The Republic of Ingushetia (; Ingush: ГIалгIай Мохк) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). The direct transliteration of the republic's Russian name is Respublika Ingushetiya. The name Ingushetia, derives from the Georgian name for the Republic, which is Ingusheti (literally meaning the land where the Ingush live).
Geography
Ingushetia is situated on the northern slopes of the Caucasus.
The Ingush people are closely related to the Chechens and speak a similar language, belonging to the Vaynakh or North-central Caucasian linguistic family. At 361,057, as per the 2002 census, they make up 77% of the population, followed by the Chechens (95,403 or 20.4%), ethnic Russians (5,559 or 1.19%), Turks (903 or 0.2%) and so on. All in all, 78 distinct ethnic groups are listed for the republic.
Most of non-native nationalities represented in the Republic consist of women who became wives of ethnic Ingushs. Nowadays Ingushetia is the most "mono-ethnic" territory in Russia (99% of Chechens reside temporarily while the situation in Chechnya is unstable).
Population: 467,294 (2002)
Urban: 198,496 (42.5%)
Rural: 268,798 (57.5%)
Male: 218,194 (46.7%)
Female: 249,100 (53.3%)
Females per 1000 males: 1,142
Average age: 22.2 years
Urban: 22.4 years
Rural: 22.1 years
Male: 21.4 years
Female: 22.9 years
Number of households: 64,887 (with 463,532 people)
During World War II, Joseph Stalin accused the Ingush of collaborating with the Nazis and deported the entire population to Central Asia. Their autonomous territory was dissolved, and the Prigorodny District was transferred to adjacent North Ossetia. While the Ingush were rehabilitated in the 1950s and allowed to return to their homes, Prigorodny District remained part of North Ossetia, and the returning Ingush faced considerable animosity from the Ossetian population that has been settled there.
Tensions exploded after the disintegration of the Soviet Union; the northern Caucausus was the site of the first severe interethnic violence to plague the Russian Federation. In late October 1992, tens of thousands of Ingush were forced from their homes in Prigorodny District of North Ossetia, after the day, when uncontrolled Ingush Informal Armed Groups (IAG) from Nazran started the aggressive assault upon North Ossetian territory. This refugee problem has since been a major problem for the beleaguered government of Ingushetia, already faced with soaring unemployment (as high as 50%), a worsening ecological crisis, a high concentration of Russian troops stationed there because of the war in neighboring Chechnya, and a flood of Chechen refugees from that conflict. While some agreements have been reached with North Ossetia concerning the Ingush refugees, the issue is far from being resolved.
The capital was moved from Nazran to Magas in December of 2002.
In June 2004, some 570 militants invaded Ingushetia and attacked the city of Nazran, killing more than 90 people. Russia blamed Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev for organizing the attack.
In September 2004, 32 insurgents (as officially announced) seized the secondary school #1 in Ossetian city Beslan with more than 1,100 hostages (most of them women & children) inside. As a result 330 innocent people were killed.
Military history of Ingushetia
There is no documented aggressive war begun by Ingushetia. However, Ingush were "hired" in a number of wars. For example, when Persians attacked Georgia, King Alexander and his 100 Roman bodyguards took shelter with his wife's Ingush relatives. Half of the Ingush army was sent and defeated the Persians. During the reign of the Russian Empire, Ingush took part in Japanese and Turkish campaigns. During World War I, 500 knights from an Ingush regiment of the Wild Division boldly attacked Austria's feared Iron Division, killing three fourth of the Austrians and capturing 2,500. The Ingush regiment lost only 14 knights in the attack (term "knight" was used by Nikolai II's brother Mikhail Alexandrovich who personally commanded the Wild Division). In 1941 (World War II) when Germans attacked the USSR, the whole Russian front was retreating 40 km a day. Out of 6,500 defenders of Brest Fortress 300 troops were fresh conscripts of Ingush and Chechen origin. Defenders held the fortress for over a month against the Germans. They even managed to stage seven attacks from the Fortress. The last fallen defender of Brest Fortress was buried by Germans with gun salute . Hitler and Mussolini personally visited the ruins of the Fortress . In 1994-1996 Ingush volunteers fought alongside Chechens in the Russian-Chechen war, though the majority of Ingush remained neutral.
Politics
The head of government and the highest executive post in Ingushetia is the President.
The parliament of the Republic is the People's Assembly comprising 34 deputees elected for a four year term. The People's Assembly is headed by the Chairman. As of 2006, the Chairman of the People's Assembly is Makhmud Sultanovich Sakalov.
On May 17, 2006, an Islamic militant detonated a car bomb outside of Nazran, killing Dzhabrail Kostoyev, the deputy interior minister. Two bodyguards and four bystanders were also killed in the attack.*
"Ingushetia".
