Ukrainian media do not recognise the independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria

Ukrainians react very painfully when someone, especially journalists, labels the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by russia as russian or neutral. We ourselves have noticed and criticized this many times.

Here are just the most notable examples:

• In 2019, the State Voter Register of Ukraine designated Crimea as the russian “Southern Federal District”.
• In 2021, a map of railway connections in the Kherson Region by Ukrzaliznytsia called the occupied Crimea the “Southern Federal District of russia”. 

In both cases, maps from the free OpenStreetMap service were used. Its principle is similar to Wikipedia: data is entered by volunteers. Controversial issues are resolved collectively. This is the reason for such gross mistakes.

• Last year, when the BBC showed a video from Sochi, they wrote that it was in so-called russia. They also clarified that Odesa was in Ukraine. However, as soon as it came to the Ukrainian cities temporarily occupied by russia, the journalists lost their tongues: Sevastopol, like Yevpatoria, is just Crimea for them… as if there were such a state on the map.
• In 2023, the international popular science magazine National Geographic published a photo of Swallow’s Nest Castle on its official Facebook page. This architectural monument is located near the village of Haspra in Ukrainian Crimea. It would be fine in itself — the photo is indeed beautiful — but the editorial team of the magazine is silent about which country this building is located in. 

We regard this caption as manipulation. The editors decided to walk between the cracks by not adding the name of the country to the caption, namely “Ukraine.” The fact that this is an exception and NOT the rule is evidenced by the captions to other photos, which indicate the country where the monument is located. 

• Wikipedia states: “The Chechen Republic (Chechnya; Chechen: Nokhchiyn Republic, Nokhchiychoy) is a subject of the russian Federation”. However, another article mentions that “Ukraine has recognized Chechnya as occupied by russia and does not recognize Ramzan Kadyrov’s leadership”. 

In our opinion, this is a very gross and unacceptable mistake. 

We remind you that on October 18, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine officially condemned the armed aggression of the russian Federation against the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, the occupation of its territory, and the crime of genocide against the Chechen people.

“… Taking into account the proclamation of independence by the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria after the collapse of the USSR and the adoption of the Constitution by its Parliament on March 12, 1992, which established that the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is a sovereign, independent, democratic, and legal state [...], the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine declares its non-recognition of the occupation of the territory of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria by the russian Federation and considers the regime in place to be an occupation and illegitimate one,” reads the Statement adopted in accordance with Resolution No. 2672-IX18 on October 18, 2022.

287 out of 351 MPs voted for the Resolution. There were no opponents, but 64 MPs abstained. The Resolution was authored by representatives of the parliamentary leadership and MPs from various factions.

The Prime Minister of Ichkeria in exile, Akhmed Zakayev, called this “the beginning of justice.”

“This is a historic moment, a historic day. Today, Ukraine, which is the leader of the free world, has recognized the right of peoples to self-determination and statehood, confirming the occupation of Chechnya as a result of russian aggression. This is an exceptionally important step for the future of the entire Chechen people and an indicator for the peoples who are now in colonial dependence on russia,” Akhmed Zakayev said.

Interestingly, he made this comment to Radio Liberty, which refers to Chechnya a russian region.

Contrary to the statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, many Ukrainian media outlets still do not recognize the independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and refer to it as a russian region. 

Here are just a few recent examples from leading TV channels and publications:

• Espreso TV channel: “An explosion occurred in russian Chechnya during the construction of a tower of a hydroelectric power plant”.
• Suspilne Novyny (News-ed.): “On July 4, in russian Chechnya, unknown persons beat and threw paint on Novaya Gazeta journalist Yelena Milashina”.
• Radio Liberty: “The head of the russian region of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has appointed his 16-year-old son Adam as curator of the russian University of Special Forces named after Vladimir Putin in Gudermes”.

As you can see, there are two mistakes here: the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is mistakenly called russian, and the leader of the occupation administration is called the head of this “region.”

Ukraine became the first UN member state to officially recognize the independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. It also called on UN member states and international organizations to recognize the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria as temporarily occupied by the russian Federation and to condemn the crime of genocide against the Chechen people.

We believe that this recognition should be respected, and at the very least, Ukrainian journalists should work within the framework of Ukrainian legislation. That is why the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria should be called independent from russia or temporarily occupied by the so-called russia, following the example of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. 

 As expected, we have not been able to find a correct political map of the world where the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is shown as a sovereign and independent state from russia. Therefore, we have prepared our own map for you, which aligns with Ukrainian legislation. You can view it in a more convenient format on our website