Grozny (English) Грозный (Russian) Соьлжа-ГIала, ГIалитIа (Chechen)
-  City[1]  -
Views of Grozny
Grozny Location of Grozny in the Chechen Republic
Coordinates: 43°19′54″N 45°38′41″E / 43.33167°N 45.64472°E / 43.33167; 45.64472Coordinates: 43°19′54″N 45°38′41″E / 43.33167°N 45.64472°E / 43.33167; 45.64472
Coat of arms	Flag
Administrative status (as of September 2010)
Country	Russia
Federal subject	Chechen Republic[1]
Administratively subordinated to	city of republic significance of Grozny[2]
Capital of	Chechen Republic[citation needed]
Administrative center of	city of republic significance of Grozny[2]
Municipal status (as of June 2010)
Urban okrug	Grozny Urban Okrug[3]
Administrative center of	Grozny Urban Okrug,[3] Groznensky Municipal District[4]
Mayor[citation needed]	Muslim Khuchiyev[citation needed]
Statistics
Population (2010 Census, preliminary)	271,596 inhabitants[5]
- Rank in 2010	67th
Population (2002 Census)	210,720 inhabitants[6]
- Rank in 2002	88th
Time zone	MSK (UTC+04:00)[7]
Founded	1818[8]
City status since	December 1869[citation needed]
Grozny on WikiCommons

Grozny (Russian: Гро́зный; Chechen: Соьлжа-ГIала, ГIалитIа, Sölƶa-Ġala, or Жовхар, Ƶovxar) is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596;^[5] up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census,^[6] but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989 Census.^[9]

Etymology[link]

In Russian, "Grozny" means "fearsome". During the existence of the separatist republic, it was renamed to Dzokhar-Ghala in 1996, and Chechen separatists sometimes continue refer to the city as Dzhokhar or Djohar (Chechen: Джовхар-ГIала, Dƶovxar-Ġala); it was named so after Dzhokhar Dudaev, the first president of the separatist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. As of December 2005, the Chechen parliament voted to rename the city Akhmadkala after Akhmad Kadyrov, a proposition which was rejected by his son Ramzan Kadyrov, the prime minister and later president of the republic.

History[link]

Russian fort[link]

The fortress of Groznaya (fearsome) was founded in 1818^[8] as a Russian military outpost on the Sunzha River by Cossacks which was a prominent defense center during the Caucasian War. Two Moscow Times foreign reporters state that it was built on the site of thirteen leveled Chechen villages, including Kuli-Yurt, Alkhanchu, Khankala, Bugan-Yurt, Yandara, Sunzha-Yurt, Maas, and Zhima-Chechen. The villages were destroyed and the fortress was built.^[10] After the annexation of the region by the Russian Empire, the military use of the old fortress was obsolete and in December 1869 it was renamed Grozny and granted town status.^{[citation needed]} As most of the residents there were Terek Cossacks, the town grew slowly until the development of oil reserves in the early 20th century. This encouraged the rapid development of industry and petrochemical production. In addition to the oil drilled in the city itself, the city became a geographical center of Russia's network of oil fields, and in 1893 became part of the Transcaucasia — Russia Proper railway. The result was the population almost doubled from 15,600 in 1897 to 30,400 in 1913.^{[citation needed]}

Soviet regional capital[link]

The day after the October Revolution (November 8, 1917), the Bolsheviks headed by N. Anisimov seized Grozny. As the Russian Civil War escalated, the Proletariat formed the 12th Red Army, and the garrison held out against numerous attacks by Terek Cossacks from August 11 to November 12, 1918. However, with the arrival of Denikin's armies, the Bolsheviks were forced to withdraw and Grozny was captured on February 4, 1919 by the White Army. Underground operations were carried out, but only the arrival of the Caucasus front of the Red Army in 1920 allowed the city to permanently end up with the RSFSR on March 17. Simultaneously it became part of the Soviet Mountain Republic, which was formed on January 20, 1921, and was the capital of the Chechen National Okrug inside it.

