Женщины и дети: право на жизнь

In 1995, during so-called the ‘First Chechen War, after the attack of the air forces, I lost two of my daughters, one was seven years old and the other was 14 years old. This tragedy occurred in May 1995, in the village of Kharsenoi, in the Shatoi district, where we were living as refugees.

On 12 May 1995, our village was bombarded, the workers who were repairing the road leading to the village underwent this attack. Two young men were killed there. Then we heard the news that a corridor had been opened allowing refugees and anyone who wished to leave for Grozny. But it was only possible to move at night time, without headlights, as vehicles were exposed to shooting, rocket strikes and bombardment. Before this, airplanes shot at practically any vehicle, regardless of the fact that women, children and old people could be in there, those who were trying to flee the war zone.

On 29 May we, four families, gathered and left Kharsenoi in two vehicles towards Grozny. We had to drive very slowly and carefully, because the road was destroyed, and at any moment a plane might come and shoot at us. On the road, one of the cars broke down, and by daybreak, we had only reached the first sector (part of the forest). We decided to wait a bit and then move on in one car. But sometimes at the second half of the day, planes flew over and began to bomb the area. We survived by some miracle and returned to Kharsenoi.

That night we slept in the village. There we had a wooden dug-out which was built earlier, so that we could hide in case of aerial bombing or artillery bombardment. Usually, the women and children hided there during the day, as there was constant bombardment and in the evenings they went home. Around four o’clock in the afternoon, everyone went home as usual, and I went to the neighbouring house of the relative – Sultan Isupov. We sat together in the courtyard, talking, when a plane appeared. First there was a sharp roaring, then he choked and the noise subsided. I said to him: “Sultan, it looks like they are coming back”, and then the first explosion happened. The bombardment of the village started. Eight planes circled above the village. Four dropped bombs and rockets, and the other four let out a barrage from above. When the first four had dropped all of their bombs, the other four then started bombing the village, too. And that is how they bombed and shot the village without any respite.

Under the roof of Sultan’s courtyard there was a small potato cellar, I hided there. I started to call to the others, but they all ran to the dug-outs. So, on that day nine people died in that courtyard – I was the only survivor. Totally on that day 20 people died the village of Kharsenoi: children, women and old people. There were five or six children dead.

There were no fighters in Kharsenoi, I am sure of that. It is true that the road from Shatoi to Bamut passed close to the village. The fighters did use to take this road.

The people of the village were very frightened, that the fighters might enter the village and then the Russian soldiers would shoot and bomb it. For that reason we organised a watch and never allowed any fighters in. We barred the way into the village and warned them to avoid Kharsenoi, so that they did not put the lives of peaceful residents in danger. They agreed to this and none of them had ever gone into our village. Therefore, there was absolutely no reason to bomb Kharsenoi. At that time there were only local residents and refugees from other regions, mostly women, old people and children.

One of the planes shot a rocket at children who were running to the dug-out, I think that the pilot couldn’t see at whom he was shooting. But that plane returned for one more time after all the others had run out of bombs and had flown off. The children fell to the ground and my son (he was the eldest) covered his sisters with his body. Nevertheless, my youngest daughter (she was only seven years old), was killed on the scene and the elder (14 years old), broke her leg. My son was also wounded by rocket shrapnel in his arm and leg.

When the bombing stopped, I managed to find a car, and we drove my wounded daughter to the hospital in the regional centre of Shatoi. At that time French doctors worked there. One of the doctors looked at her and said that they needed to amputate her leg. I agreed, because the most important thing for me was to save her. But later on, she died. That is how I lost both of my daughters. It was the 29th of May, 1995. It has been 11 years since that day. And, as far as I know, no one has been punished for this murder of women and children. As it was in the order of things.

Later on that night we buried 20 residents of Kharsenoi who died on that day, and we left the village, throwing out all our personal belongings, livestock and everything. People walked through a large forest tract to Komsomolskoe and Urus-Martan. Since that day none of us could return to our native village to see what is there, what remains.

As far as I know, after we left Kharsenoi, 200 Russian armoured vehicles with soldiers went in. They looted all valuable things and slaughtered the cattle, burned the houses. Just as the NKVD (People’s Commissariat of Internal Affairs) forces did in 1944, when they forcibly relocated the Chechen people. The houses in Kharsanoi were all built of wooden frames. They were completely burnt. There is nothing left there now. The residents are still not allowed to go back. I know that in 2000, Kharsenoi was again bombed with aircraft depth bombs. The cemeteries were completely destroyed, and the remains of the bodies were strewn about.

Twice I organised trips there. I got to Shatoi, and there the commandant’s head office did not give me permission to go further. “In a view of complicated situation it is unsafe, we can’t allow you to go there” – that was all they said. Now it seems that it has become safer, but they still do not allow us to return to Kharsenoi. For this reason I wrote to the parliament – I received a notification that the letter was received, but beyond that, no reaction. No one has answered. I went to Khadyrov, and wrote to the interregional court in Shatoi. So far, no results. I would like to go there, so that I could repair the grave of my youngest daughter who was buried there. And I still want to revive our village.

I know that everyone considers his or her pain bigger than the pain of others. But I know that many residents of Chechnya have experienced the same as I have. They have lost their children, their loved ones. So many people died during this time, and then in the ‘Second War’ as well.

In the same year – 1995, I was told about one case, when a Russian fighting plane shot a group of women who were working in the field. Just like that, it flew over and shot them all. Even though it was clearly visible that there were no fighters there.

And I remember another case. Again in 1995. A Kamaz truck drove by, with women and children inside. It was full. There were refugees, going towards Shatoi. A plane flew over and shot the truck. Every single person who was in that truck was killed. I cannot say exactly, how many women and children were there, but I think that there were several dozen people. And there were many such cases.

All of this is now forgotten. No one is paying attention to that anymore. And no one is answering for these murders.

Not long ago, I happened to be in Kharsenoi and wanted to visit the cemetery where my youngest daughter is buried. But I couldn’t find the grave – the entire cemetery was so torn up by heavy bombing that no graves survived.

The first war took away my daughter, and the second war took away her grave.

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