Ruslan Aushev
Encyclopedia
Ruslan Sultanovich Aushev (Russian
: Русла́н Султа́нович А́ушев) (born October 29, 1954 in Volodarskoye, Kazakhstan
) was the president of Ingushetia
from March 1993 to December 2001. He was reportedly the youngest officer in the Soviet army to reach the rank of Lieutenant General
. He received the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union
on May 7, 1982. Aushev has emerged as Ingushetia
s most popular politician, having kept peace and stability during the Chechen war.
family living in Kazakhstan
, who were deported from the Soviet Union
in 1944. Very little is known about Aushev's early life.
in charge of a combat regiment where he was wounded on October 16, 1986. Later he ascended to the Soviet parliament
where he remained for two years while serving on the Military Affairs Committee. In November 1992 Aushev was appointed to lead the provisional administration in Ingushetia, a position he resigned two months later to run in the Ingushetian presidential elections. Being the sole candidate, he won the presidency on February 28, 1993 with 99.99% of the vote, and he was re-elected two years later.
During the First Chechen War
as many as 200,000 refugee
s from Chechnya
and neighboring North Ossetia strained Ingushetia's already weak economy and on several occasions, Aushev protested incursions by Russian soldiers, and even threatened to sue the Russian Ministry of Defence for damages inflicted. President Aushev said that his people could not forget how the same Russian armored columns "and the same Defense Minister" (Pavel Grachev
) assisted in the destruction of Ingush settlements and the expulsion
of Ingush population during the 1992 ethnic conflict in North Ossetia.
He resigned in December 2001 and on May 23, 2002, Murat Zyazikov
was elected president of Ingushetia under controversial circumstances. Since then the republic has become more violent.
Then Aushev was elected to the Federation Council of Russia
in December 1993, a position he resigned in April 2003. Aushev served as a negotiator on the second day of the Beslan school hostage crisis
, convincing the hostage-takers to release 26 nursing women and their infants.
On September 30, 2008, Aushev commented, in his interview to Echo of Moscow
radio, on the increasingly tense situation in Ingushetia, accusing the current authorities of excessive use of force in the republic, leading to the radicalization of the society and threatening to plunge Ingushetia into civil war. The opposition news website Ingushetia.org reported that the Kremlin
-allied Ingush president Murat Zyazikov ordered the republic’s television and radio broadcasting center to block Echo of Moscow’s signal for the duration of Aushev’s appearance.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Русла́н Султа́нович А́ушев) (born October 29, 1954 in Volodarskoye, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
) was the president of Ingushetia
Ingushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
from March 1993 to December 2001. He was reportedly the youngest officer in the Soviet army to reach the rank of Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
. He received the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
on May 7, 1982. Aushev has emerged as Ingushetia
Ingushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
s most popular politician, having kept peace and stability during the Chechen war.
Early Life
Aushev was born on 29 October, 1954 to an IngushIngush
Ingush may refer to:* The Ingush language* The Ingush people, an ethnic group of the North Caucasus...
family living in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, who were deported from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1944. Very little is known about Aushev's early life.
Career
After three years at the Frunze Military Academy, Aushev returned to AfghanistanAfghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
in charge of a combat regiment where he was wounded on October 16, 1986. Later he ascended to the Soviet parliament
Duma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
where he remained for two years while serving on the Military Affairs Committee. In November 1992 Aushev was appointed to lead the provisional administration in Ingushetia, a position he resigned two months later to run in the Ingushetian presidential elections. Being the sole candidate, he won the presidency on February 28, 1993 with 99.99% of the vote, and he was re-elected two years later.
During the First Chechen War
First Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
as many as 200,000 refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
s from Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
and neighboring North Ossetia strained Ingushetia's already weak economy and on several occasions, Aushev protested incursions by Russian soldiers, and even threatened to sue the Russian Ministry of Defence for damages inflicted. President Aushev said that his people could not forget how the same Russian armored columns "and the same Defense Minister" (Pavel Grachev
Pavel Grachev
Pavel Sergeyevich Grachev , sometimes transliterated as Grachov, is a retired Russian Army General and the former Defence Minister of the Russian Federation; in 1988 he was declared the Hero of the Soviet Union...
) assisted in the destruction of Ingush settlements and the expulsion
Population transfer
Population transfer is the movement of a large group of people from one region to another by state policy or international authority, most frequently on the basis of ethnicity or religion...
of Ingush population during the 1992 ethnic conflict in North Ossetia.
He resigned in December 2001 and on May 23, 2002, Murat Zyazikov
Murat Zyazikov
Murat Magometovich Zyazikov is the former president of the southern Russian republic of Ingushetia. He was born in what is now Kyrgyzstan. Zyazikov was a controversial politician in Ingushetia.- Political Career :...
was elected president of Ingushetia under controversial circumstances. Since then the republic has become more violent.
Then Aushev was elected to the Federation Council of Russia
Federation Council of Russia
Federation Council of Russia ) is the upper house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , according to the 1993 Constitution of the Russian Federation...
in December 1993, a position he resigned in April 2003. Aushev served as a negotiator on the second day of the Beslan school hostage crisis
Beslan school hostage crisis
The Beslan school hostage crisis of early September 2004 was a three-day hostage-taking of over 1,100 people which ended in the deaths of over 380...
, convincing the hostage-takers to release 26 nursing women and their infants.
On September 30, 2008, Aushev commented, in his interview to Echo of Moscow
Echo of Moscow
Echo of Moscow is a Russian radio station based in Moscow, broadcasting in many Russian cities, in some of the former-Soviet republics , and via the Internet, which some observers describe as "the last bastion of free media in Russia"...
radio, on the increasingly tense situation in Ingushetia, accusing the current authorities of excessive use of force in the republic, leading to the radicalization of the society and threatening to plunge Ingushetia into civil war. The opposition news website Ingushetia.org reported that the Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
-allied Ingush president Murat Zyazikov ordered the republic’s television and radio broadcasting center to block Echo of Moscow’s signal for the duration of Aushev’s appearance.
Personal Life
Aushev is married to Aza Ausheva, and has two sons and two daughters. His sons are Ali and Umar, and his daughters are Leila and Lema.See also
- War Veterans CommitteeWar Veterans CommitteeThe War Veterans Committee, or simply WVC is a public international association of social veterans' organizations since 1992. War Veterans Committee unites about 40 veterans' organizations of CIS states. The Head of WVC is Ruslan Aushev...
- Warriors-Internationalists Affairs CommitteeWarriors-Internationalists Affairs CommitteeThe Warriors-Internationalists Affairs Committee is a central organization for participants of local wars of CIS that provides relationship between public organizations and state structures...
External links
The first president of Ingushetia Ruslan Aushev's website. Biography- Ruslan Aushev: Russia's Champion At Getting Out The Vote by Laura Belin, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
- Computer translation of the Aushev's bio at grankin.ru.
- Three Days in September (2006). Directed by Joe HaldermanJoe HaldermanRobert Joel "Joe" Halderman is an American television news writer, director, producer, and convicted felon.-Career:Halderman's journalistic career began in the early 1980s, when he was a producer on the CBS Morning Show with Diane Sawyer and Bill Kurtis...
, narrated by Julia RobertsJulia RobertsJulia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
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