The Russian tragedy

Russian people became a victim of Russia.

There are two interesting books, written by a special correspondent of "Izvestia"

Dmitry Sokolov-Mitrich. The books are entitled «The non-Tadjik girls, the non-
Chechen boys» and «Enemies of the people». We are «the non-Tadjik girls, the non-
Chechen boys», which were killed in 1990 in Dushanbe. And the enemies of the
people are the Russian officials.

According to the Federal Agency of the state statistics the quantity of officials in
today's Russia has exceeded 1 million 314 thousand persons, not including armies
and power structures. It is in 4 times more than in the USSR.

The Russian bureaucracy was and remains essentially anti - Russian. The Russians
were always considered as a material for state building. So the Russian historian of
`19 century Vasily Kljuchevsky has noticed: «The state is chubby, and the people
decayed». A nationality of a Russian official from immemorial times is a feeding
trough, and his religions are the higher heads. The paradox consists in the
following: Russian national consciousness is in opposition to the empire bearing a
name of this nation. And the opposition is mutual, because our empire of Asian type
assumes precipice between the people and the power.

«The Russians are incapable of self-organizing and cannot stand for themselves.
Each of them is alone though in such multinational state as Russia is necessary to
create national communities - first of all in Moscow. Only with such a way they could
protect effectively their national interests in the politicy and in business, so as
unique interests of the Russian officials, which are mainly non-national, are their
personal interests»– so considers Lo Tszjanpin, the Chinese journalist.

Twenty years ago the most southern Russian community of the former USSR lived
in Tajikistan – 437 thousand persons. I was born in Dushanbe too. When I was
forced to move back to Russia, during some years I divided with my old mother-
pensioner one tiny room in a hostel. When I lost my passport, a Russian woman-
inspector of a passport office, who left Dushanbe in the late seventies, did not send
inquiry about me to Tajikistan during half a year. She expected that I will render a
"respect" to her. It characterizes condition of Russian solidarity – even among
immigrants from Dushanbe.
«- Nadya, do you hate Chechens? – No. Do you know why? I hate Russians. I
consider that our tragedy is a history of treachery. At first we were betrayed by
Russian politicians. Then we were betrayed by journalists who did not notice how
we were killed … And then we were betrayed by relatives who did not start up us in
their apartments». (D.Sokolov-Mitrich «Enemies of the people»). It is exactly so. My
own older brother also does not let me enter his apartment because of his big-
mouthed Tadjik wife who doe s not wish to start up me.

When the civil war in Tajikistan begun, almost all national diasporas has got support
of their states– Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Germany, Israel.etc. Thrown to die for
hunger Russian old women were really helped too… by the Catholic mission of
Jesuits from Argentina. It is not casual to me that I always liked this country.

In 1993 when Wahhabites have suffered defeat in civil war, their leaders and
ideological inspirers – democrats have plunged in a panic into the plane and ran to
Moscow. The plane has sat down for refuelling in Ashkhabad, but local authorities
have not let out any person from salon – the authorities of Turkmenia did not
require Islamites. But Moscow has joyfully accepted them. Thus, the Tadjik poetess
Gulruhsor Safieva, who was calling on meetings of 1990 to Russian pogroms till now
lives in Moscow.

So one Russian inhabitant of Dushanbe has told: «If a nation does not support its
own compatriots – it is a sick nation; if a state does not support its citizens – it is a
sick state …» I has collected memoirs of Russian inhabitants of Dushanbe, though I
at all do not trust that the patient is still live. Simply it is also my memory and a part
of my life.

«In February of 1990, in a day of next anniversary of Islamic revolution in Iran, –

there was a pogrom of Russian quarters in Dushanbe. Then was the murder in a
broad daylight of the correspondent of ORT Nikulin, execution with a grenade cup
discharge of the school bus with children of the Russian officers. Brutal punishment
over the orthodox priest in Dushanbe, an arson of a temple, excess on cemeteries
… Tajikistan has paid for madness of civil war, for national arrogance of visible
oppositionists, which today occupying offices in the corridors of Tadjik power. Only
where« exposers of Russian colonizers », ostensibly plundering the unfortunate
Tadjik people have got to?»

