Plato of the Janissaries: Russians and Chechens: the number of peoples in the Russian Empire, the USSR and the Russian Federation. Chechens How many Chechens are there in the world?
According to official data, the current population of Chechnya is 1,413,446 people - slightly more than what it was a year ago (1,394,172 people, an increase of 19,274). For comparison, from 2014 to 2015 the increase was 32 thousand.
The reason is not a decrease in the birth rate or an increase in mortality in Chechnya. According to Rosstat, the republic is one of the third of regions of the Russian Federation (28 out of 85) that have fulfilled the plan to reduce mortality.
At the same time, the republic has the highest proportion of children in Russia - more than 34%. In the national fertility ranking compiled by the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, Chechnya is in second place after Tuva. In addition, it leads the top ten in terms of natural population growth.
With such indicators, the rate of increase in the population of Chechnya should have been much higher. What is the reason for the decrease in growth?
As a rule, many more people leave Chechnya than arrive, and this trend continues.
From 2008 to 2015 alone, about 150 thousand Chechens left Chechnya, according to the Russian resource RBC. As a rule, many more people leave the republic (both to other constituent entities of the Russian Federation and abroad) than arrive, and this trend continues. As for emigrants, their number has increased sharply over the past two years, which is clearly demonstrated by the situation on the Belarusian-Polish border, where for the second year now thousands of Chechens are trying to cross the EU border every day. Most of those leaving are those who are fleeing from the authorities.
Since the beginning of the second Russian war in Chechnya, more than two hundred thousand Chechens have found a second homeland in other countries of the world. At the same time, the absolute majority of refugees (about 90%) settled in European countries.
Access to quality health care is often cited as one of the reasons for the exodus of the population from the republic. While Grozny authorities talk about “new hospitals” and “ultra-modern medical equipment” purchased all over the world, Chechen women often prefer to give birth in Stavropol or the Krasnodar Territory.
Raisa Satieva from Argun explained in an interview with Kavkaz.Realii that it is better to travel 300-500 km from Chechnya, but be sure of the correct diagnosis. According to her, among her family and friends there are those who have encountered medical errors, rudeness of medical personnel, and lack of medicines in hospitals. All this makes many people want to get treatment outside the republic.
The director of a private enterprise in the city of Shali, Mairbek K., in an interview with Kavkaz.Realii, also confirmed that at the first opportunity he himself goes and sends his family members to Stavropol region, in particular in Kislovodsk, where “the approach to patients is much better than in Chechnya.”
how many millions of Chechens are there in the world? and got the best answer
and why those??? :)
Reply from Yobot Dunce[guru]
2 billion
Reply from Mikhail Turchenkov[guru]
it seems like they are everywhere
Reply from Adam Novak[guru]
Total population 1,500,000 worldwide (2009) Regions with significant populations Chechnya1,050,000 Russia300,000 (not including Chechnya and north Caucasus) Dagestan115,000 Ingushetia103,000 Kabardino-Balkaria4,000 North Ossetia-Alania3,000 Karachay-Cherkessia2,000 Adyge a1,000 Stavropol Krai15,000 Krasnodar Krai1,000 Europe100,000 (not including Russian Federation) Turkey70,000 Kazakhstan35,000 Jordan10,000 Azerbaijan5,000 Egypt5,000 Syria4,000 Georgia10,000 (including 9,000 Kist people) Iraq2,500 IranN/A (estimates from 2,000-10,000) United States500 Canada100 All data from 2009
Reply from Nataliakarizhskaya[newbie]
one is already a lot and a million is explosive
Reply from Black spirit[guru]
Millions? Fear God. At best, 600 thousand
Reply from Tim Simon Smith[guru]
one and a half million
Reply from Mira[guru]
Jews, Jews all around are Jews... You can add Chechens...
Reply from Dimass[guru]
what millions? there are so many of them
Reply from Malika[master]
HAHAHA, you made me laugh!)) we can’t even reach 1 million!)) where from? This is such a policy that everywhere Chechens are made to blame, so it seems that there are so many of us and in general all Caucasians are only Chechens!))
Reply from LEO LELE[newbie]
Million dial! if you collect from this globe, Russia has always been afraid of them and therefore did not allow them to be outnumbered more than a million otherwise, not only Russia will be taken over, but the whole world too
Reply from Berza-Dog[active]
In Russia there is about one and a half million, and if in the world as a whole, then a little more than two million!
Reply from 2 answers[guru]
Since ancient times, Chechens have lived in the Central and North-Eastern Caucasus. The territory of the Chechen Republic is 17,200 sq. km. The population of Chechnya is over a million people. According to researchers, approximately one and a half million Chechens lives all over the world. Most of them live in Russian Federation. Historians call the Chechen nation “the root part of the Caucasian race.” It is the most numerous of the.
