Actual News from Chechnya

Chechen ethnos

The Chechen nation originated in Shem Country thousands of years ago. They subsequently lived a long time in Nakhchuvan wherefrom three brothers moved on to Kazygman to join their fathers relatives living there, including their uncle. They spent 10 years in Kagyzman. After their youngest brother died, the two other brothers headed for Erzrum where they lived for six years. Another brother died and the oldest one who remained then spent some time with the Khalibs who inhabited the southeastern coast of the Black Sea. There he lived for some time with his wife, three sons, four daughters and a nephew. The latter subsequently got married and stayed with the Khalibs, while the eldest bother took his family to the banks of the river Baksan wherefrom his posterity moved north toward what is now the Chechen republic. The legend mentions a place called Khalib. There is no such place now but in ancient times the Khalibs used to live along the southeastern coast of the Black Sea Which means that the legend about migration is not just a piece of the Chechen mullahs imagination because the mullahs simply knew nothing about that.
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Chechen history

The current conflict in Chechnya is largely rooted in the history of Russian-Chechen relations, which include six stages.
The first stage
The first stage, which started in the middle of the 16th century and lasted until the end of the 17th century, was marked by a peaceful colonization of the region. That period is characterized by vassal-allied forms of relations between Moscow tsars and elders of Chechen communities. Moscow was trying to expand its influence in the region by political and economic means mainly. The policy was a success and Chechen communities voluntarily (by signing agreements) announced recognition of the supreme power of the Moscow state.
The second stage
The second stage, which lasted almost throughout the 18th century, marks the beginning of Russia's open military expansion to the North Caucasus. Under Peter I and then Catherine II the doctrine of colonizing the mountain areas prevalent. Though in 1781 oaths of allegiance were officially registered the voluntary submission of Chechen communities bordering on Russian fortresses, the year 1785 marked the beginning of a powerful movement in Chechnya under the leadership of Sheikh Mansur. That was when Chechen people launched an armed struggle for freedom and independence. Sheikh Mansur was the first to make an attempt (still popular nowadays) to unite peoples of the North Caucasus into a single Islamic state. But he failed to do so.
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Russia - Chechnya

Russian regions to Chechnya

A commission for paying off compensations to the Chechen residents for lost homes and property has resumed its activity in Rostov Region. The work was suspended because of the reorganization of migration policy agencies. In October Rostov Region received 12 million rubles from the federal budget to pay the compensation. At a session of the commission 76 applications were considered from the Chechens who moved to the region. Most of the applications were met. 9 million rubles more will be soon transferred. According to the commissions chairman and Deputy Governor of Rostov Region, Alexander Bedrick, the money will be enough to pay off compensation to the majority of the applicants. There are about 100 of them. The local administration has summed up the summer health program, under which funds were allocated for holiday vouchers for local children and kids from Chechen regions devastated by floods, including Naursk and Urus-Martan regions of Chechnya.
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Chechnya as seen by friends

Surgeon Sergei Predybailo, who is currently with the Moscow Endosurgery and Lithotripsy Centre, left Chechnya in 1999, having lived there for more than 20 years. Immediately upon graduation from the Rostov Medical Institute he went to Grozny and began working in City Hospital Number 9. The doctor by calling, someone they call "a natural-born doctor", in the years he worked in Grozny Predybailo both grew professionally and became an instructor for many young doctors. His former disciples - khmed Tapaev, Artur Sambikhadziev and others work now at the Achkhoy-Martan Regional hospital. Akhmed is Deputy Chief Physician and Artur is a surgeon. Their tutor Sergei Predybailo is always pleased to learn about their successes, hoping to see them one day. His link with Chechnya has never broken up during the difficult past decade. His one-time patients whom he operated on, come to see Predybailo in Moscow, and so do people who just happened to hear about this skilled professional. Encounters with them always give him food for dark thoughts "I think I will always be nostalgic about Chechnya, - Predybailo says, The years I spent there were wonderful not only because they were the years of my youth. Many people became my friends and acquaintances, I came to know local people very well, and they became my close friends, who were with me through thick and thin. And when I was in need or distressed, they could be closer to me than my relations. At work we had such a friendly team of same-minded people, with wonderful mutual understanding. And Chechnya itself, in my view, is an ideal place to live: magnificent landscapes, mountains and plains, and warm climate.. And whats most important they are beautiful people. When I took my leave, the parting was very hard; it was "cutting live flesh". When I returned to Moscow, at first I simply felt beside myself, waiting every day for letters, or telephone calls from my friends and people I knew in Chechnya. It is not that acute now, but it really hurts me to see the things that take place there. I live hoping that things will straighten out in Chechnya, that everything will be good, and people would like to return to their remarkable land".
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Issue 40
05.11.02

