Comments on: The mines were frozen so they did not explode, while we walked for several kilometres along the [mine] fields.

The mines were frozen so they did not explode, while we walked for several kilometres along the [mine] fields.

infinite intimation — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 19:27:50 -0800

The history of the Russian-Chechen conflict spans two centuries. Images of Chechen enemies were mentioned even in a lullaby by Lermontov that put children to sleep in the 19th century. War correspondents Robert Parsons, Sofie Shehab, Petra Prohazkova and Andrey Babitsky tell about the war they saw with their own eyes in Nino Kirtadze's film "The Chechen Lullaby".

A film by Anastasya Khonyakina: "War in Chechnya - People" Two military campaigns. 250,000 dead. What really happened in Chechnya? Many people know. Very few talk about it. Exclusive interviews with the Chechens from all over Europe. They tell the truth about their past, risking their future. A Documentary "Field Hospital" by Zurab Kodalashvili. Nobody sees any sense in this war. You can only rely on the heroism of the doctors, and the selflessness of the relatives. To save yourself, you must either get wounded, or become a deserter. A documentary by Anastasya Khonyakina: "War in Chechnya – Men in Uniforms". 400,000 Russian officers vs 1 million Chechens. What was the fate of the resistance? Chechen officers, soldiers and victims of filtration camps. Exclusive interviews from all over Europe. A Documentary "The Deserters" by Zurab Kodalashvili. Nobody sees any sense in this war. You can only rely on the heroism of the doctors, and the selflessness of the relatives. To save yourself, you must either get wounded, or become a deserter.

By: infinite intimation

infinite intimation — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 19:27:56 -0800

All links include graphic images, and discussion of the many violences of war, and should be considered NSFW.

By: Emperor SnooKloze

Emperor SnooKloze — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 00:20:20 -0800

Don't forget Tolstoy's Hadji Murat.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 06:44:04 -0800

Thanks very much for this post; I'm saving the links until I have time and fortitude to watch them. Some books for those who want background on Chechnya and the endless war: Carlotta Gall and Thomas de Waal, Chechnya: Calamity in the Caucasus (NYU Press, 1998) Anatol Lieven, Chechnya: Tombstone of Russian Power (Yale UP, 1998) Anna Politkovskaya, A Dirty War: A Russian Reporter in Chechnya (Harvill Press, 1999) Chris Bird, To Catch a Tartar: Notes from the Caucasus (John Murray, 2002) Arkady Babchenko, One Soldier's War (Grove Press, 2007)

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 11:08:26 -0800

I'd add Crying Wolf to that list, too. Just look at that girl on the cover. Still gives me chills. The Caucasus states have such a long and fascinating history, and their relationships with Russia have been frosty at the best of times. It's madness the way Chechnya was essentially bombed into the Stone Age without so much as a shrug from the international community.

By: bukvich

bukvich — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 12:05:15 -0800

The March 3 2010 post was spooky as hell. They screamed and shouted, begging us not to kill them because they had family and kids back home. So what? As if, by contrast, we'd come from an orphanage into this s***hole. We executed them all. Diary of the war in Chechnya.

By: bukvich

bukvich — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 12:25:02 -0800

er March 3 2012. (I need a 20 minute edit window.) Also something is off about the fpp as it currently reads. Text in paragraph 3 and 5 is identical with different links?

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 17:58:54 -0800

The videos aren't just graphic; there are moments that just rip my heart out. Like when one Chechen woman, boarding a bus with a small girl, yells to a news camera, "Cursed be all generations from Russian women born, as cursed as we are." Had to stop for a while at that point. Fair warning.