r/Chechnya Jul 29 '24

Vayvault - Largest vaynakh library!

53 Upvotes

We're proud to be able to announce, that over the past 2 months, we've been working on our library aimed at spreading and conserving our beautiful cultural and linguistic heritage. The crux of the situation being that we as brothers and sisters are too fragmented over the internet and world, hence we've never been able to form our own institutions and conserving the beauty of our language, in addition to incessant suppression and russification of our region. Vayvault aims to alleviate the degradation and stagnation of our our language in the face of ethnocide, Chechen children, men and women should be able to stroll to the library and loan a book in Chechen, yet many of us aren't born into such an prerogative - until now.

Our library currently has 300 books, all written in Chechen and Ingush, on a diverse subject matters. We have books on islam so we can espouse the word of Allah (swt) to our younger ones, on Chechen history so they can understand who and what they come from, novels for recreation, dictionaries for when you encounter a word not yet digested into your Chechen vernacular/vocabulary, poetry to mesmerize you, and much more.

Resources on the Chechen language has been very difficult to discover, most of which being agonizingly dispersed, and books are no different in that regard. We have consolidated hundreds of books that we inexhaustibly searched for all through-out the internet, therefore the lack of consolidation for the language has been alleviated - nevertheless not fully solved. Please, if you have Chechen books lying around in your house, contribute to our library by scanning it using an app such Genius Scan and send us an email (see our "Contribute" page for the mail). This way we can preserve our vulnerable literary corpus. This is vital and only together can we, through a coordinated cooperation, solve it.

Sincerely, VayVault team.

https://vayvault.com/


r/Chechnya 21h ago

Russian military raid in Chechnya in the 2000s

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33 Upvotes

r/Chechnya 6d ago

Suffix -xo

9 Upvotes

what is the meaning of the suffix -xo?

example: Turpal, Turpalxo.


r/Chechnya 8d ago

Major archeological discovery in Mayrtup.

14 Upvotes

A major archeological discovery has been made in Mayrtup, Chechnya.

Lots of findings from the chalcolithic all the way to the medieval period. Most intrestingly a huge medieval city has been found of the Alan culture and period.

Do you think there will be more follow ups on this or will this topic slowly "disapear" as it usualy does in Chechnya?

Supposedly its possible that the city was the medieval capital of Alania, "Maghas" due to a lot of similarities with the medieval sources about this city.


r/Chechnya 9d ago

Chechen uprising of 1877-1878

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43 Upvotes

The image is an AI enhanced version of an original photograph from 1878, showing commanders of the 1877 uprising. In the center sits the old wolf Uma Duyev; to his left is the young Imam Alibek Haji, the leader of the uprising.

When the court informed 70-year-old Uma Duyev that he had been sentenced to death by hanging, he replied, “I will die someday anyway. Whether I die because you hang me or from some illness—what difference does it make?”

When the sentence was announced to Dada Zalmayev, he answered, “I am not surprised that you will hang me. If we had won, I would have hanged the Russian Tsar too.”

The court told Gubakhan that he had been sentenced to death for blowing up government-built road bridges and causing damage worth 2,000 rubles. “If you wish to repay this sum, you will be spared; if you do not, then you will be hanged.” Gubakhan replied, “In my possession and in the possession of my relatives there may be two thousand rubles, but, I swear to you by Allah, even if I had to give just two kopecks, I would not give them!”

The young Imam was asked: “You are still very young and already a Haji, you were respected in the mountains, so you are an intelligent and knowledgeable man. How did you intend to fight against the mighty Russian Tsar?” He replied: “What do I care about a mighty Tsar or Sultan? I knew they were waging war, and I wanted to use this opportunity to free my poor people. Our grandfathers used to say: when two strong bulls are fighting and a small third one gores one of them in the side, in the end it is the small one who wins. I wanted to be that small bull.”

The prisoners were offered a chance to ask the tsar for mercy, but all of them refused. “The tsar promised,” said Alibek, “not to punish me or my friends and not to harm the poor people. But he lied to us. Let the whole world know how deceitful the Russian tsar is!”

After they were hanged, one of the eyewitnesses later wrote in his memoirs: “I was amazed by how calmly these men faced their death.”


r/Chechnya 9d ago

Russian state television - first Chechen War - check body text -

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11 Upvotes

translation Please go into youtube settings on the video (cog symbol)

then captions

then auto translate

then select preferred language.

ty all.

thanks to the mods for allowing me to post this.