Nakhchoy - Chechen people
The ancestors of modern Chechens appeared in the 18th century as a result of detachment from several ancient clans. The sources contain the name of the people - nakhchoy(i.e. people speaking the Nokhchi language). The ancestors of the Chechens passed through Argun Gorge and settled in the territory of the present republic. Basic language – Chechen, there are dialect groups (Itumkalinsky, Akkinsky, Melkhinsky, Galanchozhsky and others). The Russian language is also quite widespread in the republic. Chechens profess the Muslim faith.
Folklore mythology was influenced by other ancient civilizations. In the Caucasus, the paths of many nomadic tribes and peoples of Asia, the Mediterranean and Europe crossed. Tragic pages in Chechen history caused enormous damage to spiritual culture. During the period of the ban on folk dances and music, and the holding of national rituals, the creative impulses of the Chechens were constrained by fears of falling into political disgrace. However, no restrictions and prohibitions could break or strangle the Chechen identity.
Chechen traditions
Hospitality
Hospitality among the Chechens it has been elevated to the rank of a sacred duty of every citizen. This tradition has historical roots. Traveling through mountainous terrain is not easy; at any moment, an exhausted traveler could hope for outside help. In a Chechen home you will always be fed, warmed and provided with overnight accommodation free of charge. The owner of the house could give the guest some home furnishings as a sign of respect. In gratitude, travelers presented the owner's children with gifts. Such a welcoming attitude towards the guest has been preserved in our time.
In the Caucasus, they treat their mother with special respect: they respect her, try to help in everything and listen to her advice. Men usually stand up when a woman enters the room.
With special trepidation men take care of your hat. It expressed a symbol of male honor and dignity. It is considered extremely humiliating if a stranger touches the papakha. Such behavior from a stranger can provoke a scandal.
Mountain upbringing
Younger family members behave modestly and do not interfere in the conversations and affairs of their elders. To engage in conversation, you need to ask permission. Until now, in a discussion of any issue, you can hear a Chechen utter the phrase: “Can I tell you...”, as if asking for permission to enter into a conversation. Such automatic behavior is an indicator of persistent and harsh upbringing from time immemorial. Excessive affection, caring for small children and anxiety associated with the whims of a child in public were not approved. If for some reason the child burst into tears, he was taken to another room where he calmed down. Children's crying and pranks should not distract adults from important matters and conversations.
In the old days, it was not customary to leave someone else’s things found in your house. In front of witnesses, the item was given to the village mullah so that he could find the owner. In modern Chechen society, it is also considered bad manners to take away someone else’s thing, even if found.
In a Chechen house
Kitchen
One of the revered delicacies is zhizhig galnysh, a simple but tasty dish. Wheat or corn dumplings are boiled in meat broth. Culinary chores are women's concerns, with the exception of funeral dishes that are prepared for funerals.
Wedding traditions
When a woman got married, she received her husband’s family with special respect and treated them with caring respect. The young wife is modest, quiet, incurious. Without special need, a woman should not start a conversation with older relatives. At a Chechen wedding there is even a funny ritual of “untying the bride’s tongue.” The future father-in-law tries to make his young daughter-in-law talk with jokes and tricks, but she clearly adheres to the people's rules and remains silent. Only after giving gifts to the guests was the girl allowed to talk.
Before the wedding, young Chechen women can communicate with their grooms only in crowded public places. The guy always comes on a date first and only then the girl. Maiden honor is the pride of the groom and the subject of protection by the young Chechen, in whom hot Caucasian blood boils.
This question was asked to Ramzan Kadyrov during his interview with the Rossiya 24 TV channel on March 29, 2017 by Ekaterina Grinchevskaya.
Ramzan Kadyrov announced the program, writing: “This morning, watch my interview with the Russia-24 TV channel. Starts at 10.00.” So he wrote in a comment to Ekaterina Grinchevskaya’s post on the Russian-language website “Grozny Information Agency”
- http://www.grozny-inform.ru/main.mhtml?Part=11&PubID=83333
Ramzan Kadyrov is a kind of politician. He knows how to perfectly navigate reality, clearly defining the correct direction of movement of force. In our opinion, the most striking manifestation of this property is that Ramzan Kadyrov was the first to stop calling himself “president”, and began to be called the head of Chechnya. Let us remember that he was the first to take this step after our publication in the President newspaper several years ago.
To understand the foresight of this step, let us compare for comparison the short-sightedness of the “president” of Tatarstan, Minnikhanov, who is now being demolished along with his entire incompetent almshouse. The newspaper "President" several times directly reminded Minnikhanov that it is impossible to get cocky like that...
So, what did millions of Russians ultimately hear on the central news channel? Here are phrases from an interview with the head of the Chechen Republic.
– How many Russians live in the Chechen Republic today?
