module 6

Russia first claimed control of North Caucasus in...

1725

As you could see with your own eyes, Ramzan Kadyrov indeed runs Chechnya as hos own fiefdom (with the blessing from the Kremlin, as long as things are under control). Anna Politkovskaya published a number of damning reportages about Kadyrov, describing him as the Kremlin's "little dragon" and calling for his arrest as early as in...

2004 - 2006

According to the Chechnya: War Without Trace documentary, what is the percentage of Chechen population that is currently unemployed?

40

What percentage of the budget of North Caucasus republics' today depend on money from Moscow?

60 - 80%

What was the main reason for the eruption of the First Chechen War?

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Chechnya attempted to follow the example of Soviet republics (such as Ukraine, the Baltic states, etc.) and declared independence. Boris Yeltsin, however justifiably, move to prevent Chechen secession with military force.

Why is one the films in this module titled 211: Anna?

Because according to some statistics, Anna Politkovskaya was 211th journalist to be assassinated in Russia

Under what Russian / Soviet leader did Russia's First Chechen War begin?

Boris Yeltsin

Beginning with the Second Chechen War to the present, the Kremlin has adopted an approach whereby Moscow cedes much of the responsibility for restoring order in Chechnya to local, pro-Kremlin officials. (Interestingly enough, these officials would always be "winners" of allegedly fair elections orchestrated by Moscow). Bottom line is: Moscow's handpicked Chechens are in charge of maintaining order in Chechnya. What did this approach come to be known as?

Chechenization

As you might recall from the previous modules, when 15 Soviet republics declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Boris Yeltsin was a strong supporter of the USSR dissolution. Why was Yeltsin so strongly opposed to Chechen's independence movement? (more than one answer might be correct).

Chechnya is a major chokepoint in Russia's oil infrastructure (not only is Chechnya rich in oil, it also has several important refineries). Hence Russia's economy depended on Chechnya Unlike Ukraine, Lithuania, and other republics, Chechnya was NOT an independent entity within the Soviet Union. Chechnya was always a part of the Republic of Russia, hence it did not a right under the Soviet Constitution to secede Yeltsin feared that, should Chechnya secede, other ethnic groups inside Russia (e.g. Tatars) would secede from the Russian Federation

Which of the following statements properly describe the outcome of the First Chechen war? (note that more than one answer might be correct)

Chechnya received nominal autonomy, but the decision on its final status was deferred Indiscriminate Russia bombing led to a heavy human toll After two years of fighting, Yeltsin negotiated a cease-fire with the Chechens Russian conscripts were ill-prepared for the war and were often "mowed" down as the Russian army tried to take Grozny

Back in the 1930, Stalin decreed that Chechnya was an independent republic like its neighbor, Georgia.

False

Chechnya is a federal subdivision of Russia, located in the country's far north.

False

Foreigners were allowed to participate in the 1995 "loans for shares" auctions.

False

In 1943 and 1944, Stalin deported nearly half a million people from the North Caucasus (including the Chechens) to Central Asia for allegedly assisting the Nazis during World War. II. It was not until Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika that the deportees were allowed to return to their homelands. Perhaps not surprisingly, this forced expulsion produced what would become one of the region's epic stories of oppression under Russian rule.

False

In October 2002, 40 Chechen militants took hostages at a theater in Moscow, where the popular musical "Nord-Ost" was showing. Of the 912 hostages, 130 died at the hands of the Chechen gunmen and women.

False

In the days of the USSR, Gosplan had a mechanism that allowed producers and consumers to meet, be informed and deal with one another.

False

Just like most Russians, many Chechens profess Christianity as their cultural and religious identity.

False

Like Ukraine and Belarus, Chechnya shares Slavic ties to Russia.

False

The director and narrator of Chechnya: War Without Trace notes that more Chechen women wore veils before the wars than in the wars' aftermath (including today).

False

The documentary Chechnya: War Without Trace talks about the arrest by the Chechen authorities of Ruslan Kutaev. According to the documentary, what did Mr. Kutaev do to provoke this arrest?

He publicly spoke about Stalin era deportations of Chechens, a topic not currently allowed to be discussed

Jokhar Dudaev (Chechen rebels' leader in the First Chechen War) spent much of his childhood in...

Kazakhstan

Why is it that today few journalists report from Chechnya? (note that more than one answer might be correct)

Khadyrov's regime has make it very difficult for foreign correspondents and independent Russian outlets to work in the region Journalists reporting from Chechnya put themselves at great risk (many of those who attempted to report from Chechnya have been threatened, detained, or physically attacked) In the current climate of Kadyrov's terror, most people no longer dare to speak to journalists

It became possible and legal to establish private commercial banks in Russia during the "reign" of...

Mikhail Gorbachev

Which one of the following events is NOT mentioned in the film 211: Anna?

Mikhail Khodorkovsky's arrest and imprisonment

Chechnya is about the size of...

New Jersey

119 people from the hostages at the "Nord-Ost" musical died in the hospital AFTER they had been liberated. The actions of the Russian authorities were never investigated; noone brought to account the inability of Russian intelligence services to prevent the attack. In fact, Vladimir Putin awarded FSB deputy director (who managed the operation) the "Hero of Russia" title.

True

Chechen is a language that is indigenous to Chechnya.

True

Ethnic Russians account for a significant percentage of population in some areas of Russia's North Caucasus.

True

One of Russia's tsars, Ivan the Terrible, was once married to a princess from the Caucasus region.

True

Political motivations and anti-Russian sentiment of many Chechens (including Jokhar Dudaev, who led the rebels in the First Chechen War) were largely shaped by the experience of deportation and return, especially among those born in Kazakh exile.

True

There is a Putin avenue in Grozny, the capital of Chechnya.

True

The Beslan tragedy happened during the "rule" of...

Vladimir Putin

Which Russian leader launched the Second War in Chechnya?

Vladimir Putin

Gosplan was...

a Soviet Central Planning agency

The Beslan tragedy happened in...

a school

As you learned in this Module, Vladimir Putin's (one could argue, successful) approach to keeping Chechnya free from terrorism, is appointing a representative from native elite, empowering them with political authority and hoping that they could deliver a quiescent countryside. Has this approach been practiced any time earlier in the history of Russian-Chechen relations?

yes