Free Circassia: Lest We Forget
Adel Bashqawi
April 16, 2025
Brutal acts must never be forgotten. Systematic wars of extermination and forced deportation were waged by the Muscovites over decades against the Circassian nation and other peoples of the Caucasus. However long it takes, however deeply buried in historical oblivion—overshadowed by conspiracies and colonial crimes—the Circassian people will neither forget their denied legitimate rights nor stop demanding the restoration of their usurped homeland.
Authentication and Genuineness
It is neither coincidental nor exaggerated to consider successive Russian regimes as aggressors and oppressors of nations—from the Tsarist era, particularly under the infamous Ivan the Terrible, through milestones of the Romanov dynasty, with figures such as Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Alexander II, and Nicholas II, continuing through the 1917 October Revolution, the Soviet Union, and into the modern Russian Federation.
Historical documentation and scientific research are essential for preserving the truth and identifying credible sources. These efforts confirm the occurrence of significant and fateful events, enabling them to be passed on to future generations and incorporated into academic narratives. According to international standards, information lacking credible sources is neither legitimate nor credible and must be dismissed as baseless.
Since the beginning of the wars in the Caucasus, Circassia and other regional nations have suffered unspeakable atrocities, including mass slaughter and genocide. The region itself became a bargaining chip in conspiracies and warfare. Survivors carry painful national memories of crimes committed during this genocidal war, including ethnic cleansing, forced assimilation, and the erosion of language, culture, and heritage. The persecution of the peoples of the Caucasus was the direct result of Russian imperial and colonial aggression.
Aspirations for Freedom
Subjugated peoples and nations have always aspired to freedom and independence. Circassians—like other oppressed peoples of the Caucasus—fell victim to historical injustice. Despite their generations-long struggle for freedom, self-determination, and independence, their fate was sealed in secret agreements and sinister treaties brokered behind their backs. These pacts left them vulnerable to colonial powers who coveted their lands, resources, and even cultural heritage.
Exploitation of Religion
Rather than upholding religion’s values of compassion and mutual respect, the Russian Orthodox clergy aligned with imperial ambitions. They actively propagated misinformation against targeted nations, including Circassians—half of whom were Orthodox Christians until the 18th century. In a chilling betrayal of faith, religious institutions recruited the naïve and uneducated to wage war, commit atrocities, and carry out genocides—even against those who shared their religious beliefs.
Authenticity of the Circassian Nation
The Circassian nation, known for its noble values and civilized traditions, suffered horrific aggression at the hands of the Russian Empire. The invaders imposed the law of the jungle, spreading destruction, corruption, and death. Their campaigns were marked by bloodshed, mass killing, and ethnic cleansing.
The goal was not only occupation but demographic engineering—confiscating property, erasing cultural identity, and replacing indigenous people with settlers from various ethnic backgrounds through military and colonial settlements.
The invading forces faced little resistance capable of matching their violent scale. They made no distinction between men and women, civilians and soldiers, young and old. These forces routinely broke promises and covenants, distorted history, and violated agreements. Fueled by resentment, they falsified the past in a deliberate attempt to erase the rights and identities of others. Yet when the truth is evident, argument becomes a waste of time.
The Authoritarian Regime and Social Stratification
It is notable—and disturbing—that a colonial state grounded in feudalism, serfdom, and slavery launched such expansionist invasions. Since the era of Ivan the Terrible, the Russian regime operated on systems that commodified human life—through trafficking, enslavement, and control of entire peoples.
Although serfdom was officially abolished in the 1860s with the Emancipation Reform, its legacy persisted until the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. This system, rooted in feudalism, restricted peasants to agriculture and animal husbandry, while slavery reduced individuals to mere property.
Under Soviet and post-Soviet rule, Russian society remained shadowed by authoritarianism—dominated by intelligence agencies, security forces, and a deeply entrenched police state. Social stratification continued to define communities, military structures, and political hierarchies.
From the 16th century onward, driven by imperial greed, Russian forces launched attacks on dozens of neighboring peoples. They invaded territories, destroyed resources, and committed widespread atrocities. The most recent example of this aggression is the ongoing war against Ukraine—a sovereign, independent UN member state.
Conclusion
The Russian aggressors deliberately destroyed key elements of Circassian culture and heritage—as well as those of other captive peoples in the Caucasus and beyond. The aim of these imperial forces was never limited to territorial control; it extended to cultural annihilation. Wherever their armies marched, they looted, dismantled, and erased the identities of the subjugated.
Their intent was clear: to occupy, to annex, and to obliterate. And yet, despite these atrocities, the spirit of the Circassian nation endures. Remembering this history is not only a moral duty—it is a call to justice, truth, and the rightful reclamation of a stolen homeland.