- Nowadays they don’t live long. There used to be more. This is due to military events and their departure from the republic. In addition, a program was invented for the departure of the Russian-speaking population from Chechnya. Many are returning. We have no difficulties in interethnic or interfaith issues. We recently opened a new Orthodox church in the Naursky district, the most beautiful in the North Caucasus. In the Shelkovsky district they are starting to build another temple. An Orthodox church was one of the first to be opened in Grozny. In this direction, our republic can be called an illustrative example. What happened was invented by our common enemies with the aim of using the Chechen people against the Russian state. It was they who killed Russian, Chechen, and Jewish families in order to make the Chechen people guilty. This is not our fault. We were simply set up. The entire republic was given to Dudayev. Where did he come from? He is a military man, like Maskhadov. Where did Basayev, an intelligence officer, come from? This war was invented against the sovereignty of Russia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was then necessary to destroy Russia. Entire Western European institutions have developed and continue to develop such a strategy, increasing pressure on our country.
Of course, this is an interesting interpretation of the Russian genocide in Chechnya, even justifying their mass flight from their homes and the land developed by their ancestors. And one could agree with Kadyrov, but there are too many “buts”. For example, both Dudayev and Maskhadov, even if they were sent from another planet to frame the Chechens, the Chechens themselves supplied militants, weapons, and food. Or is this also a setup? Auto setup?
One more “but”. It concerns Moscow, where the revelry of the Chechens was prohibitive. He calmed down somewhat only because the Russians completely ran out of money, and the Chechens had to return to the mountains.
I will never forget how live Chechens cut the throat of an eighteen-year-old Russian boy. He died without understanding what these animals were doing to him.
And again this was not done by Basayev and Maskhadov, but by ordinary Chechens - who sensed impunity and were then amnestied en masse by their Jewish patrons in the Kremlin...
“The usual Caucasian cowardly excuses,” is how the behavior of the majority of residents of this region is characterized by judges, prosecutors, and investigators who handled the cases of all dodgy offenders and criminals from this region. The whole country, thanks to the media, now knows how the sons and daughters of the Caucasus behave when caught red-handed. This is no secret to anyone.
“Racing driver” Mara Bogdasaryan still teaches lessons to the Russian public on resourcefulness, lies and forgery. But he does not admit guilt. Even despite the fact that the lawyers overdid it in providing certificates of serious illnesses purchased from doctors and she was deprived of the right to drive a car for life for medical reasons. It seems that this is the norm of behavior of Caucasians when they speak Russian, and not among their own?
– Do you still take this criticism to heart when they say that Moscow feeds Chechnya? – the correspondent continues.
– This is said by those people who have nothing to do with Russia. It offends me when sensible people support such statements. This is just a chatterbox who goes to a rally when he tortures young boys through social media, trying to impose this false opinion on them. I don’t listen to such talkers at all. I listen to those people who should be understanding about everything. When they quote and comment on all this, then it becomes offensive.
– How is the budget of the Chechen Republic formed today?
– The budget of the republic is formed by local and federal revenues, as usual for all other subjects of the Russian Federation.
However, Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the subsidized republic, is not entirely right. More precisely, completely wrong. Chechnya's budget is 90% handouts from the Russians. And in his interview, Kadyrov complained that government officials still have not given him money to build an oil refinery. Although he identified and allocated the site, his deputy prime ministers deceived him, delayed the matter, and the republic has still not received a tranche for the construction.
Father Luka from Belarus, who, buying oil in Russia at a brotherly price, resold it and redistribution products at market prices to the same brothers in the Russian Federation, do not give their neighbors laurels. An ordinary gamble, this is how the blogosphere characterized these commercial qualities of neighbors and pseudo-brothers.
Now let’s remind the head of Chechnya about the figures that the author published a year after Chechen mercenaries shot the American Paul Klebnikov in 2004.
How much does Chechnya cost Russia?
This material is a “thing with a story.” The issue of Journalist magazine with this material was published just as it marks a year since the murder of American journalist Paul Klebnikov near the office of Forbes magazine, which he managed for several months.
Mastering new markets for information, I came to Paul Klebnikov at his new Forbes magazine. Back then in Russia we assumed that this was a serious analytical magazine. And I suggested that Khlebnikov take up the topic of financing the Chechen Republic from federal sources.
Khlebnikov immediately became interested in the topic I proposed. At the same time, he said that his magazine wants to know the true and legal sources of the information received. All data must be documented, with tape recordings provided if this is an interview. Well, yes, yes, that's what I did. Since I worked in the State Duma for many years, it was not particularly difficult for me to obtain information from informed sources.
After a month of painstakingly collecting disparate and contradictory data, I sent the material to Paul Klebnikov by e-mail.
At the meeting, Khlebnikov made it clear to me that he expected more stunning data and figures. I asked him with offense: “Does your publication need sensations or true facts?” Khlebnikov, perked up, replied: “No, no, of course, these are true facts.”