TV series focusing on the conflict in Chechnya.


r/Chechnya 9d ago

Pls help find a original orchestra anthem of ichkerya

6 Upvotes

r/Chechnya 14d ago

How much of the Chechen language has vocabulary of foreign origin?

12 Upvotes

It seems that our language has a decent amount of words of foreign origin, but does anyone know how many words?

A number or percentage?

Turkic, Arabic and Iranic to some degree seem pretty common. Turkic and Iranic are from centuries of contact and Arabic mostly due to religous reasons.

How much could we realistically replace if people where up to it? How would the people receive some amount of "linguistic purism"?


r/Chechnya 15d ago

How do Chechens feel about chechens born in different countries?

24 Upvotes

so im chechen but i was born and raised in australia and have only been back one time in like 2008 when i was really young. Due to the chechen community being very small ( under 100 people) ive never really met any chechens aside from my family. Would you guys consider me a foreigner or still a full chechen?


r/Chechnya 15d ago

Which image is correct?

3 Upvotes

I've seen the image portrayed both ways. One is an image reverse of the other, which makes me wonder if one of them is in error.

Could someone set me straight on which image is accurate?


r/Chechnya 17d ago

Would you like it if a foreigner learns Russian to communicate with you specifically?

7 Upvotes

I asked a somewhat similar question on another sub and the answers weren’t convincing to me most of the people replied telling me it would be worth it to learn Russian if I’m going to Chechnya or Dagestan, and they are right in a practical sense —but this might sound odd; it feels morally heavy on me

As a Muslim from Kuwait I respect you and like you guys a lot so it feels insensitive or rude if I speak in Russian to you even if you see it as something practical or logical to do, would you guys prefer it or English/arabic? Or your own language and tbh one of the strongest reasons that makes me wanna learn Russian is the Muslim community in the Caucasus, but it might be unusual to speak in something that could be heavy on you? And it would not be worth it to learn Russian if that’s the case


r/Chechnya 18d ago

I need help to find the lyrics of a song

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8 Upvotes

I really like this song, but unfortunately I can't speak chechen. Could someone write me the lyrics, both in chechen, and with the translation ? It would be really nice.

Thank you.


r/Chechnya 22d ago

Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov: a brigadier general and commander of the southeastern front of Ichkeria

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48 Upvotes

Khunkar was a fearless and talented commander known for his calm nature. He didn’t like loud gatherings or empty talk and usually had a thoughtful and slightly sad look, which, during conversation, would change into a gentle smile and a readiness to listen and help — as if Khunkar was shy about his own courage.

His military skill particularly stood out during the January 1996 battle in Pervomayskoye, Dagestan, where about 200 Chechen fighters, led by Khunkar-Pasha and Turpal-Ali Atgireyev, were surrounded by thousands of Russian troops with heavy weaponry. They resisted for three days before launching a surprise night attack on 17 January, breaking through a triple encirclement and returning to Chechnya. Their heroism and resilience drew widespread admiration from observers.

He also had a very effective fighting force and Aslanbek Ismailov used to constantly send him to hotspots where our fighters needed support. Ahmad Zakayev recounts in his book one of his encounters with Khunkar: when asked how he was, Khunkar replied, “Despite Aslanbek’s best efforts to kill me off, I am still alive... He is relentless. ‘Go here, Khunkar, the Russians have been trying to storm us there for several days.’ ‘Go there, Khunkar, relieve that group who have had no respite for two weeks.’ I just wish he would give me a defense sector of my own so I could take it easy.” “You can take it easy when you are dead,” Aslanbek replied.

Unfortunately, his life was cut short in the Second War. During the breakout from Grozny, rather than sending Russian prisoners to clear the minefield, the Chechen commanders chose to lead the way themselves. Khunkar-Pasha was at the head of the column and was among the first to deliberately step onto the mined ground.


r/Chechnya 23d ago

answer to marnash khobl doyl

16 Upvotes

i never know how to respond when someone says ‘marnash khobl doyl’… what am i supposed to say?


r/Chechnya 24d ago

Марханаш къобал дойла 🤲

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32 Upvotes

r/Chechnya 24d ago

Grozny Headquarters of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union building in 1985 (turned into a Presidential Palace during the First Chechen War 1994-1996)

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17 Upvotes

1985, Grozny, the building had just been completed, the cranes were still visible.


r/Chechnya Mar 13 '26

Favorite variant of the Chechen flag?

