Native of Ingush Dattykh tells about life of abandoned village

The village of Dattykh, which Ingush intend to restore, was abandoned by residents after shelling in 2015. People come here to look after cattle and cemeteries. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has visited the ravaged village, which has attracted attention amid the confrontation because of the change of border with Chechnya.

On November 12, Ingush authorities announced the start restoring the pre-border Dattykh village. According to Yakub Gogiev, a member of the "Dzurdzuki" historical-geographical society, many villagers want to repair their destroyed houses and return to live there.

Dattykh has no village club, medical centre, school and police station. The only existing facilities are the village administration, a television tower and a mosque, which has no running water and heating. Cows and horses are roaming in the village. There are practically no undamaged houses there.

Magomed Pidiev, a native of Dattykh, said that he came there with his fellow villagers in order to take care of local cemeteries.

Holes in house roofs are the result of bullets and shells that got there during special operations and shelling attacks, he explained.

In peaceful time, about 300 people lived in the village, Mr Pidiev has added.