But I didn’t want to print facts and figures about the Chechen war. And I asked, citing the knowledge of the sources of the Stringer newspaper, where I worked, to write essays and business biographies of some of the leaders of the Sibneft oil company. At the same time, from memory, Khlebnikov gave me five or six names that I had never heard of before. I didn’t show it and didn’t refuse the “tempting offer,” but I thought to myself: “Yes, how easy it is for such American guys to collect intelligence in Russia. You, a Russian journalist, will find out terrible secrets, bring collected piles of documents, and after reading them they will say to you: “Well, everyone has known this for a long time.” Khlebnikov said that he was leaving for the USA for several weeks. We agreed to call and meet closer to August.
And a few weeks later, sitting on a beach in Crimea, I heard a message from the radio that the editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, Paul Klebnikov, had been shot dead not far from the editorial building.
Later, our investigative authorities named certain Chechens as the main suspects in the murder of the journalist and even detained someone, but nothing more...
Exact numbers? Do such things exist?
According to experts, government officials have never given exact figures on spending on Chechnya. But they also say that President Putin, as a manager, and a good manager, should know about the expenses and losses of the company he runs called the Russian Federation.
During the two Chechen wars, according to government sources, all law enforcement agencies lost more than 4,300 people killed (as of the date when this material was first published - ed.). Of these, as was said at the celebrations on the occasion of the anniversary of the GRU, in November 2003, 471 employees of this department died in Chechnya. But the GRU employs super-professionals.
Human rights organizations, both ours and foreign ones, give their assessment of the combat losses of all departments participating in the Chechen campaign: 10,000 - 12,000 killed. According to their estimates, Russian losses are comparable to the losses of the USSR in Afghanistan, which were about 14,000 people, but the population of the USSR was 110 million more than the population of today's Russia.
At Parliamentary hearings organized by the Defense Committee of the State Duma in the fall of 2003, the head of the medical service of the Ministry of Defense claimed that in total his department had treated 39 thousand wounded and sick during the years of the Chechen campaign; 2% of this figure did not survive, and the rest, about 80%, returned to duty. The General proudly noted that our military medicine has surpassed in rehabilitation the indicators of our medicine during the Great Patriotic War which were considered the best in the world. The figures of the wounded and maimed who passed through the military department can easily be doubled, because 60% of the security forces in Chechnya belong to other services.
That is, at least 80,000 - 90,000 people passed through hospitals for the maimed and wounded.
According to the 2002 census, there are no Russians in Chechnya...
According to the 1989 census, approximately 280,000 Russians lived in Chechnya.
And according to the 2002 census, there is no Russian population in Chechnya at all. With the exception of some old people living out their lives. The First State Duma even organized “ Commission of Stanislav Govorukhin » to investigate crimes of Chechens against the Russian population. A State Duma resolution was being prepared to create a Tribunal for the genocide of the Russian population in Chechnya. According to the documents of the Govorukhin Commission, in Chechnya 21,000 Russians and several hundred people of other nationalities were exterminated in Chechnya during the first years of independence (“Govorukhin Commission” publishing house “Loventa” M., 1995).
Foreign and our human rights activists claim that as a result of the war, the Chechen population allegedly lost 60,000 - 80,000 thousand killed and wounded. Although these figures are clearly overestimated several times. These losses include killed terrorists and militants, the number of which was given in various ways: from 1 thousand to 10 thousand. Moreover, according to the results of the latest census, the population growth rate in Chechnya is the highest in the Russian Federation and amounts to 2.4% per year.
It is also worth considering that the population of Chechnya bears all the hardships of the war and huge losses, guided by the national idea, with a clear goal in front of itself - the creation of an independent and sovereign state - Free Chechnya. Freedom and Independence are and have always been very expensive. But how much Chechnya costs the Russian people, and why its soldiers are dying in the Caucasus, has never been discussed. Although national patriots claim that soldiers die for the Empire and this, they say, is good.
Kudrin cleverly avoided answering
When discussing the 2004 budget, State Duma deputies asked Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin how much was being spent on Chechnya? Kudrin cleverly avoided answering, citing the fact that expenses for the rebellious province are allocated to different budget items. But Sergei Stepashin spoke about the same thing five years ago: “I will come up with a proposal so that all expenses for fighting in Chechnya were in the budget separate line, said the head of the Accounts Chamber.
“Society must know how much war costs.” But society never learned from the former prime minister what it cost. The Accounts Chamber has repeatedly conducted audits of the targeted use of funds by federal departments in Chechnya, but, apart from overspending on child benefit payments, inflated prices for construction contracts and losses from terrorist attacks, it did not find anything criminal. When discussing the 2005 budget, people’s deputies, impressed by the tragedy in Beslan, no longer asked awkward questions...
According to expert estimates made three years ago by Novaya Gazeta, the war cost Russia 330 billion rubles a year, or almost $11.5 billion a year. And this is more than 12% of Russia’s annual budget. Neither the military nor economists believe in such spending. The newspaper's experts relied on calculation methods in which each tank shot was valued at $200, and a front-line fighter's flight at $5-7 thousand.
