, the murder of civilians and the subsequent dumping of their bodies into mass graves while children watched, the decapitation of captured soldiers- it is all just so nasty, so horrifying. Then there was the mass hostage taking, kidnapping, and disappearances; so many Russians and Chechens will never know the fate of their loved ones. Who is to blame? Both sides are to blame. We frequently look for one side, which we may consider to be the primary offender. But the conflicts of the 90s and 2000s were set in motion by events from ages past, and nobody can truly lay blame wholly on one side and not upon the other.
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| Ramzan Kadyrov, the second and current president of Chechnya |
Chechnya is a republic of controversies. In the mid-2000s, the president of the Russian Federation chose Akhmat Kadyrov's son, the young and ambitious Ramzan Kadyrov, to become the new president of Chechnya. A devout Muslim, Ramzan Kadyrov developed a strongman image by effectively stamping out Chechen jihadist cells and separatist groups with brutal efficiency. He continues to show off his strongman image with frequent photo sessions of him practicing martial arts or shooting guns, but also shows his soft side with photos of him holding fluffy animals or playing with tigers. It is because of his absolute loyalty to the president of Russia and his victory-or-death approach that he has successfully clamped down on the terrorism and banditry which formerly plagued Chechnya, having secured the funding from the government to train and arm his Kadyrvotsy- his elite armed units of Chechen fighters from whom he demands absolute loyalty. While in Dagestan, soldiers from different parts of Russia police the checkpoints in remote mountain villages, but Kadyrov has been given the power to police his own republic, any way he chooses, and it can be said that he effectively has Chechnya on lockdown. As a result, many Chechens have left the republic, living as refugees in Europe or elsewhere. Gays are abducted, tortured, and can simply disappear. Those who speak out against him are frequently tracked down and assassinated within the European Union. Kadyrov has also tried to rebrand Chechnya as the new up-and-coming tourist location. I'm unsure how well it is working.
Chechnya is a republic of paradoxes. Worldviews here can range from deeply religious (as strict Sunni Islam is the predominant religion) to secular (as beautiful women can indeed be seen walking the streets without hijabs, but approaching them may not be the best idea). Weapon ownership is the pride of Chechens; one can go shooting at the shooting range in the mall, yet it is actually difficult to own a firearm in the Russian Federation. The appearance of the average Chechen can range from a dark complexion with almost Persian features to light-skinned with red hair and blue eyes. Corruption and terrorism were, and to some degree still are, an issue, yet Chechnya is one of the safest places in Russia in terms of street crime. Chechnya is simultaneously a graveyard for invaders and a place of incredible hospitality.
Grozny, the capital of Chechnya, was originally built as a fortress by the Russians, not long before the Caucasus Wars began. For a very long time it was a city inhabited by Russians, but they started to leave in the 1970s and 80s. When the war broke out, the Russians started to leave the city en masse, and now are a minority in Grozny. The capital was utterly destroyed during the First Chechen War, but since then the whole city has been rebuilt. You can't find a single destroyed building, no physical evidence of the destruction, but some placards can be found around the city showing the location as it was during the war.
Why are the Chechens the way they are? Why are they so tough, so fiery, fierce, and brave? The Caucasus region lies at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and as I mentioned in my posts about Dagestan, have seen endless waves of invaders. The most brutal of these were the Mongols, who tried to wipe out the Chechens completely. Those who weren't killed fled into the mountains where they holed up in stone towers for defence, and fought guerilla wars against the Mongol hordes. In a way, the Chechens are the victims of their own historic location on the map. They are the ethnic embodiment of the phrase 'kill or be killed'. They are a martial people whose fanaticism in combat is unrivaled. Yet, it makes sense, just as it makes sense why the different groups inhabiting the vast Siberian taiga are relatively peaceful; they were far from the deadly events of world history. The Chechens were at the center of it. They have no fear, and are not afraid to fight a bigger opponent; they are arguably among the best fighters in the world, and the saying goes that any good Chechen is worth ten of his enemies.
