Commentators pointed out the formal nature of the day of remembrance and sorrow in Chechnya

The Day of Remembrance and Sorrow of the Peoples of Chechnya has effectively been reduced to mourning events for Ramzan Kadyrov's father; his image is even featured on posters commemorating May 10th. The commemoration of the victims of the deportation is, however, merely a formality, as readers of the "Caucasian Knot" have pointed out.

As "Caucasian Knot" reported, the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow of the Chechen People is celebrated on May 10th, the anniversary of the funeral of Akhmat Kadyrov, who was killed in a terrorist attack on May 9, 2004. Residents of Chechnya previously noted that they were unwilling to combine the Day of Mourning with the mourning for Akhmat Kadyrov and complained of coercion to participate in memorial events and rituals. On May 9, large-scale religious events dedicated to the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow of the Peoples of the Chechen Republic and the memory of Akhmat Kadyrov were held in the village of Dzhalka. This date was established by Ramzan Kadyrov in 2011 as an alternative to mourning the victims of Stalin's deportation of the Vainakhs. Previously, the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow was observed in Chechnya on February 23 – the date the deportation began. "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "How Kadyrov turned February 23rd into a holiday".

The substitution of a mournful date did not find a response among residents of Chechnya

In Chechnya, May 10th is not perceived as a day of remembrance and mourning, according to readers of "Caucasian Knot".

"Chechens have not perceived, do not perceive, and will not perceive May 10th as a day of remembrance for the victims of Stalin's deportation. Because this event has a specific date, namely, February 23, 1944. Kadyrov explained the change of date of mourning in 2011 by saying that February 23rd is celebrated in the country as Defender of the Fatherland Day, which means that for Chechens it should be a holiday, not a day "Mourning for loved ones who died during the years of deportation," writes ryan_grimes.

Usually, Akhmat Kadyrov is remembered on this day, while mourning for the victims of the deportation is purely formal.

May 10th, the day on which President Akhmat Kadyrov, killed on May 9, 2004, in a terrorist attack at the Dynamo stadium in Grozny, was buried, was declared a day of mourning for all Chechens, he recalled.

"Naturally, the 'Day of Remembrance and Sorrow of the Peoples of the Chechen Republic,' as May 10th is officially called, has effectively been reduced to mourning for the father of the current Chechen leader, and that is how it is perceived by the people. Therefore, it evokes latent resentment. Usually, Akhmat Kadyrov is remembered on this day, while mourning for the victims of the deportation is purely formal," - a reader emphasized.

Grozny has been decorated with banners and posters in recent days, indicating that May 10th is a day of remembrance and mourning for the Chechen people. And they always feature images of Kadyrov Sr.

In Chechnya, posters for the day of remembrance and mourning feature images of the father of the head of Chechnya, amos.swift pointed out.

"May 10th is perceived primarily as a day of remembrance for Akhmat Kadyrov. Grozny has been decorated with banners and placards in recent days, indicating that May 10th is a day of remembrance and mourning for the Chechen people. And an image of Kadyrov Sr. is always present. Apparently, so that everyone knows for whom the mourning should be," he writes.

A reader also attached a photo of one such poster, where the inscription "Day of Remembrance and Sorrow" is juxtaposed with an image of Akhmat Kadyrov.

Kadyrov's attempt to replace the date of Chechen mourning for the victims of Stalin's deportation with grief for his father "failed miserably," believes elias. "The authorities were forced to come to terms with the fact that the residents of Chechnya perceive February 23 as a day of national mourning," he noted, pointing out that in recent years, the republic's leadership has held a small rally on February 23 in a park in the center of Grozny, where gravestones from the Memorial to the Victims of Stalin's Repressions are collected.

"Kadyrov himself, as a rule, does not take part in these events, but sends his subordinates there. Well, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the deportees commemorate their loved ones who died during the deportation and during the years of deportation by holding religious rites and distributing alms," he noted.