The war in Chechnya was clearly calculated according to American methods of waging wars for the “victory of democracy” in Vietnam, Afghanistan or Iraq. More reliable, based on figures taken from domestic financial documents, figures of 1.3-1.5 billion dollars per year can be considered. These calculations are based on the addition of spending on Chechnya under open and closed items of the Russian budget. These figures are confirmed by all sources and experts.
But no one can give an accurate assessment of the harmful impact of the war in Chechnya on the country's economy. This topic is not discussed in society. As you know, after the death of President Kadyrov, President Putin and German Gref visited Chechnya. This was exactly a year ago. We looked from the helicopter at the devastated region and were horrified. Then together we decided that it was necessary to increase cash flows for the restoration of Chechnya. Fortunately, due to rising oil prices, the government has a large surplus of funds, which will again flow to Chechnya. Already after the first military campaign, according to various sources, from 6 to 10 billion dollars of budget funds were spent on the “restoration of Chechnya”. We are unlikely to know how much more money the black hole of an undeclared war in the Caucasus will absorb under this government.
Deputy Alexey Mitrofanov on the “cost” of Chechnya for the Russian budget
“This is one of the meanings of the Chechen war: you can steal indefinitely.”
For all budget lines, not counting military unit expenses in Chechnya, Russia will spend $700 million in a year. This figure is taken from the budget, but it is not actively discussed. These expenses include all federal programs for Chechnya, direct subsidies, education, culture, healthcare, benefits and pensions, and everything else.
Expenditures on the lines of law enforcement agencies, and these are: the army, aviation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the FSB and other special services go separately. You can estimate based on the fact that the budget of our Ministry of Defense is about 10 billion dollars, about 300 million dollars goes to Chechnya through its line. And also for other departments. Therefore, Chechnya costs the budget about a billion dollars a year as a federal subject. This is one of the reasons for the continuation of the endless war; huge budget money is being boiled there.
But there are also huge unaccounted cash flows circulating there. These are the so-called “samovars” - private oil factories. Hundreds of fuel tankers and freight trains run regularly, like children going to school exactly on schedule. Nobody stops them. The entire south of Russia, especially Rostov region, sits on “scorched” Chechen gasoline. This good business, the proceeds from which flow into different pockets, including the military, for the creation of the roof. Trade in these petroleum products brings in 200 - 300 million dollars a year.
The internal business of Chechnya and, especially, the arms trade also brings in considerable income, including drugs. At the same time, at least 50% of the funds are embezzled, that is, they are not used for specific needs. This is one of the meanings of the Chechen war: you can steal indefinitely. The war will write everything off. This money goes straight into the pockets of the military and officials. In the world there are complex and dangerous financial theft schemes. During war, money is stolen very quickly. The same thing, only with the correction of the amounts multiplied by one hundred, is now happening in Iraq.
The Americans have surpassed us here. Only for organization fast food About $500 million per year is allocated from the American budget for roads for military personnel. It can be assumed that 400 of them were stolen. An American truck driver earns up to $50,000 a month. This is the cost of his package of all payments for all positions. The Americans, like Russia, have created a big budget hole through which a lot of things are disappearing. Like ours, their commissions cannot get to inspection sites because everything explodes and disappears. Everything is done very technically.
The investigation was led by Andrey Arkhipov, taken from the site http://abosru.net/?p=52528
From the editor:
The murders of 21,000 Russian citizens of all ages and statuses and several hundred people of other nationalities are WAR CRIMES against humanity, and they have no statute of limitations under any standards - neither in the law of the Russian Federation, nor in International law.
These numbers should always hang in the reception hall in a frame by the leader who feeds from Russian hands. And everyone, young and old, “in the quietest territory of Russia” should know these terrible data.
Otherwise, why feed and support such forgetful and ungrateful people? And it’s time to resume the case of the Russian genocide in the Caucasus, to search and find the hidden fanatics who live in Russian houses and villages on lands where their former Russian masters were brutally executed: men, women, old people, children! The volumes and investigations of the State Duma Commission are awaiting investigators and prosecutors.
And perhaps it would be desirable to improve their well-being, it is required that the head of the republic himself, like the Germans of Germany after the war, realize their collective responsibility for the crimes of the Nazis, who were ordinary fellow citizens and reconsider their attitude towards those terrible pages of Russian-Chechen relations.
And he did not assure Russia in good faith that this “was invented by our common enemies with the aim of using the Chechen people against the Russian state. It was they who killed Russian, Chechen, and Jewish families in order to make the Chechen people guilty. This is not our fault. We were simply set up. The entire republic was given to Dudayev. Where did he come from? He is a military man, like Maskhadov. Where did Basayev, a secret service worker, come from?
