Each of these villages has experienced a special fate of its own during the 1992 events and after them. The fact of staying of theIngush population in each of them is explained in every case by different reasons. Just the same as each of the villages puts different problems in front of the Russian authorities.

The problems, which have already arisen in these three villages, may sooner or later arise in all other places, where displaced persons will return, if, of course, the large-scale process of returning them, promised by the state, will start. The solution of these problems here today can prevent complications in future.

8.1. KARTSA

This is a village in the precincts of Vladikavkaz, which is administartively a part of urban Industrial Region. Before the events of 1992 about 12 thous. people lived there, they were mostly Ingush. It was also Russians, Ossetians, Armenians, Georgians and others , who lived there. The majority of the people have been employed at Vladikavkaz enterprizes.¹

From October 24, 1992, in correspondence with the decision of the «joint session of 3 regional councils of Ingushetia and deputies’ group of North Ossetia Prigorodny Region» (see chapter 4.3), Ingush armed posts have been put along the village perimeter.

From October 31, 1992 the village with armed Ingush fighting units has been subjected to continuous shooting from small arms and grenade discharger cups. There were killed and wounded among the peaceful population. Kartsa citizens have been forced to flee under the protection of the Russian army military unit, stationed nearby, where they stayed in old barracks. While the population was fleeing away, the Ingush military units shot 7 Ossetian hostages, kept in the building of the community club.

10-15 days later some Kartsa citizens came back to the village, refusing to get into the buses, brought to the military unit to take the hiding Ingush beyond the North Ossetia territory.

During the period, when citizens were absent, many houses have been exploded and burned. However, the majority of the houses were left intact. It can be explained by the fact, that rather many Russians lived in this village, and posts of Russian troops were put there. Ossetian formations have been driven out of the village.

Since that time some Ingush population of Kartsa (about nine hundred people) are permanently staying in the village; besides, several hundred people of other nationalities are staying there, and among them, according to different estimations, there are from 23 up to 100 Ossetians.²

The local power in the village is represented by the administration head Ruslan Basiev, appointed from Vladikavkaz, and the Provisional Administration is represented by village commandants, which are replaced almost every month. Besides that there is the head of the village Public Council Zakre Musiev, elected by the Ingush part of the population — while having no official power, he plays an important role of a mediator and represents Ingush interests. In the opinion of the HRC «Memorial» representatives, the stand of the Provisional Administration in relation to such non-formal Ingush community representatives here, as well as at Chermen (see below), is rather wise — they are given a legal status and are employed by the Provisional Administration.

The proposal of the village administration head to put several Ingush on the staff has been actually answered in a negative way by Zakre Musiev and other Ingush community village authorities and they lost the chance to make a step forward towards the normalization of the situation. As a result, there is only one Ingush woman among the village administration staff, which is performing some technical functions.

In Kartsa people live in their own homes — this is, what thousands of displaced persons can only dream about. However, the life of these people is hard and unsafe.

Practically, the Ingush in Kartsa turned out to be in isolation from the surrounding world: walking beyond the village boundary means subjecting your life to danger. It goes without saying, that all these people, in difference to non-Ingush population of the village, turned out to be unemployed. In 1993 at the request of J.Schatalin, who was then the Provisional Administration head , the decision was adopted, that «work record books of the Ingush, employed in Vladikavkaz, will remain at their work places without salaries paid out to them». It is interesting, that when citizens of Kartsa, who left for Nazran, request that their work books are sent to them from their former work places in Vladikavkaz, they arrive there with a record «discharged on agreement with local administration» or «discharged on agreement of the parties»³.

None of the village citizens has received or is receiving an unemployment benefit.

Twice a week they bring in free bread to the village from Ingushetia, 1 or 2 times a month it is flour and butter. Besides that, the citizens are periodically provided with humanitarian aid. Nnorth Ossetian powers say that they are ready to bring food-staffs to Kartsa, and in fact, they did bring bread from Vladikavkaz once, but nobody from the village could make use of it, as this was the bread for pay, and the Ingush are not working, and consequently, they do not get any salary. According to what the NOR officials are saying, Ossetia has no money to bring free food-staffs to Kartsa.

Pensions are paid out to the citizens through North Ossetia structures, although about 15% pensioners (mainly those, who became pensioners already after the conflict, or those, who received their pension before the conflict from other places than their places of living) do not receive money.

The village is provided with gas, electricity and water without pay. Once the corresponding ministries threatened to stop supplies, as they are not paid for, but it has not been followed by any real actions.