The national symbol of Chechnya and its people is the wolf, an animal which hunts in packs, but is also sometimes alone. A fierce animal, the Chechens respect wolves, and just as Russians believe it is wrong to kill a bear as it is considered to be the 'master of the forest', Chechens believe that it is wrong to kill wolves. It suits them well, as wolves are animals which roam as they please, fight ferociously when cornered, and enjoy their freedom, much like the people of the Chechen Republic.
Arriving at the Grozny airport, my aspirations of having a nice trip were quickly challenged as people entered the airport and started queuing at a medical checkpoint and pulling out documents, which I learned were documents showing that they did not have Coronavirus. Some did not seem to have this document, and I believe were asked to state where they were staying, perhaps to quarantine. I wondered if I had flown here for nothing as my paranoia got the best of me; I imagined myself sleeping on the airport chairs for a couple nights until my flight. I waited for everyone to go through, and an airport security officer with a huge black beard asked me for my passport. Seeing The United States of America on the inside, he asked me what I was doing in the Chechen Republic, to which I simply answered that I was a tourist. With a perplexed look on his face, he asked me when I was leaving and I showed him my return ticket on my phone. Handing me back my passport, he asked nothing more of me, and wished me "Good luck".
From there I took a taxi to a restaurant. I asked the driver some questions along the way, and we came upon the topic of guns. "A Chechen without a gun is not a Chechen" he said, and I started to wonder if everyone in this city was packing heat.
The restaurant bore the same name as Chechnya's hearty national dish- Zhizhig Galnash. In the Chechen language, Zhizhig is meat, usually beef or lamb on the bone, boiled with salt. Galnash are small unleavened pieces of dough, something inbetween pasta shells and a dumpling. It is served with garlic sauce and broth, and has a similar effect to Dagestani khinkal in that after eating, you are suddenly very sleepy. I left the resturant and began to wander.
Grozny is a city of strong personalities. This is evident by the many huge posters throughout the city and republic of Ramzan Kadyrov. Frequently alongside his picture is the picture of his father, Akhmat Kadyrov, the first president of the Chechen Republic, who has attained legendary status. Lastly, the picture of the current president of the Russian Federation can be seen as well. Like the Kadyrov family, he has an avenue bearing his namesake right in the middle of the city.
Grozny is a city of beauty. The buildings are modern and immaculate, and have a unique style unlike anything else in Russia; some have a Persian or Middle Eastern feel to them, while others seem to be more European. Nearby the restaurant was a large open square- it is not called Lenin Square, as it would be in any other Russian city. Here, there is a large awning with swinging chairs for leisure, and every single brick is laid perfectly. Across the street is the impressive Akhmat Kadyrov Mosque, also called the Heart of Chechnya, a massive Ottoman-style mosque which can hold around 10,000 people. The territory around it, the walkways, trees, and fountains, are all impeccable. Walking by the mosque, I was caught off guard when the call to prayer began blaring from the minarets.
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| 'The Heart of Chechnya' mosque |
By the mosque is a canal through which the Sunzha River flows, little more than a stream; beyond the canal is Grozny city, a collective of modern highrises where the elite can play. One of the buildings is the Hotel Grozny, reportedly the only place in the entire city where one can buy alcohol, as it caters to foreigners. In an attempt to rebrand Grozny's image as a modern, peaceful city, many celebrities where invited for Ramzan Kadyrov's 35th birthday, and it was here that the lavish festivities took place.
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| Grozny city |
Grozny is a city of heroes. That is the message they are trying to send. But who gets to be considered a hero, and by whom? There are in fact many heroes in Chechnya, men who fought against the internal terrorism of their republic during the Second Chechen War, considered heroes of the Russian Federation, and those who fought against Russia during the First Chechen War, considered heros by the Chechens themselves.
