Lions Led By Donkeys Podcast Episode 159 - The First Chechen War Part 1: Train Robbing Rebellion
Jun 7, 2021
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Long History Explains Persistent Resistance
- Chechnya's resistance is shaped by millennia of local autonomy and repeated foreign invasions.
- That history explains persistent insurgency tactics and deep distrust of outsiders, especially Russians.
Genocide, Deportation, And Folk Resistance
- The Circassian genocide and mass deportations in the 19th century devastated local populations and social structures.
- Folk heroes like Zemlikon and songs about train-robbing rebels kept resistance memory alive among Chechens.
Soviet Deportation Deepened Grievances
- Soviet-era collective punishments entrenched trauma: Operation Lentil deported Chechens in 1944 with massive deaths.
- Returning Chechens found their homes, graves, and demographics transformed by Russian settlers.