A secondary school and an out-patient clinic is functioning at the expense of North Ossetia budget. It is important to note, that the school employs both Ossetians and Russians. The school is being guarded round the clock by a Russian army post.

The out-patient clinic employs two doctors — a general therapist and a pediatrician (there are 477 children up to 15 years in Kartsa, out of them 86 are under one year old), the doctors work part-time (in the morning up to 12 a.m.).

There is neither a dentist, nor an obstetrician-gynaecologist. Taking into consideration a special status of Kartsa, this is evidently not sufficient. Although ambulance cars come on calls into the village from Vladikavkaz, the doctors openly say, that they can not guarantee safety for their Ingush patients beyond Kartsa. Patients have to be transported to Nazran, but medical cars from Ingushetia are not let down Ossetian roads . The results of such a blockade are sad — for example, because the sick girl could not be delivered for several days to Nazran, a common appendicitis developed into acute peritonitis.

There are qualified medical workers in the village — they are former workers of the NOR Ministry of Health (these women are Ingush by nationality), who contacted the authorities with an initiative to organize round-the-clock medical service for the population, but they have been denied permission. As a result all of them — the general therapist, the pediatrician and 2 medical sisters — service all the population of Kartsa at their homes at the expense of Ingushetia Ministry of Health.

As we have been told by the Ingush citizens of Kartsa, in November 1992 — soon after the citizens came back to their village, doctors from Moscow brought here medications, dressing material, instruments and equipment. But soon after that all this has been taken away to Vladikavkaz polyclinics.

For communication of the Ingush part of the population with outside world twice a «column is convoyed» twice a week— these are people in cars under the guard of Russian soldiers or militiamen, who are brought from Ingushetia to Kartsa or back. Members of families travel to visit each other (many families are divided now), they travel to get treatments, for shopping e.t.c. But it is not more than 30 people, who can travel at a time, and besides these are only the people, who have been registered in Kartsa before the events of 1992. The fact of registration is being checked by the Ossetian regional department of the Interior — it is necessary to submit an application to the Provisional Administration authorities 3 days prior to travel . It is worth while reminding here, that many Ingush have been living in Prigorodny Region without propiska registration — and as a result, it happens so, that members of the same family, which have been living for a long time in the village, can not stay together in their home. Although it should be mentioned, that representatives of NOR authorities make exceptions in some cases.

Up to April this year the columns have been convoyed 4 times a week, but on April, 12 the column, which was travelling to Kartsa, with an ambulance car in it has been blocked by the crowd, while entering Vladikavkaz, with connivance of the NOR local authorities. There were attempts of holding hostages. The Provisional Administartion displayed complete unwillingness and inability to act in a decisive manner. As a result, up to May, 30 this year, the people could neither travel into, or leave Kartsa.

This situation led to the event, that on May, 19, 1994 the department head of the Provisional Administration, lieutenant-colonel J.P.Gorin has violated the established order and put into his service car 6 citizens of Kartsa, which had a pressing necessity to travel to Ingushetia. On the way to Nazran the car was blocked by four automobiles with sub-machine gunners and then brought into the headquarters of illegal Osssetian military formation — Management of Defence for the National Economy Objects (see below) in Vladikavkaz, Leninsky Region. While the lieutenant-colonel was finding out the reason for detention with headquarters head, the car together with its passengers has disappeared. Since that time the only thing, known about the fate of the kidnapped people (17-year old girl, a woman and a 72-year old man) is that the kidnappers are ready to exchange them for three Ossetians, captured before, probably by an Ingush bandit formation. Up to the present time workers of the NOR Procurator’s office and militia could neither arrest the suspects, nor free the hostages.⁴

Soon after that, on May, 22, still another Kartsa citizen has been kidnapped — 33-year old Magomed Khamathanov — during his visit of his parents’ grave at the cemetery, located outside the village. His corpse has been found three days after.⁵

One month before that at the cemetery the crowd has been interfering with the funeral of the old Ingush woman, who has been living in Kartsa for many years and died there. For two days the crowd has been blocking the road to the cemetery, has been throwing stones at the deceased woman’s relatives and the Provisional Administration staff, which has been accompanying them. As usual, the local militia took the stand of an indifferent observer. Finally, only on the third day, the woman was buried secretly, early in the morning, when the crowd did not gather yet.⁶

And in general, provision of safety is the main concern and theme of appeals of Kartsa citizens to the Provisional Administration. In spite of the fact that the village is guarded round-the clock by two permanent and two mobile Russian army posts (with 2 armoured carriers attached to them), arsons and demolitions of houses, as well as theft and plunder are still being continued, althoug on a considerably less scale now, than before (see chapters 5 and 10). For example, on May, 17 armed people have taken away the cow at the outskirts of the village in front of its woman-owner’s eyes. The woman begged on her knees not to leave her children without nourishment, but in responce to that the robbers advised that all the Ingush should leave Kartsa⁷.

