Popularity of army service highlights social inequality in Chechnya

Modern Chechen young people perceives the Russian army not as a participant of the military campaigns in the republic, but as a chance to avoid the fate of unemployed people by gaining the right to serve at the law enforcement bodies, explain experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 30, 2019, Chechen conscripts from the National Guard of Russia took the military oath. Local residents and users of social networks argue whether it is permissible for a Chechen native to serve in the Russian army, which conducted military operations in the republic.

In 2019, young men who were born after the end of the military campaigns and who do not remember the "horrors of the war" reached the draft age, explains Major General Ibragim Suleimenov. During the war, he was in opposition to Djokhar Dudaev, the president of the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.

"Those young people want to serve in the army, get a stable salary and a military card which they will need if they are going to work for the law enforcement bodies after their demobilization or to continue their military career," Ibragim Suleimenov explained to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Chechen young men want to serve in the army due to the possibility in the future to work at the law enforcement bodies, believes Ruslan Kutaev, the president of the Assembly of Caucasian Nations. "It is practically impossible for them to get a job in the republic ... Therefore, if a guy fails to enter an institute or a university, then the army is the best alternative for him," Ruslan Kutaev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 2, 2020 at 09:56 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.