Vladimir Klenov
«In October, 1991, when Anatoly Sobchak, the Russian democrat, has told well-
known: «There are not Russians here, there are communists», democratic forces
arranged multimonthly sedentary meetings where there were also such slogans:
«Russian! Do not leave– we need slaves!» . All this together taken accurately falls
under genocide definition. A genocide of Russian diaspora in Tajikistan in 1990th
years».

Peter Chernov

«Such people are called as a cattle – which envy, hate me. And this line, by the way,
is peculiar to Russians».

Xenia Sobchak, the TV presenter.

«February of 90th. I have received a bad mark at school. As a punishment I was not
let to go for a tennis next day. It has come, the next day. The alarm soared in air
since the morning. The grandfather, the director of 31st school has called to be
convinced that all of us are at home and has told that we did not leave far from the
house because something terrible approaches. The uncle has called. He called from
hotel in which girls covered him from furious crowd. The crowd of Tadjiks went and
destroyed all on their way. They beat all Russians and the Tadzhik girls which were
not in national clothes. Time and a place of terrible events – around stadium.
Sometimes it is useful to receive bad marks. Our friend, the Tadjik, the ambulance
surgeon has rushed to rescue our uncle. The Tadjik rescued not the Russian from
Tadjiks. Our uncle has lost an eye, but he was alive».

The Russian school - girl

«A trolley bus have been stopped near our house, swells have dropped in the car,
the Tadjiks were released, Russians – beaten. Каrina was a small, thin Armenian
girl, she can be accepted as a Tadzhik – dark-haired, black-eyed, she became
evident not at once for those who hunted on Russians. They beat not her - they
have attacked on her girl-friend who was on the seventh month of pregnancy.
Каrina has covered her with herself, and blow has had to her in a neck».

«… Anton Antonovich could not get home from work: together with the assistant to
the dean Olga he left University, but had not time to ascend on a viaduct (the long
bridge which connected territory of our faculty with street Putovsky), when one old
Tadjik has told to him: « not to go there because Russians were killed there do not
go there.

– But it is necessary for us to get home, and there are not any other road.

And this old man has led them through slums, bypassing main streets hammered
with insurgents. But they left only to Olga’s house, and Anton Antonovich has been
compelled to sit out some days there with all her family and a student – girl who left
the case together with them».

«We also remember «amusing»cases: the crowd of insurgents has gone to circus –
it apparently, entered into number of objects which, under their plan, should be
grasped. Someone from workers of circus has cried: «If you take still a step – we will
let out tigers». The crowd has stopped, but someone has not believed. The
resourceful circus actor has cried: « Vasja, let out tigers! »– and the crowd has run
away …»

Nina Olhovaja «The Wild field», № 6, 2004 (Donetsk)

«Next day the piece of road near textile industrial complex has turned to a hell.
Gangs of Islamic fundamentalists blocked highway. From buses arriving from two
parties and trolley buses they pulled out Russian women which were raped and at
bus stops and on a football ground near the road, whilemen were severely beaten.
Anti-Russian pogroms have swept on all city. «Tajikistan for Tadjiks!» and «Russian,
run away to the Russia!» – such were main slogans of thugs. The Russians were
plundered, raped and killed even in their own apartments. Thugs did not spare
children. Such изуверства Tajikistan did not know such a cruelty yet. The city and
republican authorities have become puzzled, but townspeople search for an exit
and find it. In living districts self-defence groups are formed, and next morning on
February, 14th all city left on streets. Human chains have surrounded borders of
districts. Having received rigid repulse in several city districts, gangsters have not
dared any more to attack. And pogroms have stopped … October of 92nd.
Dushanbe was captured by Wahhabites. This very day, a communist in the past and
then a democrat M.Mirrahimov, acting on national TV, declares all Russians living in
Tajikistan as hostages. But we were not frightened, because have got used to
thought about possibility of death. In April 93rd my wife and I have come to the
Russian embassy. The diplomat caused by the Russian fellow-commando with the
automatic machine on a breast, in reply to our request for registration of the
Russian citizenship has explained us the following: as we live in republic constantly,
so according to the statement of Tadjik government, we are citizens of Tajikistan.
Our arguments: we were born in Russia, the citizenship choice depends only on our
will – the diplomat did not recognize as convincing».