On November 30, 1922, the mountain republic was dissolved, and the national okrug became the Chechen Autonomous Oblast (Chechen AO) with Grozny as the administrative center. At this time most of the population was still Russian, but of Cossack descent. As Cossacks were viewed as a potential threat to the Soviet nation, Moscow actively^{[citation needed]} encouraged the migration of Chechens into the city from the mountains. In 1934, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Oblast was formed, which was transformed into the Chechen-Ingush ASSR in 1936.

In 1944, the entire population of Chechens and Ingush was deported after rebelling against Soviet rule. Large amounts of people who were not deemed fit for transport were 'liquidated' on spot,^[11] and the situation of the transport and of the stay in Siberia caused many deaths as well.^[12][13] According to internal NKVD data, a total of 144,704 were killed in 1944-1948 alone (death rate of 23.5% per all groups).^[14] Authors such as Alexander Nekrich, John Dunlop and Moshe Gammer, based on census data from the period estimate a death toll of about 170,000-200,000 among Chechens alone,^{[15][16][17][18]} thus ranging from over a third of the total Chechen population that was deported to nearly half being killed in those 4 years (rates for other groups for those four years hover around 20%). All traces of them in the city, including books^[19] and graveyards,^[20] were destroyed by the NKVD troops. The act was recognized by the European Parliament as an act of genocide in 2004.^[21]

Grozny became the administrative center of Grozny Oblast of the Russian SFSR, and the city at the time was again wholly Russian. In 1957, the Chechen-Ingush ASSR was restored, and the Chechens were allowed to return. The return of the Chechens to Grozny, which had been lacking of Nakh for thirteen years, would cause massive disruptions to the social, economic and political systems of what had been a Russian city for the period until their return. This caused a self-feeding cycle of ethnic conflict between the two groups, both believing the other's presence in the city was illegitimate. Once again migration of non-Russians into Grozny continued whilst the ethnic Russian population, in turn, moved to other parts of the USSR, notably the Baltic states, after the interethnic conflict broke briefly out in 1958.

According to sociologist Georgy Derluguyan, the Checheno-Ingush Republic's economy was divided into two spheres—much like French settler-ruled Algeria—and the Russian sphere had all the jobs with higher salaries,^[22] while non-Russians were systematically kept out of all government positions. Russians (as well as Ukrainians and Armenians) worked in education, health, oil, machinery, and social services. Non-Russians (excluding Ukrainians and Armenians) worked in agriculture, construction, a long host of undesirable jobs, as well as the so-called "informal sector" (i.e., illegal, due to the mass discrimination in the legal sector).^[22]

At the same time a great deal of development occurred in the city. Like many other Soviet cities, the Stalinist style of architecture was prevalent during this period, with apartments in the centre as well as administrative buildings including the massive Council of Ministers and the Grozny University buildings being constructed in Grozny. Later projects included the high-rise apartment blocks prominent in many Soviet cities, as well as a city airport. In 1989, the population of the city was almost 400,000 people.^{[citation needed]}

Collapse of Russian authority[link]

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Grozny became the seat of a separatist government led by Dzhokhar Dudaev. According to some, many of the remaining Russian and other non-Chechen residents fled or were expelled by groups of militants, adding to a harassment and discrimination from the new authorities.^[23] These events are perceived by some as an act of an ethnic cleansing of non-Chechens, which has been reflected in the materials of General Prosecutor's office of the Russian Federation.^[24][25]

This view is disputed by authors, such as Russian economists Boris Lvin and Andrei Illarionov, who argue that Russian emigration from the area was no more intense than in other regions of Russia at the time.^[26] According to this view of the ethnic situation in Ichkeria, the primary cause of Russian emigration was the extensive bombing of Grozny (where 4 out of 5, or nearly 200,000 Russians in Chechnya lived before the war) by the Russian military during the First Chechen War.^[27]

