Translated material
Peaceful Grozny
Modern Grozny is unlike any other Russian city. Everyone who comes here probably experiences something akin to shock. How is it - wide roads, no shabby five-story buildings, but lots of cafes and restaurants. And this is in a small provincial town of a small Russian republic. Of course, everyone knows the history of Grozny and that it was destroyed almost to the ground. But it has long been restored. And, probably, today it is the safest city in Russia.
I was already here three years ago and wrote about it in a magazine. But this April I was glad to return to Chechnya and walk around Grozny.
1. At the entrance to the city, near the stele, there is a lowered Priora. It’s not immediately clear whether it’s someone parked or whether the car is also part of the monument?
2. It’s difficult for me to write about this small city for the second time, so read my previous stories, Grozny 2010 .
3. During this time, many new buildings appeared, but they did not stop there and construction continues.
4. We managed to build the Grozny City skyscraper complex, in one of the towers of which there is a 32-story hotel. Where else in Russia (except Moscow) has something similar been built since Soviet times?
5. One of the towers even managed to burn down. You know this story. The windows of my room overlooked the burnt skyscraper. No traces of the fire are visible anymore, as if it never happened. The house was quickly cleared of soot, and reconstruction will begin soon.
6. I took approximately the same photograph three years ago from the roof of one of these houses, then still unfinished. Now there is a restaurant with an observation deck on the top floor of the hotel. Unfortunately, now you can only shoot through glass.
7. Residential areas.
8. The city is green and very cozy.
9. Why aren’t such parks established in other cities?
10. The main part of Grozny consists of private houses. And behind the houses are the Caucasus mountains. In general, the “American” city system is ideal for me, with the central area - Downtown and the private sector around it. But this is not America, but Russia, so the houses look chaotic, the clear lines of the streets are not even visible.
11. A narrow river, the Sunzha, flows in Grozny. In three years they built a stone embankment. Almost beautiful.
12. But the embankment ends in a dead end. You can't even climb onto the bridge. Well, why is such an embankment needed?
13. In general, the city was made beautifully, but if you look closely, you can find a lot of small “jambs” and imperfections.
14. I wonder if the bench turned towards the bushes is one of these “jambs” or specially designed?
15. Inner courtyard of the Heart of Chechnya mosque. The mosque is very beautiful, I also wrote about it earlier. It is actually very similar to Istanbul's Blue Mosque. Only new.
16. The overwhelming majority of the Chechen vehicle fleet are Lada cars of all models, diluted with a small number of very expensive foreign cars. It turns out that the republic has completely abolished the transport tax on domestic cars, which makes them more affordable. Not a bad incentive to buy a basin, although in general you still have to pay extra for them.
17. There are still many signs in the city with quotes from both Kadyrovs, as well as their portraits and photographs of the young Putin. Last time it shocked me, now I understand - it’s just an oriental specificity. In Muslim countries, portraits of rulers also often hang. This is their culture.
18. I hoped that Putin Avenue was renamed, but no.
19. On this very avenue there is beauty and almost Europe: there are no parked cars in the right lane. At all!
20. And in the middle of the street there is a park. Beauty!
21. Youth Ramzan opposite the Dolce&Gabanna and Armani boutique.
22. There are a lot of police on the streets. They stand at checkpoints and ride in patrol cars. They are tough guys, but at the same time friendly, and are happy to take pictures.
23. But if you go into the courtyards, you will see a typical Russian picture. The playground is shabby, there is a lot of garbage. Our people are big pigs after all.
24. The cat was caught on the spot.
25. The central streets are swept several times a day, and it is very clean there. But you can’t keep track of all the yards; residents must take care of them themselves. And, unfortunately, they don’t care. Some in Chechnya, some in Blagoveshchensk, some in Omsk.
26. The driving here is...well, disgusting. And that's putting it mildly.
27. There is an Orthodox Church on Akhmat Kadyrov Avenue. It seems to be the only one in the city.
28. Pedestrian bridge over Kadyrov Avenue.
29. Depardieu flew away, but promised to return. Because here they “value his individuality.”
30. If you carefully read the signs, you can understand what goods are in demand in the city.
31. There are also many “fake” brands in Grozny. Almost all gas stations are targeted at world-famous companies; they also have their own unregistered Ikea, which the Swedes don’t even know about.
32. I had some free time, and I went out of town to see the immediate surroundings.
33. Life in rural Chechnya.
34. The road to Shatoi began to be expanded and overhauled. Soon there will be two lanes in each direction. The driver of the skating rink, a joker, wrote “KRA 95” on the car - in the case of ordinary license plates 95 of the region, such letters indicate that the owner belongs to the circle of people close to Ramzan.
35. Beauty.
36. You will need to somehow choose a time and drive around the North Caucasus by car.
37. Argun River, the beginning of the famous Argun Gorge. There is a suspension bridge across the river.
38. Suddenly, heavily armed police officers materialized nearby. They asked who and where they were from, and then offered to accompany us, “just in case.” Again, they didn’t refuse to take photos.
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41. A whole “Volga” of radishes!
42. I like it in Grozny. It's cozy, tasty and the people are friendly. They treat Russians well, both guests and those who live here: there are not many of them, but they exist. Well, in fact, we need to take an example from this city; the rest, simply put, are falling apart. Is it really necessary to destroy everything to the ground in order to build something decent and modern?
