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Article: Who are these people?
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- January 18, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1996 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The Chechens
The name comes from a village where a famous battle took place
between the Russians and the Chechens in 1732. The Chechens call
themselves Nokhchi. The society at that time was remarkable for its
lack of class distinctions: there were no differences in rank apart
from those of age. Chechens converted to Islam in the 17th
century. They number almost a million - mostly within the borders
of Chechnya itself, but with a large population living in Moscow,
and 25,000 living in Turkey (hence this week's seizing of a Turkish
ferry). Chechen mafias played a key role in the mafia turf wars
that erupted in Moscow after the collapse of Communism. To some
extent, the widespread Russian ...