"Not a war, but a betrayal." 25 years of the first Chechen

25 years ago, Russian troops entered Chechnya. For five years of military operations in Chechnya, according to the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, 14 thousand federal fighters, about three thousand militants, tens of thousands of civilians were killed. The first monument in Russia to the fighters who died in Chechnya was opened in 1997 in Petrozavodsk. 20 years annually on December 11, commemorative promotions were held at the monument, representatives of the authorities and participants in the hostilities laid flowers, made official speeches. But recently, the authorities decided not to remember that war.

"Not war, but betrayal"

Daniil Gvozdev - a veteran of the First Chechen War and a member of the War Veterans project was one of the initiators of the appearance of the first monument to the fighters who died in Chechnya.

Today, according to Gvozdev, the state does not seek to keep the memory of that tragedy too much.

- Every year on December 11, we spent the day of memory and sought to do everything possible so that it passes under the auspices of the state. But now on December 11, it will no longer be at all so officially celebrated. This causes the deepest aversion to power, says Gvozdev. - It was not a war, but a betrayal. By betrayal, I mean the fact that they sent 18-year-old children there so that most of them would not return from there. Boris Nikolaevich Yeltsin betrayed his people, sent some children to kill other children. I meet with Chechens, with the Ingush, and they tell me such stories about how they met January 1, 1995 ... and a cold tremor runs down the back.

According to official figures, during the war, 32 people from Karelia were killed in Chechnya. Many who returned alive did not survive until the 25th anniversary of the input, Gvozdev at the time of the beginning of the first Chechen was 18 years old.

- There was a feeling of permissiveness. When a young man is given to a young man of 18 years old and a certain right to respond to murder murder, Gvozdev recalls. - The first Chechen campaign was, it seems to me, caused by the inability to agree. In the first two or three months of the Chechen war, those Chechens that we saw were patriots of their country, defenders. This is a character that says: you came to me with weapons, and I will defend myself.

"I did not kill people as they show in the cinema"

Maxim Suvorov (the surname was changed at his request) fell into the Chechen war at its very end from Petrozavodsk. He served in riot police, he was 21 years old. Maxim participated in the battles in Grozny, when the militants actually captured the city, cutting off the units of the federal troops from each other.

No one needed war, and peaceful people were especially

- We were surrounded for two weeks. I was not much older than conscripts. There was little fun. This is a real war, not a movie. You understand that from somewhere from there they can shoot, and a bullet will fall into you, oddly enough. Although in his youth this is not so acutely perceived, there is some kind of recklessness. After we are surrounded, we were not provided with any benefits of civilization. Water was used only for drinking. There were also problems with food, although there was a supply of products on checkpoints. But I didn’t really want to eat, everyone was on the Nervik. But there was not enough water. Chechen women who walked past us sometimes let us drink. They, one might say, were for us. We were cultural, polite, not unlimited, like some other units. Therefore, those around us were normally treated. Nobody needed war, and it was especially for peaceful people, ”recalls Maxim.

Maxim is the holder of the Order of Courage and the owner of two medals "For Courage". He shows a note in the newspaper, which refers to his award when performing a special task.

-I did not kill people as they show in the cinema-to kiss someone, to let the trigger ... During the battle, you are not really visible whether you were or not. They, too, are not fools, hide, fire from shelter. Therefore, you are firing in the direction of the enemy. You see, from somewhere the bullets flew-you give a turn there. There were times when it was necessary to adjust the fire of heavy weapons. Once, from my adjustment, a machine -gun position was destroyed, ”recalls Maxim.

He admits that he still suffers from post -traumatic syndrome:

- Now I have certain health difficulties, I have a disease that requires constant drug treatment. I believe that this affects the post -traumatic syndrome, they cannot determine the exact cause for several years. The nervous system is shaken, of course.

I recall one heavy battle, he was August 12, 1996. We had to leave the positions occupied. The enemy came very close, to throw a grenade. Three hundred meters there was a temporary deployment of a battalion of internal troops, it was necessary to get there at the BMP under a grenade launcher and machine -gun fire. The BMP did not start, the conscripts under fire brought us under the shelling of batteries, several injured. Then we climbed into this Baha, and when she retreated under fire, when bullets threshed along the armor, there was little pleasant. There would be a good grenade launcher at the enemy, this BMP would have flared up like a box with matches ...

According to the stories of Maxim, the war of 20 years ago before then he sometimes dreams of. And often in nightmares.

- Either go to war, or I am there. Some fights, shootings ... There are simply neutral dreams-as if you are there, and in a dream it seems normal. There are nightmares: you are on a checkpoint, they attack us, they are focusing on, they are captured ... They didn’t take me captive, but when we left the encirclement, we were in the power of the militants for about an hour, and everyone had to be patient. Children scream, show their fingers, look at us all askance. Little pleasant.

And earlier and now an ambiguous assessment of this war. And right now it is not particularly advertised, this war. She seemed to be, but they don’t talk about her. Here in the United States there are marches of veterans of the Vietnamese War, where people can wear their awards and walk along the street. And we have nothing like that. But we are not to blame that the policy in the country is changing. It is very unfair that they do not remember about us, veterans of that war. It must be admitted that it was a war. We need dates dedicated to her. After all, a lot is just silent. Climb in the same Youutube, we will find there a wagon of materials in the Great Patriotic War, films. And in the Chechen war there is only some amateur shooting, ”says Maxim.

According to him, as an employee of law enforcement agencies, he today receives three thousand rubles a month compensation for the abolished benefits. Supplement for pension: one and a half thousand a month. Under the housing program for war veterans, Maxim got nothing.

- This program, as far as I know, was thrown into the regions. And there is no money in the regions. There was a need for housing, and in 2001 I got in line - precisely for war veterans. There were few people, a hundred man, that is, two houses would be enough. But then this benefit was removed and we were threw us in the general stage. So now the benefits are actually not, ”says Maxim.

After the war ended, Maxim has never been in Chechnya.

- Probably, I would like to look at the places where there were battles, they are memorable for me. There would be an opportunity to go to Grozny, I would go. I have no sense of enmity to Chechens. I know this nation well. Over time, even a feeling of guilt appears. When you are 20 years old, you treat life differently. And then you begin to put yourself in the place of people who fought on the other side. They also had some of their attitudes, beliefs. They believed that they were fighting for their truth. I am neutral to modern Chechen authorities. Given that this is all politics. It was necessary to somehow reassure Chechnya, and did it. From the philistine point of view, of course, I believe that something is going wrong there. But there is not one such problematic region, they, in my opinion, are all there. They have one mentality, they live like that. As in Arab emirates, modern technologies are adjacent to medieval executions. - says Maxim.

Today, the day of entering troops into Chechnya is not mentioned in the television programs of Channel One and Russia-1. In terms of the Government of Karelia, not a word is said about the memorable date. The organizers of the memory rally at the Memorial "Bell of Sorrow" in Petrozavodsk were participants in the Youth Center "Shift": native of the dead soldiers, veterans of hostilities came. Of the invited representatives of the authorities, two officials from the administration of Petrozavodsk and one deputy of the City Council came.