The covert Russian attempts of overthrowing Dudayev by a means of an armed Chechen opposition forces resulted in repeated failed assaults on the city. Originally, Moscow had been backing the political opposition of Umar Avturkhanov "peacefully" (i.e. without supplying the opposition with weapons and encouraging them to try a coup). However, this changed in 1994, after the coups in neighboring in Georgia and Azerbaijan (both of which Moscow was involved with), and Russia encouraged armed opposition and occasionally assisted. In August 1994 Avturkhanov attacked Grozny, but was repelled first by Chechen citizens who were then joined by Grozny government troops and Russian helicopters covered his retreat.^[28] On September 28, one of these interfering helicopters was indeed shot down and its Russian pilot was held as a prisoner-of-war by the Chechen government.^[29] The last one on 26 November 1994 ended with capture of 21 Russian Army tank crew members,^[30] secretly hired as mercenaries by the FSK (former KGB, soon renamed FSB); their capture was sometimes cited as one of the reasons of Boris Yeltsin's decision to launch the open intervention. In the meantime, Grozny airport and other targets were bombed by unmarked Russian aircraft.

First Chechen War[link]

During the First Chechen War, Grozny was the site of an intense battle lasting from December 1994 to February 1995 and ultimately ending with the capture of the city by the Russian military. Intense fighting and carpet bombing carried out by the Russian Air Force destroyed much of the city. Thousands of combatants on both sides died in the fighting, alongside civilians, many of which were reportedly ethnic Russians; unclaimed bodies were later collected and buried in mass graves on the city outskirts. The main federal military base in Chechnya was located in the area of Grozny air base.^{[citation needed]}

Chechen guerrilla units operating from nearby mountains managed to harass and demoralize the Russian Army by means of guerilla tactics and raids, such as the attack on Grozny in March 1996, which added to political and public pressure for a withdrawal of Russian troops. In August 1996, a raiding force of 1,500 to 3,000 militants recaptured the city in a surprise attack. They surrounded and routed its entire garrison of 10,000 MVD troops, while fighting off the Russian Army units from the Khankala base. The battle ended with a final ceasefire and Grozny was once again in the hands of Chechen separatists. The name was changed to Djohar in 1997 by the President of the separatist Ichkeria republic, Aslan Maskhadov. By this time most of the remaining Russian minority fled.^{[citation needed]}

Second Chechen War[link]

Damaged apartment buildings in 2006

Grozny was once again the epicenter of fighting after the outbreak of the Second Chechen War, which further caused thousands of fatalities. During the early phase of the Russian siege on Grozny on October 25, 1999, Russian forces launched five SS-21 ballistic missiles at the crowded central bazaar and a maternity ward, killing more than 140 people and injuring hundreds. During the massive shelling of the city that followed, most of the Russian artillery were directed toward the upper floors of the buildings; although this caused massive destruction of infrastructure, civilian casualties were much less than in the first battles. The enormous scale of the devastation prompted numerous comparisons with Hiroshima ^[31] and other cities leveled during World War II.

The final seizure of the city was set in early February 2000, when the Russian military lured the besieged militants to a promised safe passage. Seeing no build-up of forces outside, the militants agreed. One day prior to the planned evacuation, the Russian Army mined the path between the city and the village of Alkhan-Kala and concentrated most firepower on that point. As a result, both the city mayor and military commander were killed; a number of other prominent separatist leaders were also killed or wounded, including Shamil Basayev and several hundred rank-and-file militants. Afterwards, the Russians slowly entered the empty city and on February 6 raised the Russian flag in the centre. Many buildings and even whole areas of the city were systematically dynamited. A month later, it was declared safe to allow the residents to return to their homes, although demolishing continued for some time. In 2003 the United Nations called Grozny the most destroyed city on earth.^[32]

After the war[link]

This table's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help improve the article by updating it. There may be additional information on the talk page. (May 2010)

Grozny in 2011

Today, the federal government representatives of Chechnya are based in Grozny. Reconstruction is progressing. By June 2006, out of more than 60,000 apartment buildings and private homes destroyed, 900 have been rebuilt. Out of several dozens of industrial enterprises, three have been partially rebuilt — the Grozny Machine-Building Factory, the Krasny Molot (Red Hammer) and Transmash factories.

