The USSR deceived the Chechens and Ingush: they were forcibly removed from their native lands and forbidden to return The Caucasus occupies a special place in the history of Russia. It was against the local peoples, as many historians believe, that Russia fought for the longest time, but even after the conquest the region remained turbulent. The Vainakhs are considered one of the most rebellious peoples of the Caucasus, who for decades resisted first imperial Russia and later Soviet Russia.