Why is it that Grozny is so beautiful, so modern, while many Russian cities are in decay, the pastel paint chipping off the buildings? The answer is simple: money. Chechnya has turned into a 'financial black hole' of sorts. Of course, much funding was directed towards Chechnya to rebuild after the war, and it truly makes sense that to win the hearts and minds of a formerly rebellious people, one must establish good infrastructure. But according to some, the local government operates like a mafia, with those at the top in a contest to see who can accrue the most funding. In otherwords, the situation is similar to the rest of Russia, yet reportedly at a much higher rate. Some eighty percent of Chechnya's income comes directly from the Russian government. Many in Russian now wonder what would happen if the cash flow were to be cut off.
Walking around the city and trying to figure out what to do, I went to the National Museum of the Chechen Republic. On display were ancient artifacts, traditional clothing and weapons, a room dedicated to World War 2, and a beautiful art gallery featuring lovely paintings of the Chechen landscape and traditional life.
After wandering through a maze-like bazaar where I bought a large Kinzhal, a traditional dagger, I walked back to that main square. While calling a cousin and speaking English, a passer-by overheard me and came over to say what's up. Finishing my phone call, we started to speak English together. His name was Ramzan, just like the president of the republic. When he mixed in a couple words of Arabic, I told him I too could speak Arabic, which surprised him. Ramzan was a funny guy, who knew many witticisms and wordplays in the English language. But it wasn't long before we were switching between English, Arabic, and Russian while walking around the city. He told me he knew of a couple Egyptians working in a cafe who I simply must meet. Continuing to speak Arabic on the streets of Russia's most Islamic city, heads were turning left and right at this strange phenomenon. Many people here do know the Arabic language, but for the purpose of studying the Quran, and not for daily conversation. Many Muslims consider knowing Arabic as taking Islam to the next level, so it would seem that I had a leg up on many.
What is interesting about Chechnya is the role that Islam plays in the life and culture of Chechen people. I knew before traveling that there were certain things that were off limits, such as drinking alcohol and wearing shorts. Where things get confusing at times is what makes something acceptable or unacceptable in Chechnya. Alcohol, for example, is unacceptable because according to Islam it is haram, forbidden. Shorts are unacceptable because the Chechens don't like them- it's a Kavkasian thing. More extreme forms of Islam, such as those which took root during the Second Chechen War like Wahabiism, claim that certain forms of music, especially with instruments, and dancing, especially if it involves gender mixing, are both haram. Well, the Chechens have a beautiful and rich musical history, and all Kavkasians have age-old bard and poetry traditions. Similarly, all Kavkasians have their own unique form of dancing, expecially the dance called the lezginka, a beautiful dance where the men show off their athletic-like dancing skills featuring nausea-inducing twirls and showy hand gestures while the women elegantly float around showcasing their beauty. It would seem that Islam has a strong hold in these mountainous republics, but their traditions are timeless.
At the cafe I met the Egyptians, where we drank tea and chatted for a couple hours. Then, Ramzan told me that he could show me a great view of the city from the top of one of the skyscrapers in 'Grozny City'. We walked there and took the elevator to the top, paid 100 rubles, and were let onto the top of the building where a helipad is located. There I got a fantastic view of the city, its boulevards lit up and buildings shining light of different colors. There was a rule though; no photography or videotaping on one side of the roof. You can look, but you can't take any photos from one side, as that is where the palace of Ramzan Kadyrov is located. At long last, I walked to my hostel and checked in for the night.
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| Grozny at night |
The next day I went to a tourism company near the city center. There, I asked for an excursion into the mountains, and was recommended to go to Lake Kazinoy-Am right near the border of Dagestan. The agent working there made some phone calls, and it wasn't long before my guide showed up as well as a driver, a friend of the agent who had the day off. The driver, Abdul, was around my age and looked like a typical Chechen- slightly dark complexion and dark brown hair and a large beard. The guide, a women named Madina, did not look especially Chechen- she had blond hair and blue eyes. Yet, she said she was indeed Chechen. Kavkasia is indeed a genetic puzzle, as many groups have come and gone, leaving their genetic imprint on the region.