The memory of the victims of deportation is being relegated to the background

First and foremost, May 10 is perceived in Chechnya as a day of remembrance for Akhmat Kadyrov, noted Amina Lorsanova, a lawyer for the Chechen human rights organization "Vaifond." "Mourning for the victims of deportation seems to be receding into the background," she told the "Caucasian Knot" in 2025.

People clearly associate events with each other.

Few Chechens consider May 10th a day of remembrance for the victims of deportation, political scientist Ruslan Kutayev (included in the register of foreign agents) confirmed to the "Caucasian Knot" in May 2025. "Chechens don't associate May 10th with the deportation because they have a clear association between the events. I haven't seen people outside the regime's control connect these dates or even confuse May 10th and February 23rd," he said.

18:56 22.02.2024

The tradition of opening the gates has become a way for residents of Chechnya to remember the victims of the deportation.

The initiative by residents of Chechen-Aul to open the gates on the anniversary of the deportation, as is done during days of mourning, has become a way for the people to remember the victims of the deportation in the absence of the ability to organize mass events, according to human rights activists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot."

Earlier, residents of Chechnya told the "Caucasian Knot" that they do not agree to combine the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow with the mourning for Akhmat Kadyrov. "For any self-respecting Chechen, February 23rd was, is, and will be a day of mourning for the victims of Stalin's deportation. Even the Soviet regime, for several decades, couldn't make us forget this tragedy, and our current authorities will be even less able to do so," said teacher Raisa on May 10, 2017.

The tragedy of an entire nation cannot be replaced by the tragedy of the Kadyrov family.

Grozny resident Abusaid stated at the time that moving this date to May 10th was immoral. "The tragedy of an entire nation cannot be replaced by the tragedy of the Kadyrov family, as is being done now," he said.

In 2020, on Defender of the Fatherland Day, a rally in memory of the victims of repression was held in Grozny, attended by Ramzan Kadyrov and other officials. The change in the Chechen leadership's attitude toward the mourning date surprised local residents, and analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" explained that the legalization of mourning for the victims of deportation was a consequence of Kadyrov's strengthening of his position. Representatives of the Chechen leadership also held a small rally in memory of the victims of deportation on February 23, 2021. Ramzan Kadyrov, who left for a visit to Dubai, did not participate. This year, Kadyrov and his cronies did not ignore the 78th anniversary of the deportation of the Vainakhs, but dedicated only social media posts to the date.

By order of Stalin, several Caucasian peoples were deported

On February 23, 1944, Operation Lentil began, during which nearly 500,000 Chechens and Ingush were deported en masse from the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. More information about these events and their consequences can be found in the "Caucasian Knot" report "Deportation of Chechens and Ingush". The "Caucasian Knot" also prepared reports on the deportation of the Karachays, the Kalmyks, and the Balkars. The Soviet government justified the deportations of peoples with myths about mass betrayal and desertion of their representatives. Under Stalin, mass arrests, deportations, and executions based on ethnicity were carried out, with entire nations declared "hostile," according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "10 Myths About Stalin's Role in the Great Patriotic War."

There was no mass support for the German fascists in the North Caucasus, and the Soviet authorities' theory that collaborationism was the pretext for the deportation of peoples is unfounded, historians Pavel Polyan and Pieter van Huis previously pointed out. The historians' arguments are supported by Wehrmacht archival documents analyzed by the "Caucasian Knot," cited in the article "Operation Shamil: How the Abwehr's Failure Became the Pretext for the Deportation of the Vainakhs."

The decision on which peoples to target for repression depended directly on Stalin, historian and member of the Association of Researchers of Russian Society Boris Sokolov told the "Caucasian Knot" in 2022.

The Chechen authorities demanded that residents stop using the term "deportation," replacing it with "eviction" or "repression." At the same time, analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" noted that the Chechen authorities will not be able to erase the date of the start of the deportation from the people's memory.

Years of ruling Chechnya allowed Ramzan Kadyrov to build a total family cult, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "In the name of the father and son: how the Kadyrov cult is being implanted in Chechnya".

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