So what happened here?

Here, 8 October 1999 - a few days before the release of our village of Russia's troops - rabid Chechen killer, from local residents, shot from the machine 34 of its neighbors and fellow villagers - of our fellow citizens and Russian.

So, walked the streets, the yards - and shot unarmed. The women, children and elderly. Mainly elderly. From the Russian population in the village left for the day are mainly the elderly. They have until the end did not leave, saying that will not be left home, which in their native land every bush you cares. Despite the fact that the Chechens during the war were killed in the first place them, Russian old people - for their apartment, a house, for the surviving bits of household goods. For them, Russian elderly, fortitude and faith. How, then, 8 October 1999, all happened ...

A place that day, October 8, 1999, in the village Mekenskoy that's what.

- ... We're sitting on the street, about six people, and talk. I hear my wife calling me: "De-e-units, the cow's time!" - Says a resident of the village of Ivan Antonovich Ilyin, miraculously surviving eyewitness of the tragedy. - It was literally ten minutes before this Herod shot them ... Do not Call me when my Akhmatova, and I would be in the same lay. Well, I climb, I go. Come on, we are part of me, and suddenly we heard: a woman screamed, but so scared, and before that of automatic fire rang out.

Well, think again because screaming, then someone killed. And we turned around and rear bases, through the gardens, went to the creek ...

Here Ivan Antonovich silent. I see how pain is given to him every word. But I clearly imagine the scene - as two 70-year-old man, a husband and wife, knowing that something terrible has happened, yet did not hesitate to obey the natural human impulse, rush to the aid of that, as befits a Russian man, try to come in time , to cover up and save! Like them, breathless with quick walking and terrible forebodings, close to the place of tragedy and how their eyes appears something and not transfer.

- They came - resumes the story, Ivan Antonovich, - and they, poor things ... Someone was still alive, moaning ... But we could not do anything. We did not know what to think. And when they learned that this is the whole of the street is happening, something a little crazy not gone. Sixteen people, he just on our street, Broad, killed. In one of the families killed his father, mother, daughter, son-in! Mother and two children shot! And all we prikopali then in gardens thirty-four people ... Then they were reburied in a cemetery. They said our last nevi "forgive" ...

- Then, immediately after the killings, the head of the administration stanitsa Gumaha Ashakhanov was with us. And the chief of district electricity Aendi. We ask Gumahu: "What do we do now?" Wait until we and shot? " He said: "Go into the house Aendi, in his basement, he had a good cellar, where you will be safe. And stay there until we have finished." We went. And they with the Cossacks, who were in power, began to catch the murderer. And a few hours to the house Aendi machine suitable unmarked, white Zhiguli. Here people gathered. All were struck with grief.

Then the conversation went: arrived, they say, the man who killed all of our. And then unload them, and Gumaha Aendi from Zhiguli of Satan. He was bound, covered in blood. In his soldier's duffel bag - half a sack of bullets. And the machine.

The jacket was long, under which he hid the machine, when I went from house to house and shot. So it is not wrong those who said that now, they say, it is not in itself was wisely moved, therefore, undertook this. No, it seems, he was of sound mind, and all prepared in advance ...

To post he was tied with wire. He stood, stood and even sat down. I look - and not believe my eyes: "Mother, - I say - yes it is our driver, Ahmed Ibrahim, who drove you spring for the pump!" She said: "It's not true." It was impossible to believe it. After all, He's the one was like a normal ...

- Very normal, - enters into the conversation the wife of Ivan Antonovich Akhmatova. - Here is the spring of that year we broke the pump, which is the water we shook, and his grandfather ill. So Ahmed with me on a silver platter as rushed. We bought a pump, he brought it to us, explained everything to us, told. So imagine what a shock it was when we saw him!

- Here Gumaha - continues Ivan Antonovich - suitable to one of our machine and gives him: "Here on from his rifle and shot at him, he killed your father." The man in horror: "How would I shoot him?" He killed my father and I still will kill. " In such a shock. And he and all of us ...

