The residents of Ingushetia honored the memory of the victims of deportation and the conflict in the Prigorodny district.
Today, the victims of political repression in Ingushetia were remembered alongside the victims of the conflict in the Prigorodny district, which began on this day in 1992. The Ossetian-Ingush conflict, which became a distant consequence of Stalin's deportations, was also remembered in North Ossetia, but without reference to the repressions.
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", mourning events in memory of the victims of the Ossetian-Ingush conflict, which began on this day, are held annually in Ingushetia and North Ossetia on October 30. Also, since 1991, October 30 has been marked in Russia as the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Repression.
The Ossetian-Ingush conflict occurred in the fall of 1992 in the territory of the Prigorodny district of North Ossetia and led to armed clashes. According to the prosecutor's office, 583 people died as a result, 939 were injured, and another 261 went missing. Estimates suggest that between 30,000 and 60,000 Ingush were forced to leave their historical homeland in the Prigorodny district and Vladikavkaz, most of whom settled in Ingushetia, according to a report by "Caucasian Knot" "Ossetian-Ingush Conflict of 1992".
A mourning gathering and memorial prayer for the victims of the events of 1992 in the Prigorodny district gathered hundreds of people today at the memorial cemetery "Gioazota Kashamash" in Nazran, reports "Fortanga".
The tragic anniversary is officially marked in the republic: the Ministry of Nationalities of Ingushetia called this date "an unhealed wound in the history of the Ingush people," reminding of "thousands of broken fates," lost homes, and the pain "that entire families still carry to this day."
The head of Ingushetia, Mahmud-Ali Kalimatov, noted that some families in the republic "still managed to learn about the fate of their loved ones." "The Imam of the Central Mosque of Nazran, Khizir Tsoloev, also reminded of the innocent people who perished during those tragic days. He urged to remember every human life," the publication from his official Telegram channel states.
The Conflict in the Prigorodny District as a Result of Repressions
Kalimatov also dedicated another post to the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Repression, reminding of "one of the most tragic pages" in the history of the Ingush. "The deportation of 1944 was a severe trial for an entire nation. People were forcibly deprived of their native land, homes, and accustomed way of life. Many died on the way and in the early years of exile. This tragedy cannot be justified or forgotten," the official wrote.
On February 23, 1944, the operation "Chechevitsa" began, during which nearly 500,000 Chechens and Ingush were forcibly resettled from the territory of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR to Kazakhstan and Central Asia. More details about these events and their consequences can be read in the reference material from "Caucasian Knot" "Deportation of Chechens and Ingush".
The Stalinist deportations directly created the ground for the events of the fall of 1992. After returning home in the late 1950s, the Ingush found that the Prigorodny district, which had previously been part of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR, had become part of neighboring North Ossetian ASSR.
"The homes of the Ingush were occupied by Ossetians, and the environment became hostile. As a result, in 1992, the Ossetian-Ingush conflict arose in the territory of the Prigorodny district. Several hundred people became victims of clashes between Ingush units and the security forces of North Ossetia," human rights defenders noted in an article published in 2024 for the 80th anniversary of the deportation.
Ingush living in the Prigorodny district still experience the consequences of the conflict. For example, in 2025, signs warning of the closure of the Ingush cemetery for burials appeared in the village of Ir (Ingush name – Dzhayrkhoy-Yurt) in the Prigorodny district of North Ossetia. Ingush who want to bury their deceased in the cemetery in the village of Ir face bureaucratic obstacles from local officials bordering on sabotage.
Menaylo Ignored the Day of Remembrance for the Repressed
In North Ossetia, the anniversary of the events in the Prigorodny district was also marked at the official level with commemorative events and laying flowers, reported the press service of the head and government of the republic.
"For the residents of Ossetia, these days will always be associated with the pain of loss and the memory of those who defended and continue to defend their native land," wrote the head of the region, Sergey Menaylo, in his Telegram channel.
Menaylo did not mention the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Political Repression today. The official's publication also does not mention the interethnic component of the conflict, as it is presented as "tragic events in the history of the republic" without specifying the prerequisites.
At the same time, the Vladikavkaz and Alania diocese remembered the politically repressed: today's service at the Glory Memorial in Vladikavkaz was dedicated to two memorial dates. "Priest Vasily Gribenchenko performed a requiem for the fallen defenders of Ossetia and the victims of political repression," informs the Telegram channel of the diocese.
"Caucasian Knot" also reported that in Russia, commemorative actions for the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Repression are increasingly taking place online: for example, the international action "Return of Names" in the Volgograd region took place online for safety reasons, as some activists are under criminal prosecution. In Rostov-on-Don, police today demanded explanations from activists who came to lay flowers at the monument to the victims of political repression.