Most of the city's infrastructure was destroyed and many continue to live in ruined buildings without heating and running water, even as electricity was mostly restored since 2006, as the city has undergone substantial reconstruction.^[33] Before the war, Grozny had about 79,000 apartments, and the city authorities expect to be able to restore about 45,000 apartments; the rest were in the buildings that were completely destroyed.^[34]

The railway communication was restored in 2005, and Grozny's Severny airport was reopened in 2007 with three weekly flights to Moscow. In 2009 the IAC gave Grozny's Severny airport the international certificate after checking and evaluating the airport's airworthiness. On November 16, 2009, the airport had its first international flight; taking Pilgrims on Hajj to Saudi Arabia via a Boeing 747.^[35]

After four years of construction, the Grozny Mosque was formally opened to the public on October 16, 2008 and is considered one of the largest mosques in Russia. In 2009 the city of Grozny was honored by the UN Human Settlements Program for transforming the war scarred city and providing new homes for thousands.^[36]

Administrative and municipal status[link]

Administratively, it is incorporated as the city of republic significance of Grozny—an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts.^[2] Municipally, the city of republic significance of Grozny is incorporated as Grozny Urban Okrug.^[3] The city also serves as the administrative center of Groznensky Municipal District,^[4] but not of the corresponding administrative district.^[1]

City divisions[link]

The city is divided into four city districts: Leninsky, Zavodskoy, Staropromyslovsky, and Oktyabrsky. All of the districts are residential, but Staropromyslovsky District is also the city's main illegal^{[citation needed]} oil drilling area, and Oktyabrsky District hosts most of the city's industry. Grozny was known for its modern architecture and as a spa town but nearly all the town was destroyed or seriously damaged during the Chechen Wars. It is home to Chechen State University and FC Terek Grozny, which after a fifteen year absence from its hometown returned to Grozny in March 2008. Also in Grozny is Chechen State Pedagogical Institute.

Transportation[link]

The first train pulled into the Grozny Railway station on May 1, 1893.

Tram and trolley[link]

On November 5, 1932, Grozny Tram was opened to the public, and by 1990 it was 85-kilometer (53 mi) long, and 107 factory-fresh KTM-5 trams that it received in the late 1980s, and two depots. The Grozny Trolley, began operation on December 31, 1975, and by 1990 was approximately 60 kilometers (37 mi) with 58 buses and one depot. Both versions of transport came under difficult pressure in the early 1990s, with frequent theft of equipment, lack of pay to the staff and resultant strikes. A major planned Trolley extension to the airport was cancelled. With the outbreak of the First Chechen War both transport services stopped operation. During the destructive battles, the tram tracks were blocked or damaged, cars and buses were turned into barricades. The trolley was more lucky, as most of its equipment, including the depot survived the war. In 1996 it was visited by specialists from the Vologda Trolley Company, who repaired some of the lines, with service planned to be re-started in 1997. However after they returned, most of the equipment was stolen, and instead the surviving buses were transported to Volzhsky where they were re-paired and used in the new Trolley system.

After the Second Chechen War, little of the infrastructure of both systems was left. The created Ministry of Transport of the Chechen Republic in 2002, decided not to build the tram (rated as too expensive, and not answering to the city's needs, which lost half of its population since). The trolley however was more fortunate, and despite delays, Grozny hopes to open it by 2010.

Sports[link]

Grozny is home to Russian Premier League club FC Terek Grozny. After winning promotion by coming 2nd in the Russian First Division in 2007, Terek Grozny finished 10th in the Russian Premier League in 2008. The team still plays in the top tier. The club is owned by Ramzan Kadyrov and play in the recently built city's Ahmad Arena. Ruud Gullit was the team manager from the beginning of the season 2011, but was later sacked by the club in June.

Climate[link]

Grozny has a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with hot summers and cold winters.

