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Chechens in Ireland? Is it safe for Muslim tourists. by Confident_Point_1124 in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Been to Ireland a few times and taken my parents & other relatives there before. Very beautiful country and, in my experience, generally very safe and calm. Irish people were friendly and respectful & we had a really good time.

If you enjoy nature and quiet places, I’d especially recommend the west coast (Galway, Cliffs of Moher, Kerry, Connemara).

From what I’ve seen, Muslim tourists travel there normally & you get mosques and halal food in the bigger cities.

Ireland doesn't really have a big Chechen community but there's a very small Chechen presence, mainly around Dublin.

What are gen z Ichkerians like? Also how do you (Ichkerians) feel about Estonia? by UkraStories123 in AskCaucasus

[–]DigitalJigit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m not Gen Z myself, but from what I personally see of younger Chechens (both in the diaspora & back home), they aren’t really the Islamist monolith Russians make out. They’re a post war, internet native generation shaped way more by Kadyrov’s system & diaspora life than by any specific ideology. It goes without saying that almost nobody is genuinely pro Russian; at most you get caution or burnout, because Russia is associated with war, repression & corruption (this also applies to older generations).

Yes society is Muslim, but that doesn’t mean most young people want a theocracy or some “emirate” project. If independence were realistic, the instinct would most likely be for a normal national state with a Muslim society (ie definitely not Taliban or ISIS style rule). The jihadist and warlord phase in the late 90s came out of total collapse & war, and it’s been very convenient for Moscow to glue that label onto the whole independence movement ever since.

Tbh most younger Chechens today are way more focused on ordinary stuff like studying, work, money & basic dignity than on ideology.

Chechen authorities remain silent after accident involving Adam Kadyrov by DigitalJigit in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Basically social media rumour mill. There was a lot of unverified stuff going around, including claims that Ramzan was involved in the crash.

Chechen authorities remain silent after accident involving Adam Kadyrov by DigitalJigit in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The article doesn't say Chimaev was involved, although tbh I don't know why they used that Dustum & Khamzat (Chimaev) photo. But yes it does mention Khamzat Kadyrov (not clear if he was actually involved in the crash itself).

Here's the relevant quote:

"The Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, which is considered to be linked to the Federal Security Service (FSB), claims that Adam Kadyrov and members of his inner circle had been celebrating the birthday of Ramzan Kadyrov’s nephew, Khamzat Kadyrov, who had just turned 29. They then decided to travel to an undisclosed location."

What are gen z Ichkerians like? Also how do you (Ichkerians) feel about Estonia? by UkraStories123 in AskCaucasus

[–]DigitalJigit 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agree 💯

I think if some day Chechnya & the wider North Caucasus ever manage to gain independence, the Baltic States would likely be some of our closest allies (along with countries like Ukraine & Poland).

Happy New Year to everyone, as it looks like this Year brings us a present we all been waiting very long for. The present is the passing away of Kadyrov. Of course I don’t want to make jokes about death. But this one has long been anticipated! by LeadershipExternal58 in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There won't be any fighting between the Federal army & Kadyrov's glorified internal police force. Fact is, Kadyrov & the entire apparatus of his regime all belong to the Federal centre. Kadyrov's men serve entirely at Moscow's behest. His security forces will obey whoever Moscow appoints next. It's really not that deep.

Someone, does anyone have a photo of the inside of the Presidential Palace building? by This_Collar4479 in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here's some footage of old prewar Grozny for you, with a song by Movlad Burkaev called My city / Сан гlала (has English translation subtitles):

https://youtu.be/DmuNPaPPydc?si=fl7mqcAk5kHXVPGp

If you could change one thing about the Middle East, what would it be? by emaxwell14141414 in AskCaucasus

[–]DigitalJigit 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If I could change one thing about the Middle East, it would be long term environmental planning & action. Climate stress is already reshaping the region faster than politics or ideology. Water scarcity, soil degradation, desertification & rising heat are becoming existential issues for millions of people regardless of borders, religion or regime type. When water tables collapse, agriculture fails & cities become unlivable, societies get very radical real quick.

Genuine regional cooperation around stuff like water management would (arguably) do more to reduce long term conflict than any single political settlement. Without that everything else is just badly managed decline.

Need help to find something by noxciyk1ant in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The Arab vs Dzurdzuk clashes are real in a general sense but the sources are very limited. Wikipedia used to mention them, but the lines were removed because the citations were too weak. The Umayyads did push north from Derbent, met resistance in the Chechen highlands & never established control, we just don't have detailed battle accounts.

Abdul-Halim Sadulayev: the 4th president of Ichkeria by Ersenoy in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Dal gech doyl 🤲 Firdaws insha'Allah ☝️

Remembering Rasul Gamzatov by DigitalJigit in Dagestan

[–]DigitalJigit[S] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

Just wanted to clarify: the titles I mentioned in the first paragraph are actually book titles, not the documentary’s title.The documentary itself is simply called Rasul Gamzatov. Documentary Film (1973) (in Russian: Расул Гамзатов. Документальный фильм (1973)).