The mountaineers, as always, do not want to take on any responsibility? Are they looking for the culprits from the outside who were sent to them, although they were Chechens?
Likewise, the Germans can claim that the Jews in the leadership of Nazi Germany, and this is a sad fact, incited them to the bloodiest massacre on the planet, and they are just a victim!
Full version of the interview of the Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov to the Rossiya 24 TV channel
Ramzan Akhmatovich, before our interview, my colleagues showed me your video with Mikhail Galustyan, where you seem to give an answer to the NATO research center, which criticizes our Russian television regarding propaganda. The video is really funny. We all laughed together. Tell me how you tend to treat a sense of humor about everything that happens in international and domestic politics?
In fact, NATO's statement was ridiculous. It would seem, what does comedians have to do with it? They give us the opportunity to laugh and feel like real people. But NATO began to accuse them of being involved in some international issues. I understand that NATO is accustomed to regarding everything connected with Russia as a danger to the West and to itself. They are afraid of what is not in reality, and present Russia as an aggressor. Although Russia is the most friendly state in the entire world community. Russia always protects those in need. In general, I think that this was a bad statement. As a result, we decided to answer them in their own language. It is impossible to live without humor. Wherever we are, no matter what we do, we are people and must remain so, and humor is additional energy. I myself have a good attitude towards both humor and criticism addressed to me, if they do not hurt my honor and dignity.
The Chechen military police recently returned from Syria. In the history of the Armed Forces, this was the first such experience when a military police battalion was sent abroad. The business trip was successful. Does this mean that we will repeat the experiment?
This is the prerogative of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. But the fact that the battalion, which is stationed in Chechnya and is formed mainly from Chechen guys, was honored is a big plus and great trust for the entire Chechen people. They completed an important mission. And of course, we are also pleased that the guys completed the tasks assigned to them 100 percent. If our religion, mentality and customs help and assist in solving the most complex tasks, then I think we need to involve them more. The guys found common language With local population. There were no problems at all. And this is taking into account that there was not only the task of protecting civilians from terrorists, but also a number of other important tasks. And we are very grateful and glad that we can participate in resolving such issues necessary for the security of our state.
- After the attack by militants on the military academy, did security measures in the republic somehow change?
In fact, we take security issues very seriously. But what happened in the village of Naurskaya was our failure, the failure of the special services. You could say we relaxed. The Naur region has always been a peaceful area. There was never any military action there. And we did not expect that such a situation could arise. This won't happen again. The National Guard, the police, and the intelligence services will show great vigilance and will not allow such tragedies to happen again.
- So it’s still too early to relax?
In general, as Vladimir Putin said, there can be terrorist attacks everywhere - in London and other European cities. No one is immune from this! And Chechnya is no exception.
In fact, we have done a lot of work from December 2016 to today to neutralize any terrorist threats in the bud. And there is no such calm situation as we have in our region. These are not big words that have no basis, but a statement of fact!
I know very well the mood that reigns in our society. People treat these devils with contempt and hatred. And terrorists in Chechnya today have absolutely no social base.
We are staunch opponents of the Wahhabis. Their actions contradict our religion, our national values. They seek to harm Islam, the Muslim Ummah. And we must destroy them, wherever they are, and block any routes for the spread of extremist ideology. This is our sacred duty!
In March, the Chechen Republic celebrated Constitution Day. And you recalled the referendum that took place fourteen years ago, and in your congratulatory speech you said that the Chechen Republic is thriving today. Why is the republic thriving today? On what, perhaps, three pillars does its stability and development rest?
In fact, the referendum became a historical, turning point event for our republic and even for Russia as a whole. The Chechen people have never been given the opportunity to determine their own future. And after we held a referendum and adopted the Constitution, all branches of government were formed, and work began on the revival and development of Chechnya with the help of the federal center. We set out to revive the economy, which was in complete decline. There seemed to be no light. Those people who were seconded did not have an understanding of what and how to do to bring the region out of the crisis.
It is thanks to the strong-willed decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin that we have stability; today we are talking about prosperity and the economy. We are developing the economy, especially in industry and agriculture, plus tourism. If in the 90s we were talking about dozens of tourists who visited the republic, now we are talking about hundreds of thousands of tourists. And in the future, we want to make the city of Grozny a Caucasian youth center. We are creating all the conditions for the development of tourism, trying to attract more people to the republic. Oil and gas are all a thing of the past.
- People associate the Chechen Republic with oil production, but in reality this is not the case.
Yes, in fact, everything we have is taken by Rosneft. And plus they don’t want to take an open look at the Chechen Republic. Yes, Sechin is a great politician and statesman. He came to business from senior government positions. Therefore, he had to look at the Chechen Republic as a post-war region just beginning to build its economy.