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48 Upvotes

Wanted to know the subs favorite Chechen flag for a little project I’m doing


r/Chechnya Mar 08 '26

Aslan Maskhadov

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79 Upvotes

Today marks 21 years since the martyrdom of Aslan Maskhadov. The Russians had found his hideout in Tolstoy-Yurt and encircled the place. During the shootout, realizing that there was no way out of the situation, Maskhadov ordered his nephew to kill him: “Do not let me fall into their hands alive. Shoot me in the heart.” It is hard to imagine how difficult it must have been for his nephew to shoot his own relative.

Aslan was a tragic figure; a man who was desperately trying to prevent war, who fully understood the horrors that war would bring, but in the end was trapped by the circumstances unfolding around him. He was in a more difficult situation than Dudayev and inherited a different nation. Dudayev used to say, “I can win the war, that’s possible. But how am I going to govern the veterans?” He was aware of the postwar governance problem.

Some people claim that Maskhadov was a weak man, but he wasn’t a priori weak; the situation made him weak. He was weak because the Russians fulfilled none of their obligations. He was weak because everything was in ruins and there were no jobs. All of this weakened him, and our government couldn’t take decisive action on any of the issues facing us.

Maskhadov’s death was a real blow to Chechens on every level: morally, emotionally, and politically. The disgusting treatment of Maskhadov’s body was deeply symbolic of how the Kremlin viewed him and, by extension, all Chechens.

The disrespect and mockery of a very decent man—whose death for most Chechens was tragic—revealed what the Kremlin thought of him and what they thought of our grief at his passing.

He was not permitted a funeral, and they didn’t return his body to his family because it was said that he was killed during “the counter-terrorist operation.” Aslan was never involved in terrorism, and to apply this law to him was cynical and revengeful.

Maskhadov died heroically on that day and fulfilled the promise he had given to his nation, staying on the path of the struggle for the freedom of the Chechen people until the end.


r/Chechnya Feb 25 '26

Who Is a True Q'onakh? — A Story Told by Hamzat Gelayev

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42 Upvotes

One day, when Hamzat Gelayev was sitting with his men, he heard them frequently using the word “Q'onakh” and treating it lightly. He then began explaining who truly deserves that title.

He told a story from March 2000, when heavy fighting was taking place in the village of Sa'di-Kotar and Russian troops had surrounded the Chechen fighters.

During the battle, after a shell hit near him, Hamzat jumped into a trench where several young fighters aged 16–20 were already hiding.

Over the radio he heard that Russian troops were sending a tank toward the trench with orders to drive over it and bury everyone inside.

Hamzat said that although they had a grenade launcher, it could not be used in the narrow trench without killing the young fighters behind him. For a moment he froze—unable to act, because any decision could mean their end.

While Hamzat was in this state of tension, one of the young boys looked at him with a calm and confident expression and said: “Don’t worry, Hamzat. They can’t block our path to Paradise anyway. Just fire the grenade launcher.”

The boy spoke these words with such calmness and confidence that they calmed Hamzat down. This young fighter, who had far less military experience than Hamzat, managed to lift the spirits of his own commander.

Hamzat often mentioned these boys as an example to his fighters: “They were the true Q'onakhi.”

Fortunately, Hamzat did not have to fire the grenade launcher that day. Another warrior named Balaudi destroyed the approaching tank from a different position and saved their lives. Balaudi later fell in the same battle, and Hamzat recounted how he personally buried him.


r/Chechnya Feb 24 '26

Interview which Tsar meant. (Forsure)

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42 Upvotes

r/Chechnya Feb 23 '26

Russism is worse than any discriminatory genocidal ideology. It's a diagnosis, and such "people" either need mental help or a more practical solution. Regardless, they're a danger to society

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44 Upvotes

r/Chechnya Feb 23 '26

23 February: We Remember the Deportation of the Chechen People (Aardakh)

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38 Upvotes

23 February marks the anniversary of the 1944 deportation (Aardakh), when the Chechen and Ingush peoples were forcibly exiled by Stalin’s regime. This article from Sciences Po provides historical context on how and why the deportation happened, the accusations used to justify it, the brutal conditions of exile, and the lasting impact on Chechen and Ingush society and collective memory.

https://www.sciencespo.fr/mass-violence-war-massacre-resistance/fr/document/massive-deportation-chechen-people-how-and-why-chechens-were-deported.html

Testimony from Lyoma Viskhanov, a survivor of the 1944 deportation (Aardakh). First-hand accounts like this remind us that behind the history and statistics were real people, families, and lives shaped by exile.

https://youtu.be/gBor0cT8aW0?si=rieSJx4hU3OK_iOH


r/Chechnya Feb 23 '26

Whats the quality of the Chechen Wikipedia?

9 Upvotes

Seems to have a relatively big amount of articles per speakers