The Extreme Case
Chechnya in the Multi-Ethnic State of Russia
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
Chechens were involved in the fight against the Tsarist Empire’s expansion into the Caucasus in the 19th century. However, the centre of resistance was in Dagestan, and the Circassians fought longer than they did. Even under Soviet rule, when Stalin had entire ethnic groups deported, the suffering of the Chechens did not exceed that of the other peoples who also suffered this trauma. The special case refers to the massive experience of violence and extermina-tion that the Chechens experienced in two wars against Russian troops after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, to the character of the political order that emerged after the ceasefire between Moscow and Groznyi, and to Chechnya’s position in the federation. Chechnya under Ramzan Kadyrov has become a “private state” that, although committed to Russia, claims a degree of auton-omy and dynastic rule that is at odds with Putin’s “power vertical”.
(Osteuropa 1-3/2024, pp. 181–200)