Spasibo, 2013
“Chechnya has won, Russia has won”. Perhaps the losers are the many Chechens who chose to go into exile as a matter of honor. Those who stayed have returned to a normal life and can satisfy their basic needs after several decades of hardship. Such a “normal” life, however, requires them to make major compromises and often hold their tongues. There is no alternative for those who want to work, have a home and carry on with their lives. In this state of reassuring stagnation, the authorities control everything, distributing favors as they please. The physical violence so prevalent in the post-conflict years, the kidnappings and the summary executions also seem to have decreased: the Chechens are so frightened that these acts of violence are almost no longer necessary. The violence is now psychological, a form of brainwashing that starts with the young.
Davide Monteleone’s study on identity gradually became the story of a compromise, one that all the inhabitants of this republic are forced to make with the authorities in return for a better life. As he was told by a friend in the mountains around Itum-Kali who quoted a letter from Yermolov to Tsar Nicolas I during the Caucasus campaign: “The Chechens are a combative people, difficult to conquer, easier to buy.” “Thank you Ramzan, thank you Russia” for everything. “Spasibo”. (ed. “Thank You” in Russian) – Genevieve Fussell, The New Yorker – 6/11/13
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