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| The mosque in Shali |
Leaving Grozny, we drove through the two cities Argun and Shali, which looked just as immaculate. We stopped in Shali where Abdul prayed at a massive Ottoman-style white mosque. Afterwards, we passed through a town called Vedeno and it is in this region where the mountains begin. I learned more about Chechen culture, such as the strict honor code that all Chechens are supposed to live by, which includes blood revenge, a tradition which, as one can imagine, was at one point prevalent throughout the world but has been replaced by the modern court system. Well, it remains prevalent in Chechnya. If a male relative is killed, then his relatives are bound by the code to kill a family member of the offender; Madina explained this in a most casual manner, and it was almost comical hearing it from this pretty blond lady; "If you do something bad to a family member of mine, I'll do something bad to one of yours." Blood revenge, which can cause endless family feuds, has proven to be a difficult thing to control in Kavkasia to this day, and has proven so detrimental that important Imams of Chechnya and Ingushetia have stepped up to act as mediators of forgiveness to avoid the bloodshed. Madina also explained how traditionally, a Chechen man who died without carrying out blood revenge after the death of a relative would have a small hand with the palm facing out painted or carved onto his tombstone, and the honor of his family would suffer.
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| A checkpoint in Vedeno Region |
We made a couple of stops, and near the edge of Vedeno, passed a military checkpoint, complete with soldiers wearing body armor and carrying assault rifles. From there, the road wound up the sides of mountains, the view constantly changing. Chechnya is absolutely beautiful in the fall. The leaves on the trees had just begun to change color, and clouds concealed the true height of the mountains. Now a quiet motorway, one can't help imagine what it must have been like to go up into these mountains twenty years ago, not knowing if one would return.
Up into the mountains we went, further and further, passing few buildings but plenty of herds of sheep. At times low clouds came down, significantly reducing visibility, and then they would disappear, just like that. At long last, Lake Kazenoy-Am came into view. It is known for its beauty, as well as its uniqueness; it is quite deep for being at such a high altitude, and is the largest lake in the North Caucasus.
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| Lake Kazenoy-Am |
Next to the lake was a tourist destination, a resort where one can enjoy a swim in the lake or perhaps go hiking or horseback riding nearby. Beyond was an aul or traditional Kavkasian village, called Khoi; while you can see the real thing in Dagestan, including abandoned stone villages, most traditional villages in Chechnya were ravaged by the war, so this one was built as a reconstruction. A few ruined stone walls were all that was left of the older buildings. The reconstruction was quite huge, much larger than it perhaps needed to be.
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| Khoi, a reconstructed village |
Here one can climb up a traditional defensive tower, or see what a traditional Chechen home would look like and try on a burka and papakha, the tradtitional sheepskin overcoat and hat of the Kavkasian peoples. All the while, Madina was telling me facts about Chechen people and the way they lived their lives in the past and how they live them now. Along the wall of one of the stone buildings were several plaques with different parts of the Chechen Konakhalla, or codex, by which a good Chechen lives his life. I wrote his life, because this is the codex for every man, or Konakh, which basically means warrior, because with so many enemies, it was every man's duty to fight.
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| A burka and papakha, traditional Kavkasian clothing |
For more than a thousand years, hundreds of them spent in mountain hideouts while invaders came and went, the Chechen culture developed in a distinct way. The clan system, a system of teips, some large and some small, preserves the family and one's relatives. But Konakhalla lays out the rules that Chechens must follow. This pre-Islamic codex encompassed everything from behaviour to duty to honor. The codex demands that every Chechen fight and, if needed, give his live for his motherland, but even more important than that was the obligation to uphold one's dignity and honor, considered even more important than one's life.
A strict codex emphasizing duty to protect one's homeland, being true to one's word, and defending one's honor is an effective way of keeping your land safe and your people loyal and righteous. While this codex is in fact ancient, many of its rules are still followed and even considered mandatory today, and this sets the Chechens apart from much of the world as they still have a specific code by which they are supposed to abide.