V.Starikov. A long road to Russia// «The General newspaper». 2001. № 50, on

December, 13-19th

«It was very terrible. Even adult people have become puzzled. On Putovsky, before
our eyes, a trolley bus was burnt, without having let people out from there … And
nearby – the crowd has torn to pieces the major … This terrible show – crowd …
Then when all has subsided, my friend and I went there … there were only wet
stains and clothes … a skeleton, the trunk – was not anything … all has been broken
off, scattered, crushed …

There were ten thousands of such cases. But there was not any message in mass-
media about it. All has passed not noticed. The president of republic has acted on
TV. He has told that can not help Russian brothers – he does not supervise a
situation in a city. We were legislative before this. We were beaten, and we were
silent. And after this performance we have felt that it is better to die in struggle for
us, protecting our families than to be hammered rams in own houses, with the cut
throats …

Everybody poured out on streets. Each area has become organized, and it was
surprising. There was no central staff after all. And when we have defended
ourselves at night, uninvited visitors had to leave city – they returned back, to their
settlements in mountains. And the power has returned. We have returned the
power in a city. It could hardly be trusted: the simple unarmed persons have
defended themselves against strong enough armed groups …»

Anatoly Balashov, the organizer of Russian refugee community in Borisoglebsk.

«There were many terrible events. In the face of a father, a dentist, was raped his
daughter … A woman who has been working in the Ministry of Public Education, told
us that she was already attacked, but during this moment their attention was
involved with two Russians – the guy and the girl. They have been doomed, because
were fair-haired and light-eyed. They have been fallen down on the earth, beaten
with feet, trampled down. Then, having seized by hands and feet, heated in a pool
of the water mixed with snow and blood. The woman understood that they have
saved her life, but it was not in her forces to help them … And many told about a
Russian woman who went along the street with an independent air, without looking
back and without accelerating a step, – and nobody has dared to approach her …»

Nina Olhovaja

«Ay, they have thought suddenly! And how when in 1993 Russians lived in the
railway station and in the airport? And Kazakhstan has sent planes to save the
Kazakhs and all of them has taken out. You know, what this (curse) the Migratory
service has declared to us? You do not know? Write down! That there should be«a
minimization of migratory streams», and we must be «an advanced post of Russia
abroad». And my sister have been raped in the afternoon in the street. And the
Russians were not allowed to bury their dead men on a cemetery, only for money.
We do not like to tell about it. There is nobody remain to tell».

(Captain Sasha from 201st motor-shooting division about the Russian programs of
returning of compatriots. «The Komsomol truth», 19.01.2007)

«We have met another gangsters in the homeland which had a only a little
difference with the thugs. They were the Russian officials. I will not forget the
relation in Federal migratory office to me who by miracle have been pulled out from
the Inter-Tadjik slaughter-house, went through torments in a camp of aggressive
opposition and prison of authorities of free Tajikistan.“ So you went to Moscow to
receive citizenship? — The dark bald clerk has contemptiously grinned. – You are
not necessary for Moscow, even for Russia ”. Then my heat was cooled by the
federal guard. With the same remarks “the migratory” banished all come to seek
asylum on the native land».

Alexander Rudenko. http://www.zavtra.ru/cgi/veil/data/zavtra/98/255/61.html

«Here on this sofa in 93rd the Russians from Grozny sat. They told, how Chechens
smothered any old women with a cord from an iron, I especially remembered this.
But they told somehow easy, without an anguish. Then we were engaged in
Armenians from Baku. When I have seen these Armenians, I have felt that they
were the most unfortunate people on the world. And I have not felt this for some
reason with the Russians . I do not know why - maybe, they insufficiently loudly
shouted».

Lydia Grafova, the chairman of the Forum of refugee organizations.

«My dear Russian person! I, first of all, turn these lines to you. One of the greatest
people on the earth has undergone terrible sufferings and humiliations. These
people are lulled and demoralized by false targets, default (for example, about
mass violence over Russian women in the same Tajikistan), game in democracy
spillikins, and do not see a mockery over us, the Russians, and over our history, and
those who overthrows our relics from our temples and t brings their idols and forces
us to pray on them.
Why there is an indifference of a hell at us? What occurs with you, Russian people?
What occurs with us, my brother?»

Victor Lysenkov. «Memento!»

http://lib.ru/NEWPROZA/LYSENKOV_V/memento.txt