Chechnya: news | arguments | facts

08 November 2002  The movement of new times opens its office in Chechnya

The inter-regional public and political movement for the development of cultural, public and political ties with Chechnya, new times, has opened its office in Grozny. It has its offices in nine Russian regions and prepares to open in another fifteen. It opens its offices in the regions where there are Chechen diapora. The movement is aimed to help Chechnya to revive peace and give humanitarian aid. The Chechen office has carried out several actions. It sponsored childrens armature arts festival in the republic and helped two arts school in the Gudermes district and the childrens arts school in the city of Gudermes just before the start of the academic year. The children were presented watercolour boxes, papers, brushes, pencils and other items need for painting. It has awarded five scholarships for talented children studying at the republican arts college and plans to grant scholarships for the students at the Chechen State University. The movement is also engaged in the selection of talented youth in literature. According to the head of the Chechen branch of the movement Umar Saiev, this will help to find future men of letters among young people. The movement also the founder of the popular newspaper Obedeneyonny Gazety. The daily tries to give an unbiased picture of the peace process in Chechnya.
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08 November 2002  A new hospital in the village of Chiri-Yurt is well equipped

A new hospital will be opened in the village of Chiri-Yurt of the Shali district shortly. It has 40 beds in the therapeutic ward, 30 in the maternity word and 20 in the surgical ward. According to the deputy head of the local administration Abubakar Paitaev, there is no other hospital in the republic with such advanced equipment. The hospital was repaired according to European style and it has all necessary equipment for diagnosis and treatment. The Chechen health Ministry and Red Cross have supplied the equipment. The hospital has a staff at full strength. A. Paitaev handling the social issues in the district says that the Shali district has made a significant progress in the healthcare area. The district had experienced a shortage of x-ray films and had to buy them in Degestan. Health ministry has already solved this problem. The improvements in healthcare area inspires hope in people for the restoration of peace
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07 November 2002  Reconstruction of Chechnya gains momentum

Russias state owned company of Direktsia engaged in the reconstruction of Chechnya has summed up the results of the work done to realize the federal programme for rebuilding the republic. At its recent meetings it held a competition to distribute the orders among sub-contractors. The activity of the sub-contractors was taken into account when the work was distributed. Some contractors completed only 30 percent of the task and their work was handed over to other efficient organizations. For one, the company Kazbek received additional order worth of 50 million rubles. Checking up by the company has made it possible to prevent theft of 250 million rubles worth of materials by local sub-conductors. The company has worked out a method to prevent further thefts. Under this money will be given to general-contractors and the companys technical inspectors group visits the sites weekly to monitor the work. The attestation commission is consists of the heads of local administrations and the facilities under reconstruction and officials from ministries and departments. The programme of reconstruction work has been revised by taking into account of the results of the first six months. Several projects were excluded from the programme and additional money was given to some other facilities to commission them as scheduled. The Agricultural and Health Ministries have stared to finance the work in the third quarter. Russias state construction committee and the Chechen government are engaged in the reconstruction of houses for those who suffered from floods in June. For this purpose a special management was set up under the Chechen government. The Direktsia Company does not involve in this work. The third management is linked with the agriculture and industrial complex and controlled by the republics agriculture ministry.
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07 November 2002  Russias Justice Ministry helps Chechen children