After lunch in the resort restaurant, we set off on the return trip, through the mountains and clouds, around the winding turns giving way to never-ending mountain scenes. What is incredible is that we drove across half of the entire republic, and it took only two hours. It is not a large territory by any means, nor is the population very large; yet, its significance can not be disputed. Madina asked me how long I was in Chechnya for, and I answered for three days. "You're one of ours now, we can take you if we want" she said smiling. While I clearly understood that she was joking and had no intentions of abducting me, it remains true that in this land, the difference between guest and hostage has at times been blurred, or rather, one and the same. Arriving where we had begun, I said goodbye to Madina and Abdul; I was greatful that I had met them and that I got a view of Chechnya outside of Grozny.
Back in Grozny, I met up with Ramzan and the Egyptians for more tea and Arabic practice. We chit-chatted for quite some time, until we parted ways and wished each other well. Back at the hostel met a couple other guests, a Turkmen and an Azeri. They were interesting to speak with; the Turkmen could not explain his presence in Chechnya, but claimed to be making money by selling hair extensions for women. The Azeri, a big-bearded Islamic type, was soft spoken yet his words were severe, at one point talking about how "Soon it will be the end for the Armenians", speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict which was raging some 400 kilometers south of us.
The following morning, I went to Star Coffee, the Chechen version of Starbucks. No major restaurant chains will open shop in Chechnya. The fear of war and unrest has pervaded this decision, and in response, the Chechens have opened their own brands which are nearly identical and a complete rip-off of the original logos. McDonald's is McDawell's, Burger King is King Burger, and KFC is CFC (Chechen Fried Chicken, perhaps, featuring a bearded Chechen cook instead of Colonel Sanders). I found this to be incredibly humorous, but I must say, the chicken at CFC and the coffee at Star Coffee was quite good.
After walking around a bit, I learned that there was a shooting range somewhere in the city. Abdul told me of one location but there w as a private competition occuring that day, so it was a no go. Then I learned about a range located in the mall. You read that right; in Chechnya, you can go shooting in the mall. Talk about going shooting in the mall on a telephone in the USA and the feds will show up at your house, but in Chechnya, it is a normal activity. Fun for the whole family! After waiting for the instructor and having lunch on the third floor where the arcades and restaurants are located, complete with techno music and socializing teenageers, I descended to the basement to partake in one of the republic's national pastimes.
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After that adventure, I called a taxi to the museum of Akhmat Kadyrov. The taxi driver, a typical Chechen with an Islamic skullcap, was playing oldies, and professed his love of Frank Sinatra, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. This time, I was the one who was baffled. It was an unexpected reminder that despite being at the crossroads of the world and an Islamic region, the Chechens are still within the realm of western influence, and that when it befits them, they enjoy partaking and identifying with it.
The museum of Akhmat Kadyrov blows most museums in Russia out of the water. The outside is flanked with arches, and a statue of a glorious horseman brandishing a sabre overlooks the courtyard. The inside is immaculate, with marble columns and golden arches showing off the ceiling height. Here I viewed national artwork, including portraits, landscapes, and abstract artwork. Three large paintings of three generations of Kadyrovs are on display- Abdulhamid, his son Akhmat, and his son Ramzan. Other pictures, of Akhmat riding a horse or his son in military fatigues, were of no surprise.
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| Three generations of Kadyrovs |
I asked a lady who looked like she was working there if she could tell me a thing or two about the museum, and she decided to give me a full tour. One one floor, everything was dedicated to Akhmat Kadyrov and Chechnya's many war heroes. His office, including his desk and equipment, were on display. His collection of swords, daggers and clothing were behind glass cases. Pictures of him as a boy, through his adolescence, from his time studying Islam in Uzbekistan to his time in office were on the walls. The tie he was wearing when the blomb blast killed him was on display, the clocks in his office set to the very second when he was killed. It was all quite strange. This lady, Anjelika, got a bit emotional at one time, recollecting how she hid in the basement as Russian bombs rained down from the skies in the heaviest bombing operation in Europe since World War Two. She also professed her love and respect for Akhmat Kadyrov, saying "He did so much for us". And I believe her.