International relations[link]

Twin towns and sister cities[link]

Grozny is twinned with:

Notable people[link]

• Timur Aliev, journalist
• Meseda Bagaudinova, pop singer
• Mamed Khalidov, mixed martial arts fighter
• Makka Sagaipova
• Artur Sarkisov, soccer player
• Gennady Troshev
• Lyudmila Turishcheva, Olympic gymnast

Visitor attractions[link]

• Akhmad Kadyrov Mosque
• Grozny-City Towers Facade Clocks

City panorama

References[link]

Notes[link]

Sources[link]

• Референдум. 23 марта 2003 г. «Конституция Чеченской Республики», в ред. Конституционного закона №4-РКЗ от 2 сентября 2010 г «О внесении изменения в Конституцию Чеченской Республики». Вступил в силу со дня официального опубликования по результатам голосования на референдуме Чеченской Республики. (Referendum. March 23, 2003 Constitution of the Chechen Republic, as amended by the Constitutional Law #4-RKZ of September 2, 2010 On Amending the Constitution of the Chechen Republic. Effective as of the day of the official publication in accordance with the results of the referendum of the Chechen Republic.).
• Президент Чеченской Республики. Указ №500 от 30 ноября 2005 г. «Об утверждении перечня субъектов административно-территориального устройства Чеченской Республики». Вступил в силу 30 ноября 2005 г.. Опубликован: База данных "Консультант-плюс". (President of the Chechen Republic. Decree #500 of November 30, 2005 On Adopting the List of the Entities Within the Administrative-Territorial Structure of the Chechen Republic. Effective as of November 30, 2005.).
• Парламент Чеченской Республики. Закон №12-РЗ от 20 февраля 2009 г. «Об образовании муниципального образования Грозненский район и муниципальных образований, входящих в его состав, установлении их границ и наделении их соответствующим статусом муниципального района и сельского поселения», в ред. Закона №21-РЗ от 28 июня 2010 г «О внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты Чеченской Республики». Вступил в силу по истечении 10 дней после официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Вести Республики", №33 (965), 25 февраля 2009 г. (Parliament of the Chechen Republic. Law #12-RZ of February 20, 2009 On Establishing the Municipal Formation of Groznensky District and the Municipal Formations Comprising It, on Establishing Their Borders, and on Granting Them the Status of a Municipal District and Rural Settlement, as amended by the Law #21-RZ of June 28, 2010 On Amending Various Legislative Acts of the Chechen Republic. Effective as of after 10 days from the official publication date have passed.).
• Парламент Чеченской Республики. Закон №44-РЗ от 14 июля 2008 г. «Об образовании муниципального образования город Грозный, установлении его границы и наделении его статусом городского округа», в ред. Закона №21-РЗ от 28 июня 2010 г «О внесении изменений в некоторые законодательные акты Чеченской Республики». Вступил в силу по истечении 10 дней после официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Вести Республики", №162 (844), 26 августа 2008 г. (Parliament of the Chechen Republic. Law #44-RZ of July 14, 2008 On Establishing the Municipal Formation of the City of Grozny, on Establishing Its Border, and on Granting It the Status of an Urban Okrug, as amended by the Law #21-RZ of June 28, 2010 On Amending Several Legislative Acts of the Chechen Republic. Effective as of after 10 days from the official publication date have passed.).
• Olga Oliker, Russia's Chechen Wars 1994-2000: Lessons from Urban Combat. (Santa Monica CA: RAND Arroyo Center, 2001)

External links[link]

• Grozny. Photo Gallery
• City Grozny. History of Grozny. Photos, virtual museum.
• Modern Grozny
• Grozny 2007(from blog)
• Photo Essay: A Walk Through Grozny PBS
• Grozny - Chechnya : Photo Essay Time (magazine)
• Grozny: Fallen City Time
• Putin: 'Grozny liberated' BBC

v t e Administrative divisions of the Chechen Republic Capital: Grozny Cities and towns Argun · Grozny · Gudermes · Shali · Urus-Martan Administrative districts Achkhoy-Martanovsky · Groznensky · Gudermessky · Itum-Kalinsky · Kurchaloyevsky · Nadterechny · Naursky · Nozhay-Yurtovsky · Shalinsky · Sharoysky · Shatoysky · Shelkovskoy · Sunzhensky · Urus-Martanovsky · Vedensky

vep:Groznii