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Khaibakh massacre

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The Khaibakh massacre was an alleged mass execution of the Chechen civilian population of the aul (village) Khaibakh, in the mountainous part of Chechnya, by Soviet forces during the deportations of 1944. Many historians claim, that there is no reliable evidence of this event, and documentary sources are falsified.

Alleged course of events

The massacre took place on 27 February 1944 during Operation Lentil (the Soviet mass deportation of Chechens to prison camps in Central Asia). Due to inclement weather it was impossible to convoy Chechen deportees to the railway stations by the deadline set by Beria, resulting in over 700 villagers, including "non-transportable" elderly, pregnant women and small children, were locked in a stable fortified with dry hay and burned alive; those who broke from burning stable were shot. One of the witnesses assigned to the military unit, interpreter Ziautdin Malsagov [ru], recalls that NKVD commander Gvishiani called the two newborn children in the stable "bandits" before ordering to burn the 704 people alive. After the incident, Gveshiani was reportedly congratulated for his success and good work by Lavrenty Beria, who promised him a medal.

Rediscovery

The aul of Khaibakh was rediscovered through archaeological finds in Ukraine. World War II archaeologists found the remains of North Caucasian scouts who died during an operation behind enemy (German) lines. Letters addressed to their relatives were found in their water-resistant pockets, addressed to aul Khaibakh. Stepan Kashurko, one of the archaeologists, accompanied by a former Soviet general, decided to inform the families that the bodies of their relatives were found, but they learned that the settlement no longer existed. In continuing their search, they discovered that while the Chechen soldiers were dying at the front, their relatives were burned alive by the Soviet soldiers.

Assertions of historical falsification

In a refusal to permit the release of the 2014 film Ordered to Forget about the massacre, the Russian Ministry of Culture stated that it had searched three Russian state archives, and that "as a result of the investigation, no documents were discovered proving the fact of the mass burning of residents" from Khaibakh. Finally, the Ministry stated: "This allows us to conclude that claims of this 'event' are a historical falsification."

Some sources cite telegram of Mikhail Gvishiani to Lavrenty Beria as the main documental evidence:

Совершенно секретно. Наркому внутренних дел СССР тов. Л. П. Берия. Только для ваших глаз. В виду не транспортабельности и с целью неукоснительного выполнения в срок операции «Горы», вынужден был ликвидировать более 700 жителей в местечке Хайбах. Полковник Гвишиани

English translation: Top secret. To L. P. Beria, head of NKVD. For your eyes only. I was obliged to eliminate more than 700 inhabitants of Khaibakh aul, in order to complete in time "Gory" operation and because of inability to convey these people. Colonel Gvishiani

According to russian historian Pavel Polyan, this telegram is dubious for many reasons. First, phrase "Только для ваших глаз" (For your eyes only) was never used in Soviet official documents. Moreover, it is largely used in UK/US classified documents. Second, real name of operation was "Чечевица" (Chechevytsa, Lentil), not "Горы" (Gory, Mountains). Third, in reality, Gvishiani was not "colonel". Instead, he was 3rd rank comissar of state security. Finally, Polyan claims, that the telegram is probably falsified, and even the existence of the massacre is not proved

See also

References

  1. ^ В. А. Козлов (рук.), Ф. Бенвенути, М. Е. Козлова, П. М. Полян, В. И. Шеремет. (2011). Вайнахи и имперская власть: проблема Чечни и Ингушетии во внутренней политике России и СССР (начало XIX — середина XX в.).{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Безугольный А. Ю., Бугай Н. Ф., Кринко Е. Ф. (2012). Горцы Северного Кавказа в Великой Отечественной войне 1941—1945 гг.: проблемы истории, историографии и источниковедения. Москва: Центрполиграф. ISBN 978-5-227-03570-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. http://www.chechenpress.org/news/3111-2013-02-21-13-47-45.html
  4. Gammer, Moshe. Lone Wolf and Bear: Three Centuries of Chechen Defiance of Russian Rule. London 2006. Page 170. ISBN 978-0-8229-5898-7
  5. Dunlop, John. Russia Confronts Chechnya: The Roots of a Separatist Conflict. Page 65. ISBN 978-0-521-63619-3
  6. Годовщине депортации народов Северного Кавказа посвящается... [Interview with Stephan Kashurko, president of the special 1990 commission investigating the Khaibakh massacre] (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2008-06-14.
  7. Дешериев Ю. Жизнь во мгле и борьбе: О трагедии репрессированных народов. ISBN 5-86020-238-5 Template:Ru icon
  8. "Russia bans 'historically false' film on Stalin deportations of Chechens". AFP. 27 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014. The ministry said it had searched three Russian state archives including the files of the NKVD security forces that carried out the deportations and Stalin's personal files. "As a result of the investigation, no documents were discovered proving the fact of the mass burning of residents," the ministry said. "This allows us to conclude that claims of this 'event' are a historical falsification." {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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