According to what the citizens of Kartsa are saying, the empty houses, located at the outskirts of the village, have been subjected to plundering almost in the open. For example, on July 20, 1994, people, which came to the village, dismantled roofing slate from one of the Ingush houses, dismantled and took away floor boards inside the house. Meanwhile Russian soldiers did not choose to stop this plundering.

As Zakre Musiev says, 310 houses are occupied now, and about 350 intact houses are empty. It can be explained by the fact, that some owners have not been registered by propiska registration, as well as by the fact, that under the conditions of actual blockade of the village many citizens are afraid to come back.

The Ingush citizens of Kartsa complain that the commandant’s office is placed to a disadvantage — away from the main area of settled Ingush houses and ask for it to be transferred into the empty school building in the centre of the village.

One can not say, that NOR authorities do nothing for Kartsa, but the situation, in which the Russian citizens have found themselves can be hardly called an acceptable one for a civilized state. The leaders of the village community sometimes take a non-constructive stand. Although the main responsibility for reconstruction of normal life for all the people, who have suffered from the war, rests with North Ossetia authorities, because all these people are citizens of Ossetia, and they are equal in rights Russian sitizens. It is very important, that the relation to all victums was equal irrespective of their nationality.

Some requests of Kartsa⁸ village citizens should be immediately satisfied by the NOR authorities and the Provisional Administration (one does not need great means for it) — and these are to provide for normal medical service, including organization of stomatological service, safe and unhindered transportation of the Ingush, which need stationary treatment in Nazran, the work of the kindergarten should be started again (the building is intact), the place of commandant’s office location should be changed.

It requires serious work to satisfy other needs. Reliable safety is possible only within the context of general solution of the problem — actual complete disarmament of illegal formations, operating on the NOR territory, is required (see corresponding chapters), decisive struggle with terrorism, real change of the working style of the Russian law enforcement bodies in the region (see chapter 10.2), stopping by means of the Provisional Administration forces of any attempts to block the roads in the Emergency Status zone.

Providing Kartsa village citizens with work — is an utterly complicated question, which can be solved only in the context of solution of many Ingush-Ossetian conflict problems. Organization of home-work⁹ demands extra means first of all.

The limitation of the number of people, brought into the village, by checking their propiska registration in Kartsa, is the measure, motivated by the present-day situation. But at the same time one has to take into consideration, that propiska registartion in Prigorodny Region has been limited for a long time, and many of those, who actually lived in the village, did not have it at all. The question about their return needs to be solved .

At the example of Kartsa one can see, that the process of returning displaced persons can not be settled just by the mere act of transportation of people into places of their permanent residence.The actual return of people will demand a prolonged strain of forces on all levels of authorities.

The example of Kartsa demonstrates, that it has been possible to preserve the houses and return citizens there in autumn of 1992, on condition that Russian troops had fulfilled their duties. If this chance have not been missed at that time, then Russia would not face the problem of returning tens of thousands displaced persons into places of their permanent residence and reconstruction of thousands of ruined houses.

8.2. CHERMEN¹⁰

This is a village in the NOR Prigorodny Region. Before the events of autumn 1992 it was 3500 Ossetians, who lived here, 4300 Ingush and the number of Russians and other nationalities is considerably smaller.¹¹ (According to other data it was 3061 Ossetians, 4114 Ingush, 284 Russians and 84 people of other nationalities.¹²)

Most of the people were employed by a collective farm. The Ingush and the Ossetian population lived in a close «compact» manner at different parts of the village (the Ingush were in the northern and southern and the Ossetians in the central part), although there were places, where Ossetian and Ingush houses were mixed.

Out of all villages involved in the 1992 events, Chermen has the closest location to the Ingushetian border.

By August 1994, 1,600 Ossetians and 2,260 Ingush lived in Chermen.¹³

Early in the morning, on October 31, 1992, armed formations from Ingushetia entered the village, after capturing State Auto Inspection post. Having crushed the resistence of the militsia, who were in the department building (meanwhile the militiamen were killed), they gained control of the village till the morning of November 4, when after artillery fire Russian troops and Ossetian military formations entered the village.

According to what civilians from the Ossetian part of Chermen told us, the period of time, when the village has been controlled by the Ingush military formations, several village civilians were killed by hands of these formations, hostages were held (Russians including), 4 of which were missing, cattle and cars were driven away, arsons and demolitions of Ossetian houses were organized by fighting units. Many civilians had to flee the village then.