Thanks to those strong-willed decisions and the assistance provided by the President of Russia, we are developing strongly today. Today, the Minister of Finance of the Russian Federation, Anton Siluanov, and I discussed issues that are necessary for the President of the Russian Federation to make decisions that will subsequently allow the stable development of the republic’s economy. We have very good relationship There is mutual understanding with the Arab world and Europe. I think the prospects for our region are good and the opportunities are colossal. We are simply treated as a post-war region in the bad sense of the phrase. But we have very promising young people, we are developing management very much. Our students, hundreds of them, return after studying in Europe, in London and other cities, finishing prestigious universities, get a job with us, and together we build a strong, reliable republic.
You need to invite people to visit you more often, then they will see everything with their own eyes. Since you mentioned Rosneft, is it true that Rosneft is ready to sell its assets?
Of course, Rosneft will sell because it has an interest in this business.
- Now there is almost no production, Ramzan Akhmatovich?
We produce almost 500 thousand tons per year. What they are offering us for 12.5 billion is ridiculous.
- Overpriced...
Of course it's funny. They talk about this based on the fact that there were oil thefts, something else. I don't even know how their management thinks. If I voice such questions today, then tomorrow it will begin: “Kadyrov against Rosneft... I defend the interests of the region and the people and therefore I believe that their attitude towards us is unfair. The President of the Russian Federation twice stated in his election program that an oil refinery would be built in Chechnya. They didn't build it. There is not even a hint of construction. We have allocated a site for the refinery and created the infrastructure. But the new head of Rosneft came and froze the whole topic. This attitude towards us is unfair. We will seek justice.
The Chechen Republic is not about oil, but about agriculture, industry and tourism. Agriculture is private entrepreneurs?
Basically, yes. It is very difficult to develop state farms in today's system. The arrival of private investment in the republic is a very promising business for our region. Most of the investors come to us from abroad. There are also local ones, but they are insignificant. Foreign investors did not want to invest money in a region where the banking system had not yet been fully developed. We have been waiting for many years for banks to start operating in Chechnya. We have been waiting for years for our projects to be financed, despite bilateral and trilateral agreements. After establishing close partnerships between Sberbank and VTB, the attitude towards the republic changed.
- Why do you think there was no trust in the republic?
Banks, first of all, are looking for benefits for themselves with a quick return on investment. In the existing banking system, especially with government support provided, there must be a government approach. They should look not at interest benefits, but at the development of the region’s economy in order to subsequently become partners in business. They want everything today. We eat seeds without waiting for the future harvest. We must do so in order to preserve both the seeds and the harvest.
Nevertheless, you manage to attract investments. As I understand it, about 80 percent of the products in stores, in particular vegetables and fruits, are grown in the Czech Republic. I also know about the ambitious project of an international university. We also know about fantastic building construction projects where the best architects from America are involved. So what is the secret to attracting such large-scale foreign investment?
We have developed friendly, brotherly relations with major investors.
- They trust you personally...
They trust the Chechen people more, investing billions of dollars. Not a single project has been stopped, funding has not stopped, despite the situation around Russia. We know how they are trying to put pressure on us with sanctions. I myself am on all sanctions lists. I am proud of this, because I believe that I defend the interests of our state. It would be bad if I ended up there for treason against my state.
What an interesting view you have on sanctions. We can learn from your experience. 90 thousand tourists in 2016. You asked the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation for help in order to further develop the Chechen Republic as a tourist region. What else do you need?
Tomorrow I will go to Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev. We have a meeting planned with him. If the Almighty gives, then we want, in general, to clarify the situation, how we want to further develop the republic, and not just maintain it. Large amounts of money are always allocated to the Chechen Republic.
- Yes, this is often criticized.
I answer to the society of the Russian Federation. Chechnya is a post-war region. There was a federal target program that was defended by everyone, the region, the Russian Government, and various directorates. It was 130 billion rubles. Then, based on the situation, they reduced it to 75 billion rubles. Our industry, destroyed by the war, was only able to restore the frames. Equipment has not been purchased, raw materials have not been purchased, the airport has not even been restored, and not all social facilities have been restored. We still have three shifts in schools. People don't look at it. They only see the amount that is currently allocated from the budget for the needs of the republic, as well as for other other subjects of the country. Tatarstan is a region with developed industry. They also receive and participate in all programs and projects. It’s just that Chechnya is on everyone’s lips. We say, give us the opportunity to live and earn money ourselves. You don’t give us this opportunity, you haven’t restored our destroyed republic. Agriculture was given to us completely destroyed, as well as industry. We had plants, factories, literally everything, but nothing was restored.
People must understand that even the program that is being implemented in all regions of the Russian Federation, in the Chechen Republic - the only post-war region, was not implemented by the federal center; half of it was sequestered. They gave the words, then there was Minister Alexei Kudrin, Dmitry Kozak was the plenipotentiary. They told me that next year they would do everything and open financing, they assured me that I would agree. Based on the situation, I agreed. What did you get? I lost everything for Russia. We defend our great country, being in the very front row. We are citizens of Russia. On March 23, fourteen years ago, we determined our destiny. We were given the opportunity, we said that we are citizens of Russia.