The children of the boarding school No.1 of Grozny have received presents from Russias Justice ministry under a charity action launched by it. The staff of the Ministry gathered clothes, shoes, materials used in personnel hygiene, toys, stationary, consumer electronics and personal computers for this purpose. The department for prisons supplied furniture for the school. In his message to the Justice Minister Yuri Chaika the Chechen Minister of Education Lema Dadaev expressed gratitude for sending presents to children. (more News from Chechnya)

06 November 2002  V. Elagin: Financing of Chechnya development program will not straightly depend on the results of the national census

The minister of Chechen affairs Vladimir Elagin believes that the number of Chechen citizens (1 088 000 people) is unreal. According to him, local authorities have already faced shuffles. In particular, the number of children and pensioners would be set too high, in order to receive additional pensions and doles. Elagin believes that the population of Chechnya is only 850 000 people, since 200 000 of Chechen citizens have moved to some other regions of Russia for the past two years. Besides there are 68 thousand people that live in the refugee camps in Ingushetia. Furthermore the official number of those who died in the two military campaigns has not been announced yet. Elagin says that these numbers are unknown, though they are obviously vast. According to the minister, financing of Chechnya development program for the year 2003 will not straightly depend on the national census results. (more News from Chechnya)

Chechen traditions

The pre-islamic customs, manifest in farming festivals

The traditional way to celebrate New Year's eve goes way back. The kindling of a new flame was a matter of utmost importance. A new flame was to be burning in the fireplace when New Year's meal was cooked. A long log was put in the fire. Its length determined how long the family would be celebrating. As soon as the log allowed the door to close, a New Year's party, with many good things to eat and drink, with dancing and jesting, could begin. Sooner or later, all logs got shorter, so that every family would sooner or later start celebrating . New Year's logs were prepared in advance: a standing tree, most often an oak, was put to dry. It was a great sin to use fruit trees for this purpose. The ancestors of today's Chechens believed that the forces of evil stepped up action on New Year's eve. They would, for protection, scatter things made of steel in the cattle-sheds and their living quarters. A plentiful meal offered guarantees for the family's wellbeing in the year to come. All creatures, including mice, were to have their bellies full on New Year's eve. Wheat breads were baked. The head, ritual bread was shaped as a circle, with lines radiating from its center. Breads with all kinds of filling in them were baked in addition to the magic one. The eldest member of the family got a square-shaped one while the guests were treated to round breads. Coins, grains of wheat or a spool of yarn might be hidden, for fortune-telling purposes, inside fancy breads. Other fortune-telling methods were applied on New Year's eve. A man was, for example, chosen to spend the night in the sanctuary. He would lie face down and keep his ear pressed to the dirt floor and would, in the morning, try to interpret what he had heard. The same kind of fortune-telling is known in Russia. A Russian village-dweller would go to a crossroads, mark a circle and press his ear to the ground. If he heard a loaded sleigh swish heavily by, next year's harvest would be good. If the sleigh seemed to be empty, the harvest would be poor. Chechens knew a very special method of fortune-telling. They would hold to light a ram's shoulder blade. Spots on the shoulder blade predicted whether next year's harvest would be good, what kind of weather they were to expect and even family developments. A similar method of fortune-telling is known in China. Young girls took advantage of New Year's eve in an effort to find out something about their future husbands. A Chechen girl would bake three very salty little breads. She would put two of them under her pillow and eat the third. The person who gave her, in a dream, a drink of water, was to become her husband. Young people or teenagers would put on their sheepskin coats the wrong side up, and either wear felt hoods decorated with horns or paint their faces black with chimney soot. Such dress parades, as well as the custom of singing carols and begging for penny gifts, are, incidentally, known, till this day, in many countries of Europe and America. But horse races on the third day of a new year are held in Chechnya only. The three winners should be given a horse, a saddle, a bridle, a whip or a piece of clothing. Nowadays, New Year's eve has nothing to do with farming. Neither does it with Islam. People simply get together on New Year's eve to say good-bye to the outgoing year and to welcome in a new and, hopefully, much better year
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