I left the museum and walked around the territory, which partly served as Grozny's Victory Park, complete with- you guessed it- Soviet military hardware. I ate at the same cafe as where I had on my first day, and took a taxi to the airport. There, at the first level of airport security, the security guard opened my backpack to admire the dagger I had purchased, approved of it, and I checked my bag. I flew back to Moscow feeling like an item on my bucket list had been crossed off.
Many are quick to point out the negative things about Chechnya today; the human rights abuses, the corruption, the feudal state it has become under the current president. In this way, Chechnya is strangely like a microcosm of Russia. But what many don't understand about Chechnya and Russia is the mentality of the people regarding their rulers. During my years in Russia, I have heard countless people tell me of their negative views towards the current president of the Russian Federation, which range from dislike to strong hatred, and rarely have I met people professing a strong love of their president. Where are all the fans? The president reportedly maintains support from eighty percent of the population, yet the support seems to be lackluster and at times nowhere to be seen. The reality is that Russians are perhaps more realists while Americans are more idealists; no matter what political viewpoints we have, we tend to think of how things could be better with a new president. In Russia, many tend to imagine how things could be worse, and those over the age of thirty remember the economic depression of the 90s, the disastrous wars with Chechnya, and how Boris Yeltsin's replacement gave Russia a strong image, gave Russians an identity and a country to believe in. That was then, and stagnation has now become the norm, yet for many Russians, the status quo and stagnation are better than what they think could be the negative alternative. Many also wonder, and logically so, if we don't have this president, then who will it be? Russia is a massive country, filled with convoluted alliances like the one with Ramzan Kadyrov. Who will keep the country together, a massive country filled with strong, often ruthless personalities, many of them ethnic minorities who at times feel the itch of independence?
I heard a story, a short Russian fable, about a village celebrating the death of the oppressive Tsar. Everyone is celebrating, making merry in the streets, except for one very old woman, who is crying. The townsfolk, in disbelief, ask her why she is crying, as she should rejoice that their oppressive ruler is finally gone. Her response is that she remembers how much worse the Tsar was than the one before him. This fable sums up the situation for many today, a situation which nobody seems to know how it will end. One can apply this to Chechnya as well; despite what is said about Ramzan Kadyrov, he has defeated the terrorists and brought many to justice; he has restored order and peace. It is easy to say that things could be better without him, but I feel that this is naive talk from those who do not understand the reality of life in these regions. Look at the Chechen people; look at their culture, their traditions, their religion, and if you think they will some day become a bright beacon of democracy, that they will change, that they will stop doing the things the do, then you are kidding yourself.
Reflecting upon my trip to Chechnya, it sometimes feels like I visited this republic at the right time in history, a time when there was peace. That said, the future of this region, and of the Caucasus region for that matter, is uncertain. We tend to have this idea that the way things are now are the way they will always be, but history tells us otherwise. This region, with its invasions and wars, seems eternally bound for yet another conflict at some point in time. Where will the next one be? Will it be in Dagestan, in Chechnya? Russia's war with Georgia was not long ago, in 2008, and the Armenian-Azerbaijani Karabakh conflict was extremely recent. Peace is fragile, especially in a land where people were born to go to war.
Everyone I met in Chechnya was nice to me, and I never ran into the slightest negativity towards me as an American. Yet, the reality exists that certain things can still happen in Chechnya. In a strange sort of way, I will always admire this region and the rugged people that it has created, and will always observe the events which occur in this troubled yet magnificent land. If ever there was a destination to which my readers are unlikely to go, this is it. I feel that I will never meet an American who has been to Chechnya.
How do you think you would feel if you traveled to a place like this?
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