[KavkazUzel] Today, residents of southern Russia and the descendants of Circassians expelled from their historical homeland in various countries around the world commemorate the Day of Remembrance of the Adyghe, victims of the Caucasian War that ended 162 years ago.Â
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," residents of Kabardino-Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia, and Adygea annually mark the anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War with memorial events. A memorial rally was held in Nalchik on May 20, and that evening, activists gathered at the "Tree of Life" monument and lit 101 candles.Â
The Caucasian War, which lasted from 1763 to 1864, brought the Adyghe people to the brink of extinction. After the war and the mass deportation of the Adyghe to the Ottoman Empire, only slightly more than 50,000 remained in their homeland. Russian authorities have still not recognized the Circassian genocide committed during the war, according to a report from the "Caucasian Knot." The end of the war was marked by a parade of Russian troops in Krasnaya Polyana on May 21, 1864.Â
The Caucasian War is the longest military conflict involving the Russian Empire, lasting nearly 100 years. The memory of it remains highly politicized, and authorities are increasingly returning to imperial interpretations of the events, ignoring its key lessons: attempts at forced unification and the destruction of local self-government systems deepen contradictions and conflicts, according to historians interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" in 2025.Â
Scholars have encountered problems with politicized attitudes toward the events of the Caucasian War before: for example, Dagestani historian Khadzhimurad Donogo noted in 2020 that specialists in this field are being forced to smooth over "rough edges" during the dissertation defense stage.Â
The main consequence of the Caucasian War for the Adyghe was the expulsion of the overwhelming majority of the ethnic group from their native lands, according to historian Zaurbek Kozhev.
HISTORIANS POINT TO A LACK OF FREEDOM IN STUDYING THE CAUCASIAN WAR
"This topic is rarely mentioned in the public sphere; it's only mentioned on May 21st. It's hushed up in school education, even at the regional level, let alone the federal one: the topic of the Caucasian War is relegated to a backseat, and the language recently increasingly resembles that of the Russian Empire—that is, the Caucasus was pacified, the highlanders carried out raids, and imperial and tsarist troops restored order—that's the main thesis. All topics related to the assessment of the Caucasian War as an anti-colonialist struggle of local peoples have, of course, gradually been removed from official discourse," he stated.Â
A colleague of Kozhev's, who works at a university in the North Caucasus, assesses the consequences of the Caucasian War for the Adyghe people as catastrophic, stating that they "led to a demographic catastrophe of unprecedented proportions." He believes the main lesson from the history of the Caucasian War is "the understanding that a military solution to ethnopolitical conflicts is never final."Â
In 1992, Kabardino-Balkaria, and in 1996, Adygea, officially recognized the genocide of the Circassian people. However, in the early 2000s, the activities of Circassian social movements were suppressed, lawyer Zaur Shokuev recalled earlier. He stated that this suppression of civic activism "has led to an increased tendency toward revisionism and denial of the historical facts of the genocide."Â
AUTHORITIES CONTROL AND RESTRICT PUBLIC MEMORIAL EVENTS
In Kabardino-Balkaria, May 21, the day of remembrance for the victims of the Caucasian War, has been marked for the past 20 years, since 2006, with a march carrying Circassian flags. Residents of the republic participate in the march in national costumes, and this event is being held solely as a grassroots initiative, public figure Azamat Shormanov previously told the "Caucasian Knot."
"We've been holding this event since 2006, and the people are the main organizers and initiators. The standard program: a procession in national dress, people bringing symbols of their family trees, and marching with Circassian flags. Families come: the older generation, children, and young people. This is how it's evolved since 2006, and now it's a multi-thousand-strong event," he said.Â
This year, a week before the commemorative date, security forces began handing out warnings to residents of Kabardino-Balkaria against participating in the May 21 march, prompting human rights activists to call on the head of the republic to intervene. Despite the warnings, which threaten criminal prosecution, activists in Nalchik do not intend to cancel their traditional event.Â
A year earlier, at least eight people were detained in Nalchik during a march with Circassian flags marking the 161st anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War.  They were sentenced to three to ten days of administrative arrest for participating in an unauthorized protest and obstructing traffic. The only woman among the eight detainees, Marina Kalmykova, was released after three days of detention on May 25. Khusein Gugov, Zuber Euaz, Timur Nakhushev, Kazbek Mamikov, and Bashir Yerokov were released on May 27, while Idar Tsipinov and Beslan Gedgafov were released later. Timur Nakhushev and Zuber Euaz appealed the decisions of the Nalchik City Court; Kazbek Mamikov did not file a complaint after his arrest, considering it futile.Â
The civic stance of participants in the commemorative event in Nalchik regarding the anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War is mixed: some activists call for this date to be perceived as a day of remembrance for ancestors, while others insist on a fair assessment of the events and the preservation of knowledge of the historical truth.Â
In Adygea, large-scale events marking the anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War are not being held due to heightened security measures. Adyghe activist Asker Sokht reported that in Maykop, on the 161st anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War, participants in an unofficial commemorative event were detained. It was later revealed that security forces released them without charges, but two activists were forced to write statements of explanation. In Karachay-Cherkessia, authorities have also taken full control of all commemorative events in recent years.
Valery Khatazhukov, head of the Kabardino-Balkaria Human Rights Center, is outraged by the security forces' actions to restrict peaceful memorial gatherings. "All over the world—in Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Germany, and the United States—the Adyghe have the opportunity to freely honor the victims of the Caucasian War. However, in their own homeland, they face annual obstacles. This is unimaginable and utterly illogical," he emphasized.