Along with that, the majority of destroyed houses are still Ingush, which were destroyed, in its turn, by members of Ossetian military formations. Obviously, in the beginning, the presence of Russian troops prevented Ingush houses from destruction (although there are witnesses, who insist, that Russian soldiers took part in destruction of houses), and later on permanent posts of the Provisional Administartion powers were established. The fact, that the Ingush started returning already about a month and a half later, also contributed to saving houses from destruction.

It is worth while mentioning that, according to what Chermen civilians of Ossetian and Ingush nationality say, during the armed conflict in the village there were numerous cases of Ingush saving and helping Ossetians and vice versa.

Ingush population fled Chermen in the beginning of November 1992, but already from the end of December, same year, people started returning to intact houses. Since then and up to the present, slow unwarranted resettling to intact houses in the Ingush part of the village continues.

The Ossetian population, that fled, returned to intact houses in 1992. Although even by summer 1994 there were still 1,900 people, whose houses were destroyed. These people stay with their relatives, in the buildings of rest-homes, some live in Chermen school building, a number of families have been provided with flats at Vladikavkaz. In 1993 construction organizations from North Ossetia maintained and reconstructed destroyed houses (these were not Ingush houses). Although in 1994 the work was stopped due to absence of budget means. In summer 1994, in Chermen, it were owners by themselves who reconstructed their houses.

The village administration, the NOR Department of the Interior and commmandant’s office are located in the Ossetian part of Chermen. Several Russian army and militsia posts are located at the outskirts of the village and in the centre.

After the 1992 events, new village administration was appointed (before that, an Ingush was the administration head).¹⁴ The Provisional Administration Chief V.D.Lozovoy has reported the following about the new administration head: «May 10, 1994, in the NOR Prigorodny Region a group of Management of republican economy units ander the leadership of Chermen village administration head, committed outrages and attempted to block and disarm a Russian Ministry of the Interior patrol detail, threatening to shoot them right on the place». ¹⁵ Until the present-day Chermen administration head was appointed to this post, he was at the head of a local people’s voluntary corps detachment (see chapter 9).

During the conversation, which took place on July 4, 1994, in Vladikavkaz, the Chairman of the Nationalities Comittee under the NOR Council of Ministers T.Y.Kusov told the HRC «Memorial» representatives, that Ingush authorities decided to appoint their own administration head for the Ingush part of the village. Moreover, 3 weeks ago this person did not allow the administartion Chief of the NOR Prigorodny Region to his territory.

When we tried to find out the real situation in Chermen from the Provisional Administration representative, we found out that these statements do not correspond to reality. There is one official administration in Chermen located in the Ossetian part of the village. The power in the Ingush part of the village is exercised by the commandant’s office, but there is a community representative, elected by the Ingush population, who does not dispose of real administrative authorities — this is Ajub Matsiev. He was employed by the Provisional Administration. There is no real possibility to prevent Prigorodny Region Chief from going to the Ingush part of the village. Matsiev has a regular communication with Prigorodny Region Chief, but he is sorry, that this communication has not become regular.

During the conversation with Chermen militsia department head¹⁶ we found out, that the whole village is actually controlled by the Ossetian militsiamen. Although the Ingush side does not have posts of its own, round the clock patrolling together with Russian troops is organized. Militsiamen visit Ingush houses and check who, where and on what reasons lives there.

The main problem in the village is the complete isolation of two communities from one another. Many times we heard determined and even agressive objections from Ossetian civilians against any attempts to settle Ingush and Ossetians next to each other. A number of Ossetian civilians from Chermen told us concrete names of Ingush nationality village civilians, who are involved in violence and plunder against peaceful population. Others inform, that Ingush from Chermen did not commit any acts of violence in their village, but took part in armed conflicts in other places. However, on the whole, the Ossetian civilians of Chermen have put up with the idea, that Ingush already live in a close «compact» way in their parts of the village.They are categorically against living next to them.

At the same time, leaflets calling to prevent Ingush from returning to Ossetia, to establish the border between the republics, which would be impossible to cross, etc, are periodically spread in the village. Some leaflets use this motto and call to get ready for elections. Purposeful work is organized in the village against any attempts to bring down the level of inter-ethnic animosity.

Meanwhile the authorities both of Prigorodny region and Chermen do not make any necessary steps for regulation of inter —communal relations, thus playing into the hands of an aggressive part of the population.

A number of problems here are similar to those in Kartsa.

