In Europe, activists hold rallies on anniversary of Vainakhs' deportation

In Paris and Vienna, members of the Chechen Diaspora have held rallies on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of Stalin's deportation of Chechens and Ingushes (collectively also treated as Vainakhs).

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on February 23, mourning events dedicated to the 79th anniversary of the Vainakhs' deportation were held in Ingushetia, while no official commemoration took place in Chechnya, as Ramzan Kadyrov limited himself to his record in the Telegram channel.

Paris has hosted two rallies on the deportation anniversary, Mairbek Vachagaev, a historian living in Europe has reported.

The second rally was organized by the "Comité Tchétchénie" human rights association, engaged in educating and supporting Chechen refugees since 1999.

Also on February 23, an action of the Chechen Diaspora, dedicated to the anniversary of the deportation, was held near the UN office in Vienna. The rally participants were holding posters telling about the Vainakhs' deportation, said Roza Dunaeva, one of the organizers.

"This pain and our memory of the loss, about the pre-planned liquidation of more than 100,000 Vainakhs and the suffering of entire generations are the sources of our strength," Ms Dunaeva and Lachin Mamishov, a member of the Chechen Diaspora in Switzerland, read out in the declaration, the "Kavkaz.Realii"* project reports.