Do you still take this criticism to heart when they say that Moscow feeds Chechnya?
This is said by those people who have nothing to do with Russia. It offends me when sensible people support such statements. This is just a talker who goes to a rally when he tortures young boys through social networks, trying to impose this false opinion on them. I don’t listen to such talkers at all. I listen to those people who should be understanding about everything. When they quote and comment on all this, then it becomes offensive.
- How is the budget of the Chechen Republic formed today?
The budget of the republic is formed by local and federal revenues, as usual for all other subjects of the Russian Federation.
And those investments that are given to you personally on your word?
Yes, based on this, we have a consolidated budget.
And yet, let's return to tourism. What is the Chechen Republic ready to offer tourists? When I come, what should I see and where should I stay?
As Yunus-Bek Bamatgerievich said: healthy fresh air and completely free. We have various tourist routes. We pay great attention to the development of tourism. The republic’s mountain routes along historical places. We have ancient tower, which is 1500 years old, fortress. Also, the Nashkha area, which is considered the place of origin of the Chechens, has ancient cemeteries where Christians and Muslims are buried. Previously, Chechens were not allowed into such places. We also have many cultural and sports facilities, which will also be interesting for guests to look at. We have done and continue to do a lot to develop tourism. There are also ethnographic museums, where the atmosphere is saturated with the life of our ancestors. In five years, we will have created even more conditions for tourists. People go to Europe and Arab countries to see the sights and skyscrapers. We will have all this in our republic. We have the most big fountain in the world, it is even better than in Dubai.
I really can’t shake the feeling of comparing the Chechen Republic and Dubai. I don't know why. I was surprised that only five percent of the income there comes from the oil industry. This is mainly tourism. For you, the energy factor is a lower priority, while agriculture and tourism are a higher priority.
In fact, oil and the energy factor have faded into the background. Now everyone is putting more emphasis on tourism and agriculture, so that everything is produced locally. Therefore, we are trying to develop these areas. We invested a lot and reached an understanding. If there is understanding and people who will support you, I believe that in this case there is a prospect.
- Do you have both? Do you have understanding and people who support you?
Praise be to Allah! The republic has absolutely no problems. We have everything. We don't have enough time.
Judging by the fact that you went straight from the meeting to the interview, this is understandable. How many Russians live in the Chechen Republic today?
Nowadays they live very little. There used to be more. This is due to military events and their departure from the republic. In addition, a program was invented for the departure of the Russian-speaking population from Chechnya. Many are returning. We have no difficulties in interethnic or interfaith issues.
We recently opened a new Orthodox church in the Naursky district, the most beautiful in the North Caucasus. In the Shelkovsky district they are starting to build another temple. An Orthodox church was one of the first to be opened in Grozny. In this direction, our republic can be called an illustrative example. What happened was invented by our common enemies with the aim of using the Chechen people against the Russian state. It was they who killed Russian, Chechen, and Jewish families in order to make the Chechen people guilty. This is not our fault. We were simply set up. The entire republic was given to Dudayev. Where did he come from? He is a military man, like Maskhadov. Where did Basayev, an intelligence officer, come from? This war was invented against the sovereignty of Russia. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was then necessary to destroy Russia. Entire Western European institutions have developed and continue to develop such a strategy, increasing pressure on our country.
The Chechen Republic stood up to defend the entire country and thereby saved the state and its society. We have lost and suffered the most. And we are very offended when we are blamed for all the troubles.
- 14 years have passed since the referendum. Was it easier then or now to lead the republic?
It was easier for me then. Then the first President of the Chechen Republic was Akhmat-Khadzhi. I was a police officer and was behind his back. And it was easy for me then.
- Since they became the first person in the republic...
In fact, if you are the head of a region or some organization, then, of course, it is difficult, complex and dangerous. You bear a huge responsibility before the Almighty, the leadership of the country and your people. You don't have the right to make mistakes. Must be on alert day and night. Over the years, you begin to think more, worry more, and worry about the matter.
It doesn't compare to when I was thirty. Now there are more worries and more responsibility. Previously, I could say I had a boyish attitude towards some things. Now you have to think more deeply about your actions.
- What significant change has occurred over these 10 years?
Just yesterday, a friend of mine asked me a question: what is more important to me? I answered - religion, people, family. He asked me - why is the family in the third place? That's how my father put it. My people are a big family, and children are a small family. If I don't worry about a big family, then the little one will never be happy. When Akhmat-Hadji sent me to certain death, they asked him - why are you sending your son? He replied that his son should be ahead of his comrades, and not hide behind other people's backs.
-Are you just as ready now...
One hundred percent. I have to think about the well-being of all the people of Chechnya.
- Thank you.