In such a way, there are 2 outpatient clinics functioning in Chermen — one is in the Ossetian part, and the other — in the Ingush. The village administaration explained to us, that the outpatient clinic, located in the Ossetian part does not service Ingush, as they have their own clinic. The woman in charge of the outpatient clinic resolutely expressed her unwillingness to service Ingush or cooperate with them.¹⁶ As a result, the Ingush civilians of the village, located in North Ossetia, are serviced by medical workers, paid from Ingushetia. They complain of insufficient provision with medications (nothing is supplied from the North Ossetia Ministry of Health), they also complain of the room, which is not suitable for medical purposes and at the absence of necessary equipment.

There is general unemployment among the Ingush. They are not accepted into the collective farm, which is recovering with great difficulty from the 1992 pogrom. They are accused, that the herd and equipment were driven by fighting units away from the collective farm to Ingushetia.

Half of the collective farm land, located near Ingushetian border and adjoining the Ingush part of the village, is not cultivated. But if the republican and local NOR authorities really want, as they claim, that Ingush civilians from Prigorodny Region considered themselves civilians of North Ossetia, then they should organize a separate Ingush team at Chermen farm.

By the end of July, the Ingush in Chermen got an unemployment benefit for three months (over 14 thous. roubles).

Ossetian children study in Chermen secondary school #2, Ingush children studied in the school of the neighbouring Mayskoye village up to autumn 1994. In August, this year, the means paid from the Provisional Administration account, were used for repairs in Chermen school. So lessons finally started there.

The Ingush living in Chermen do not get children benefit from the local budget, while civilians of other nationalities do. Meanwhile the village administration insists, that this benefit is received by everybody.

Water pipeline is out of order in the Ingush part of the village and water has to be brought from the river, which is far away. It is possible, that there is a problem with pipelines and some Ossetian families suffer from that, too, but it is impossible to pursuade the Ingush in it, as they already experienced discrimination.

A big positive difference from for the Ingush in comparison with Kartsa is the absence of blockade. It is easy to travel to Nazran in your own car, a passing car, or by a regular bus.

Actions of bandits, scaring people and committing terrorist acts, are a serious problem. At the same time, the violence level here, just like in Kartsa, is much lower in 1994, than before.

Regularly at night time, the village (its Ingush part, first of all) is subjected to fire from small arms, less often — from grenade dischargers. The fire is usually not aimed, it is rather used for scaring people. While we were staying in the region, on July 16, at 23.00 hours, an extension to the living house of an Ingush, M.Kharsiev, was subjected to fire from a grenade discharger and as a result, two of his daughters were shell-shocked. Village civilians complain, that the village commandant’s office shows a very passive reaction to fire: they fire very seldom in responce and do not take any attempts to capture terrorists. Only a small number of case of opening fire were reported to the Ministry of the Interior.

A.Matsiev says, that in 1994 no Ingush were killed in Chermen,¹⁷ while last year 12 people were killed (usually civilians were taken away by armed people, and then their corpses were found at the outskirts of the village). The Chermen militsia chief denies outright the fact, that Ingush village citizens perished last year (although the facts of kidnapping of at least three people and murdering of four were confirmed by the Procurator’s office and the IR Ministry of the Interior). In its turn, the Chermen militsia chief reported, that there are victums and killed among civilians of the Ossetian part of the village. In 1993, 3 people were killed and 1 was missing. In spring 1994, while working at the collective farm field, a tractor driver blasted on a mine, he survived, but he can not walk now. Also in spring, the militsia chief himself was subjected to shooting in the street and in winter 1994, the militsia department building was subjected to shooting from small arms and grenade dischargers.

In the village itself, according to what militsia department chief told us, in 1992 through the beginning 1993, operations on disarmament were carried out. After that no arms were found with civilians.

The Ingush population of Chermen does not trust North Ossetia militsia. We were told about provocative behaviour of some militsiamen, even about unprovoked pistol-shooting at people on July 4 or 5, this year, from a passing militsia car. We wrote down the story of a Chermen civilian Ruslan Nalgiev, how on 07.02.93, he together with his cousin Magomed Nalgiev and his neighbour Magomed Nakosthoyev were captured as hostages in the villige by two militsiamen from the NOT Ministry of the Interior on point-duty, taken down to Beslan and given over to the North Ossetia Republican Guard Headquarters, where they were kept for seven days, subjected to humiliation and beating. In winter 1993, R.Nalgiev gave evidence of this facts to the investigation group from Moscow, which worked in Nazran. But still, according to his words, the militiamen, who kidnapped him, are still standing on duty in Chermen.

