11:18, 11 May 2022

Authorities of Chechnya make mourning for Akhmat Kadyrov main topic of Memory and Sorrow Day

"Day of Remembrance and Sorrow for the Victims of Deportation" banner in Grozny, May 2017. Photo by Akhmed Aldebirov for the Caucasian Knot

On the Memory and Sorrow Day of the Chechen People marked on the anniversary of the funeral of Akhmat Kadyrov, the first republic's president was commemorated in Chechnya. Earlier, local residents complained that they were not ready to combine the Sorrow Day with mourning for Akhmat Kadyrov, and that they were forced to participate in commemorative events and rituals.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the Memory and Sorrow Day is marked in Chechnya on May 10. This date was set by Ramzan Kadyrov in 2011 as an alternative to mourning for the victims of Stalin's deportation. The date coincided with the funeral of the first president of the republic, Akhmat Kadyrov, who was killed in a terror act committed at the Dynamo Stadium in Grozny on May 9, 2004.

On February 23, 1944, the operation “Lentil” was started, during which almost 500,000 Chechen and Ingush people were deported from the territory of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. According to various estimates, 10,000 people died on the way, and during the first years after the eviction, 100,000 people died.

On May 10, Chechnya held actions and rituals dedicated to the Memory and Sorrow Day of the republic's nations. The Chechen leadership and representatives of public organizations honoured the memory of the first president of the republic, Akhmat-Hadji Kadyrov, in his native village of Akhmat-Yurt, the "Chechnya Today" has reported.

That day, the "Dhikr" (Zikr) ritual commemorating Akhmat-Hadji Kadyrov and his comrades-in-arms was held in the house of the head of Chechnya. Ramzan Kadyrov has also placed a post on the "VKontakte" social network, in which he addressed residents of Chechnya in connection with the memorable date and mentioned his father, treating him as a national hero. Users left more than 400 comments to this post; several of them are dedicated to the memory of the deportation victims.

"The nationality-based deportation is a terrible milestone in our country's history. Chechens, Ingushes, Karachais, Crimean Tatars, Volga Germans, Kalmyks, Balkars and other nationals were subjected to forced resettlement. We must not forget about this. This should never happen again!" the user Olga Olga has written, in particular.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 10, 2022 at 11:59 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: The Caucasian Knot