The Formation of the Memory Regime of Chechen Wars in Modern Russia

The Chechen wars are one of the most important events in the history of modern Russia. These are the largest conflict on the territory of the country since WWII, which led to systemic intra-elite transformations and formed the core of the society's request for a "strong hand". The article examines the state of the dominant patterns of the official memory of the Chechen Wars, their «place» in the official historical narrative, on the third term of Vladimir Putin through the prism of the official discourse and practices of public commemoration of the Chechen conflict. The author comes to the conclusion that the tragedy of the First Chechen campaign is replaced by the triumph of the Second in the official discourse; actual commemorative practices are in conflict with the official version, because they appeal to the fundamental tragedy of events and remember the losses, but not the victory over terror.