Dzhokhar Dudayev

Dzhokhar Musayevich Dudayev (né Dudin Musa-Khant Dʒouxar; 15 February 1944 – 21 April 1996) was a Chechen politician, statesman and military leader of the 1990s Chechen Independence movement from Russia. He served as the first president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from 1991 until his assassination in 1996. Previously he had been a Major General of Aviation in the Soviet Armed Forces.

Džohhar Dudajev (1991)

Quotes

• Russism is a special form of misanthropic ideology based on great-power chauvinism, complete lack of spirituality, and immorality. It differs from the well-known forms of fascism, racism, nationalism, in its particular cruelty, both to man and to nature ... Possessing a slave psychology, it parasitizes using false history, on occupied territories and oppressed peoples.
  • Dzhokhar Dudayev, 1994

• There is not a single misanthropic ideology in the world, even in theory, acting more cruelly and cynically than Russism ... There are no moral principles - they are all like animals. I don't want this war to stop. I need this war, its continuation. This war will go to the territory of Russia - whether Russia wants it or not ... And the Western countries, the world community will not let it stop, in order to completely isolate Russia and destroy it as a state, so that this predatory beast on earth no longer exists.
  • Dzhokhar Dudayev, April 1995, during the First Chechen War

• Freedom and independence are life or death for us. Because it would be possible to live with people, among people, with a neighbor, in a state where some of your rights are protected. Where the state fulfills its duty to you. It doesn't. Russia does not fulfill any obligations to the people, to the state. So, they simply offer us: They put a wild bear, caught in a forest, in a cage and say : "Go into the cage and live with him, be friends. Give him a paw. Live with this beast and play nice." That's what Russia is.
  • Dzhokhar Dudayev, interview by the Estonian film group "Oxide film", 1995.

The Russian leadership, throughout its history, when it got difficult, fled to sign agreements that it has never respected and will never respect, and does not think [of respecting]. As soon as it gets stronger, it starts again.
It isolates the weakest and tortures them. ~ Dzhokhar Dudayev
Pictured: Signing of the Latvian-Soviet Peace Treaty, in which the USSR pledged to recognize the inviolability of Latvia's borders – which they did for less than 20 years.

• Russia gathers all kinds of criminal gangs [in Russia]. They're given the nickname "opposition". They arm them heavily, pay them big money. Countless funds are spent on this. It's unthinkable to a normal person's imagination. Tanks, armored personnel carriers, planes, Grads, Smerches, Uragans. Their training happens outside the republic, on Russian territory, at special bases. Russian military specialists, Russian special services. Plus a few criminals of Chechen ethnicity – and they call this whole mixture "opposition". Opposition in the Russian way. In fact, Russism. Typical Russism. Worse than fascism, Nazism, racism, all individual-hating ideologies. Raised to the rank of Russian state policy. Russism is worse than fascism.
  Throughout the history of Russia, it chooses the most helpless victim. To a complete physical destruction, and realistic intimidation of the world – saying: "here is how strong, powerful we are, what we can do, how insidious, evil, predatory."
  Nagorno-Karabakh – isolated and completely destroyed. It's the training.
  They went further: Abkhazia - isolated from the Caucasus, from Georgia. Destroyed all potential.
  War with Georgia. Armenia with Azerbaijan – in fact [the conflict involves] Russian special services, Russian troops, Russian weapons, Russian equipment.
  South Ossetia - isolated, destroyed. North Ossetia, Ingushetia – isolated.
  And the physical destruction of entire nations. Violence, death, blood. Destruction of nation's potential.
  The Russian leadership, throughout its history, when it got difficult, fled to sign agreements that it has never respected and will never respect, and does not think [of respecting]. As soon as it gets stronger, it starts again. It isolates the weakest and tortures them.
  That's what Russia is – empire of evil. As it was, is, and remains. Its rapacity... greed, ruthlessness, lack of spirituality, immorality it has demonstrated in Chechnya. 250 000 armed forces. 5600 units of armored vehicles on the territory. An unheard number in history against [a handful of] mountain people. Against a territory for which you need a microscope to look for it on a map. They reassured the world community, they made a statement from the Russian President that there will be no forceful solution. There will be only a peaceful solution [they said]. And when on the New Year's Eve... on the New Year's Eve, they mixed sand, earth, sky, human blood and flesh. Mixed and made a bloody mess. And they are not going to move from this policy, they are not going to move from it. That's what Russia is.
  If the world, I declare responsibly, if the whole world does not stop this plague, or do not – at least – make it follow rule of law (there will never be democracy, and never was) If – at least in legal terms – they do not comply with the norms of international law, the world will be subject to severe shock.
  • Dzhokhar Dudayev, Interview by the Estonian film group "Oxide film", 1995.