The reason for many problems, which displaced persons from Ingushetia returning to Chermen are faced with, is that up to August 1994, this returnung went on «by itself», and not within the frameworks of a state program. «The Procedure for Returning and Resettling of Refugees and Displaced Persons ...» (see chapter 7.2), according to which Chermen civilians were supposed to return to intact houses exists, but a coordinated schedule for returning is not there it looked like people were returning home illegally — North Ossetia authorities didnot interfere and the Provisional Administration was in favour. The resulting situation was a real paradox — over 2 thousand Ingush returned to their homes, but Ingushetia authorities justly insisted, that the process of returning displaced persons had not really started yet.

Thus, by the end of July 1994, the majority of Chermen houses were resettled. With an exception of the houses, located in the periphery and along the border of two parts of the village — where the possibility of shooting and attacks was higher. The Ingushetia Republic State Committee on refugees reported, that 134 hoses in Chermen were not settled, but in fact 53 empty houses remained by this time. According to the data of theProvisional Administration, there was about the same number of empty Ossetian houses, located in the Ingush parts of the village. The Provisional Administration needed to strengthen the protection of the village, and the Ossetian side had to agree to returning of people from Ingushetia.

A list of 53 families had been submitted by the Ingush side to the Chermen reconciliation commission. The reconciliation commissions are the structures, created in correspondence with «Procedure for Returning...» from Ingush and Ossetian nationality civilians, living in a concrete populated area. The first practical move by this commission took place on July 21: at the meeting of the Ossetian part of the commission, in the absence of their Ingush colleagues a verdict was passed: 8 out of 53 families can return. Members of other families «were suspected by village civilians of committing crimes». The Russian TV news program «Viesty» reported about it with triumph.

However, the HRC «Memorial» members got some doubts regarding the work style of this commission.

Firstly, we talked with one of those, who adopted this decision, and he could not properly remember, how and on what basis it was adopted. While talking to other reconciliation commission members, we understood, that they collected evidence of illegal actions, committed by members of those families, which were due to return. There was no serious check-up of collected evidence. The decision on possibility or non-possibility of returning a family was made on the basis of this evidence.

Secondly — why set up commissions on parity basis, if the decision is taken by just one half of it without participation of the other? Possibly, it could make sence to discuss the arising objections on returning some or other families with another half of the commission. Besides, no one finds out the opinion of the Ingush side of the reconciliation commission about returning of Ossetian families to the village.

It should be mentioned, that according to our observation, the majority among the Ossetian members of the reconciliation commissions are the people, whose families suffered seriously during the 1992 autumn events. It is natural, that these people are not inclined to reconcile with the Ingush side. Such a composition of these commissions is predetermined by the very principle of their formation — and these are open-vote elections during the general meeting. Inevitably, under such conditions, these are either the people, who can make the most convincing speech, or those, who suffered most. A hope, that the gathering will elect wise elders, ready for compromise, is a share «manilovshina» unbased illusion.

If these commissions stick to this working style, then they should be rather called «confrontation» commissions.

Finally, in the beginning of August, the official return of Ingush displaced persons to Chermen started. The cars, bringing the people, were accompanied by servicemen, attached to the Provisional Administration. Up to September 2, the Provisional Administration brought in 35 families, other 43 came by themselves. Reconstruction of houses, installation of new water and gas pipelines started in the village. However, after several incidents, involving violence, took place, the Provisional Administration again had to stop the process of returning people (see chapter 12 on August-October period).

Chermen works, in a way, as litmus paper, which is used for checking the readiness of the authorities at all levels for displaced persons’ real returning.

8.3. MAYSKOYE

This is a village in Prigorodny Region located near the border with Ingushetia near Chermen. Before the autumn 1992 events, 2,899 people lived there, mainly Ingush and Russians. The people worked in a collective farm, a cannery and a packing production facility. During the last 2 years about 400 people, mostly Russians, sold their houses to Ingush and left the village. These were the people, whose work places and living places were planned in advance. Thus, the general number of citizens remained the same; there are 70% Ingush and 20% Russians.¹⁸

The village of Mayskoye is the only populated area in Prigorodny Region with Ingush population, which was not directly involved in autumn 1992 events. After occupying Chermen, Russian troops stopped military action in this area. The advance of Ossetian armed formations was stopped correspondingly.

18 Ossetian families (217 people), who lived in the village, fled Mayskoye. Their houses were not destroyed and were illegally occupied by Ingush displaced persons from Prigorodny Region villages. When civilians from Mayskoye talked to us, they did not mind Ossetians returning to their homes in the village, but they connected their return to returning Ingush displaced persons to places of their permanent residence. Twelve Ossetians live in the village (these are mixed marriages).