• * *

Twice then ran Ahmed from custody, once a close - for the fence, and caught him, the villagers here. And the second time - for the Terek. I caught him already mashadovskaya Guard. In the end, the Chechens took him to the regional center - the village of Naurskaya. (This was just three days before our troops on Oct. 14, 1999 released Naursky district from the militants). And there in the area to deal with the Chechens themselves, two residents of the village Mekenskaya killed him: one he killed his father, another - his brother. Justice is served.

Ahmed Ibrahim. Nemudrenaya his story. He was known as harmless. First worked as a driver in the ATP normally worked, then got in the same ATP bus and engaged in the driving. Provided goods, had its own stall. Again, everything was like normal, as far as possible in a warring Chechnya. Bargained. His wife sold the children to sell. After all that has happened, they left the house, went nowhere.

The Chechen war was over devastatingly on Chechnya and, indeed, throughout Russia, bringing in the family grief and suffering. War and makes a "normal" person bandit. Does not, of course, and identifies, draws from the depths of what has been hidden for a time and waiting in the wings. But not even the war itself, but only one has a premonition of the war, alone, maybe even unconsciously, but the anticipation of impending carnage. Recall our recent history. It is only a little swing weights of the world equilibrium, is only slightly depart from the sacred focus of the soul - and then ...

And then on Feb. 27, 1988 peace, it would seem, Azeris, mostly young people, stand up and begin to massacre of Armenians in Sumgait. Peace Uzbeks, too, mostly young boys, in June 1989, rise and begin to cut in Ferghana their own co-religionists Meskhetians. Peace Tajiks in Dushanbe in February 1990 stand up and begin to rape women, pelted stones at soldiers and their own Tajik police, burn houses and destroy shops. The point here is, of course, not nationality, not religion, but in the dark depths, in the manifestations of evil of the world, escaping to freedom.

Although why Ahmed suddenly turned into a ferocious beast, no one knows. Even someone with whom he lived next to for many years - his neighbor, Cossack Cossack chief Vasily Vasilyev. His brother Ahmed had died in the first Chechen war. But that was five years ago ... How many times have all this time they are with Basil and another neighbor, Peter Atarschikovym, digging in the garden together, how much time together tending cows. And their children played together, were friends, despite the war. He turned to Vassily Ahmed and all the neighbors are always polite and always on "you".

Basil survived because, on the eve of the tragedy had brought from Mekenskoy his family and he was evacuated with many other villagers. Broke through with a neighbor and a relative on a bicycle through the woods and left Naursky for the Terek River and later in Mozdok to the eldest daughter Tanya, where he stayed for several days. Those were the days when our troops entered the Naursky district. Militants lyutovali: Russian shot for refusing to dig their trenches, even took off their scalps as a husband, a cousin Basil Theodore, who was killed by Chechens in the night of 5 th to October 6. And people are left to wait out the storm and save the children. ^[11]

Chechen kills 41 villagers in revenge for Russian occupation

 [Correspondent] This is a small section of the road linking the settlements of Chernokozovo and Mekenskaya [in Nadterechnyy District in Chechnya]. Literally in a few minutes' time the military will begin a special operation to mop up one of the settlements. Soldiers have been given the command to be extremely attentive - it was here, at this place, that 10 days ago rebels destroyed an infantry fighting vehicle of the federal forces. The military also knew about what happened  in Mekenskaya just four days ago. The news shocked everyone. A certain Ibragimov, a local man, shot dead 41 people simply in revenge for the fact that Russian troops had again entered Chechnya. [A local woman] Forty-one people - we have counted them. [A] Who knows why. He just took his assault rifle and killed everyone. They were all Russians. [Correspondent] As it turned out, the murderer has not managed to escape. The villagers sorted him out without trial, according to the laws of war. [A local man] They killed him at the square. They executed him. [A] Two brothers - he killed their mother and father. I personally handcuffed him to a pipe and left... [Another local man] He said: Russians are killing Chechens, so now I am going to kill Russians...
[12]