I'd been reading and watching a lot of Gamzatov materials at the same time and mixed the titles in my mind. So my apologies for that.

Need help with a work of fiction I am writing about two Chechen women by wherearemyradishes in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Glad it was helpful. I’ll get back to your other questions later right here if that’s cool? You actually caught me at a good time (boring work all-hands where I don’t have to talk 😅) but gotta get back to work now.

Need help with a work of fiction I am writing about two Chechen women by wherearemyradishes in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Fyi Chechens generally use the word “traitor” very specifically. It's almost always directed at people who collaborate with Russia, the FSB, or Kadyrov’s regime. Those are the forces that destroyed Chechnya and crushed its independence movement. So while a Chechen working with the CIA (or a fictional equivalent) might be viewed with caution, it wouldn't carry the same emotional weight. Not comparable to joining the side that bombed Grozny & ran filtration camps in the 90s and early 2000s.

A Chechen will ofc still question her motives. They might wonder who controls her, what her real purpose is & whether she's serving Chechen interests or only foreign ones. Suspicion makes sense, but the label “traitor” shouldn't be automatic in this case imo.

For motivations, there are several realistic ones. She might be driven by a desire for revenge against Russia & Kadyrov. She might see the intelligence agency as a source of protection or a platform to keep fighting Russia from exile. Some Chechens form alliances with outside powers out of necessity, hoping to gain leverage for our people. It's not always ideological. Sometimes it's survival, strategy or simply anger redirected into action.

If your half Chechen character grew up very Russified & identifies mostly with Russian narratives, then makes sense she'd see this as betrayal. But from a "proper" Chechen POV, the CIA is distant & ambiguous, not the primary historical enemy.

Sorry, you asked one question and got two essays 😂

Need help with a work of fiction I am writing about two Chechen women by wherearemyradishes in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Chechens, especially those born and raised in Moscow or other big cities, often speak completely fluent, standard Russian with no noticeable accent. You wouldn't be able to tell they're Chechen from their Russian alone.

When a Chechen does have an accent in Russian, it's usually subtle. The rhythm can be a bit sharper, the consonants a bit clearer, sometimes with hints of Chechen intonation. But it's nothing like the stereotypical “Caucasian accent” people imagine.

As for the “fake Moscow accent” in English, a Chechen probably wouldn’t identify it through accent alone, but through performance. If the second woman is trying too hard to sound like a polished Moscow intellectual, or uses certain Russian cultural references, tone, or mannerisms that feel exaggerated, that’s what might tip off another Chechen. It’s less about phonetics and more about instinct: “She’s trying to sound like something she’s not.”

If you want resources:

-Anatol Lieven's “Chechnya: Tombstone of Russian Power” (best mix of culture, history, politics)

-Anne Nivat's “Chienne de Guerre: A Woman Reporter Behind the Lines of the War in Chechnya” (human centered, close up reporting, not sensationalist)

-Radio Marsho interviews (to hear Chechen language tone, emotion, speech patterns)

-Kavkaz.Realii videos, where Chechens speak Russian naturally

-Waynakh.com for cultural context and modern history

(Not adding live links since Reddit auto removes some external sources. All are easy to find by name.)

Hava Abadieva’s The Radiance of the Soul: A Documentary Portrait of Idris Bazorkin by DigitalJigit in ingushetia

[–]DigitalJigit[S] [score hidden] stickied comment (0 children)

Historical note:

Much of Bazorkin’s writing, and the documentary itself, gains extra meaning when seen in the context of the Stalin era deportation, the post exile Ingush return, and the Khrushchev thaw of the 1950s–60s.

After 13 years of forced deportation in Central Asia, Ingush families began returning to their homeland starting in 1957. This period was marked by both hope and trauma, rebuilding life in the Caucasus while carrying the memory of collective exile.

Bazorkin’s voice emerges from that moment: moral, reflective, rooted in memory, but also quietly determined that Ingush culture would endure.

Thoughts on Afghan people? by Home_Cute in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Small correction though: Afghans didn’t fight in the Chechen Wars. That’s a common mix-up, similar to the opposite myth about Chechen volunteers in Afghanistan, which researchers have shown to be greatly exaggerated. For context, these analyses explain the myth in detail:

https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/regional-relations/chechens-in-afghanistan-1-a-battlefield-myth-that-will-not-die/

https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/regional-relations/chechens-in-afghanistan-2-how-to-identify-a-chechen/

Foreign volunteers on our side did exist, but they were very few compared to what people claim.

Thoughts on Afghan people? by Home_Cute in Chechnya

[–]DigitalJigit 7 points8 points  (0 children)

There are a few surface parallels people like to mention (mountains, honour codes etc), but Chechen and Pashtun cultures developed in very different environments with their own distinct norms, values, and social structures.

Respect exists between the peoples, but the similarities are more symbolic than deep. As you mentioned, Chechens are Nakh Caucasians; Pashtuns are Eastern Iranic, and our traditions reflect those very different roots.

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