In summer of 1994 Mayskoye numbered one and a half thousand displaced persons from other Prigorodny Region populated areas, besides its permanent citizens. They stayed with their relatives, in non-working factory workshops and in other buildings of state offices, and also in 6 vagonchiki-caravans.

What problems does this village have and what problems are connected with it?

When the NOR authorities talk about Mayskoye, they accentuate their attention on the fact, that this populated area is in fact not under the jurisdiction of North Ossetia any more and it is subordinated to the Ingushetia Republic authorities. In conversation with the HRC «Memorial » representatives, which took place on July 4, 1994, the Chairman of the Nationalities Committee under the NOR Council of Ministers T.Y.Kusov and the Chief of the Prigorodny Region Administration G.A.Dzagoyev reported, that Mayskoye village does not transfer any taxes to the NOR budget. They say, that the factory is working, but nobody knows, where the production goes. The taxes from the village enterprises are collected by Ingushetia Republic tax inspection. Meanwhile factory and collective farm leadership demand, that credits should be allocated to them, but the NOR budget has no means for it. During the last year and a half the Pension Fund is due 1,5 bln.roubles. The corresponding NOR structures pay pensions to Mayskoye civilians, although due to non-payment of means to the Pension Fund account, new pensions are not registered.

The question about the administrative subordination of Mayskoye village is not in the Provisional Administration’s competence — considers Ministry of the Interior general-major N.P.Votko — «this is a problem of North Ossetia authorities, they should work in this respect».¹⁹

The way they see the main problem in Mayskoye itself, is that the village enterprizes actually stopped working due to shortage of means, the question of second importance is the administrative subordination of the village (according to the opinion of many people, that we talked with, the village turned out to be as if outside of any administrative subordination).

The cannery (the largest one in Ossetia), does not have any means for buying glassware, covers, spicies etc. Its accounts are blocked. As a result of that, many workshops are at a standstill, the workers are not paid any salaries. The small (in comparison with previuos years) amount of production, which is at present produced by the cannery, is sold through the trading net of Ingushetia, as there are no other possibilities. According to the opinion of the factory leadership, the factory needs a credit of 1 bln.rbl., which was denied it by North Ossetia. Later the credit was promised by the Russian Minister of Agriculture.²⁰

The situation with the state farm «Russia» is quite similar, with an exception, that they received credits from sponsors in Ingushetia. There are 200 people working now at the state farm, but 600-700 people worked there before. There were contacts with North Ossetia leadership — in such a way, even in the beginning of 1993 there was a meeting at the farm management office with the NOR Minister of Agriculture and two of his deputies in the presence of the Provisional Administration representatives. The leaders of the agricultural department promised to help the state farm with money, seeds, and also with exchange of part of the lands with Chermen collective farm for eliminate open-field system. The exchange of lands took place, but the state farm did not get the rest, that has been promised.²¹

Under the present-day situation, the enterprises of Mayskoye are not capable to pay taxes to NOR budget.

We were told in the Ingushetia Republic tax service, that Mayskoye village enterprizes did not pay and are not paying taxes to the budget of Ingushetia.

It is natural, that the unemployed and those village citizens, who do not receive any salary, do not pay taxes as well.

In Mayskoye, as well as in Kartsa, a secondary school and an out-patient clinic function at the expense of North Ossetia budget. However, payment of salaries to teachers and medical people is always connected with troubles, insults and threats, according to what they say.One has to travel to regional managers to get money, and besides it should be people of other nationalities, but the Ingush. In August 1994, salaries were not paid out to the teachers even for April.

The school accomodates 480 pupils, but in 1993-94, 1,200 children studied there. It was overloaded due to refugees and pupils from Chermen (from September 1994 a part of pupils from Chermen, 127 children, started to go to school, that was repaired in their village. The building is in an extremely poor condition, the HRC «Memorial representatives could make sure of that. The school building had no capital repairs for 12 years, besides in 1992, a sub-unit of Russian troops aws located in school for a while, and they left a terrible destruction after themselves. However, the NOR Ministry of Education refuses to provide means for repairs. The same about the Ingush authorities, as Mayskoye is on the territory of North Ossetia. The cosmetic repairs are done by teachers at their own expense. The school will not work in winter of 1994, because the heating system is beyond repair. The »participation" of Ingushetia in the affairs of local education took the form of allocation of text-books for junior grades. The regional department of education allocated one third of text-books, requested by the school ( the mere fact of allocation of text-books under present conditions is a positive move, of course).

The citizens of Mayskoye, as well as Ingush part of Chermen, do not get children allowance.

The doctors in the out-patient clinic complain that medications and instruments are at shortage, that the ambulance car, allocated to them by the Provisional Administration, «has been lost» somewhere in North Ossetia on the way to the village.

The questions of safety concern Mayskoye civilians in a lesser degree — luckily, there are rare cases of fire here, although it takes place sometimes. In such a way, for example, in December 1993, an «Alazan» type rocket was shot at Mayskoye from the side of Ossetian village Olginskoye, which damaged a living house, without inflicting wounds to civilians. March 9, 1994, an unidentified armoured car shot at Mayskoye from a machine-gun from the side of Olginskoye; there were no victums. At night from March 28 to the 29, fire was open from large-caliber machine guns and sub-machine guns.²²

The power at Mayskoye is represented by village administration, which was headed by Michail Temurziev from 1988. When the HRC «Memorial» representatives²³ talked to him, he recognized his administrative subordination to the Administration Chief of NOR Prigorodny Region. Moreover, both he and the village administration apparatus get paid from the regional budget. He said, however, that contacts with the regional leadership are extremely rare and incidental. The connction is maintained through the secretary of Mayskoye village administration, which has a chance to go down to the area, as she is half Ossetian. Neither telephone, nor telegraph work in the village. The meetings with the regional leadership take place on the road connecting Mayskoye with Chermen. In spite of his promises, the Administration Chief of the Prigorodny Region has never been at this village.²⁴ M.Temursiev asserts: «We guarantee safety. It is necessary to meet and decide upon economy and social and everyday life questions. We should not touch upon political ones. This is like pouring oil in the flame.»

According to HRC «Memorial», at the moment it is impossible to insist, that this village is not under North Ossetia jurisdiction, but there is a tendency of isolation, which under further development can lead to the result, that this territory will not be under the NOR subordination any more. The unwillingness of the regional and republican authorities to meet the needs of the village civilians half-way will make this tendency stronger.

In this respect one should note the fact, that the staff of law enforcement bodies does not turn up in the village and the adjoining territory, but the militsia from Nazran operates there (probably, episodically). In such a way, for example, when in December 1993, a rocket hit a living house (see above), then a senior investigator from Nazran regional Department of the Interior went to the place of accident.²⁵ When at the end of July, a Vladikavkaz newspaper journalist, notorious for his anti-Ingush publications, unexpectedly turned up in Mayskoye, he was detained by a militsia patrol, which had specially arrived from Nazran under the pretext of providing his safety. An alternative to this practice can be only the formation of its own militsia from village citizens in Mayskoye, which will be a part of the North Ossetia Ministry of the Interior. It would naturally demand a serious and interested joint work on the part of the Prigorodny Region, NOR Ministry of the Interior and the local administration. However, if the NOR authorities really wish, as they claim it, that the Ingush citizens of Prigorodny Region considered themselves citizens of North Ossetia, then it should be done this way.

It is important to note, that criminal case was not instituted on the fact of a rocket shot at Mayskoye village, although materials from Ingushetia Procurator’s office has been sent there.²⁶

One can insist, that on the territory of North Ossetia, in the village of Mayskoye, the Ingush actually try to create an unwaranted completely autonomous self-government.

At the same time this situation can quite well suit certain forces in North Ossetia. A number of politicians and public leaders (first of all members of such organizations, as «Styr Nyhas», «Zilakhar») insist, that all the Ingush, who were forced to leave North Ossetia in autumn 1992, are resettled in Mayskoye. In the opinion of authors of this more than doubtful idea, creation of such an Ingush «reservation» will make returning of displaced persons to places of their permanent residence unnecessary.

Hopes for a successful solution of Mayskoye village problems are inspired by the fact of holding a working meeting between the First Deputy of the NOR Government Chairmen G.S.Kozayev and the Chairman of the IR Council of Ministers M.I.Didigov with participation and throug the mediation of the Provisional Administration Chief. The situation, which developed in Mayskoye, was discussed at this meeting.

8.4. YEZMI

Administratively this village is a part of Vladikavkaz, although it is located in the mountains (Dzhairakh Ravine) at a considerable distance from this town. The border between North Ossetia and Ingushetia is practically along the outskirts of the village. The village itself adjoins a large Ingush mountain village Dzhairakh, located on the territory of Ingushetia.

About 300 Ingush live in the village.

The situation in Yezmi reminds of the situation in the village of Mayskoye in many relations. Although problems of Yezmi citizens are complicated by difficulties of transportation of food supplies to this alpine village.

The HRC «Memorial» representatives failed to visit Yezmi.