Mairbek Vachagaev, a prominent Chechen historian, political analyst and scholar of the Caucasus who lives in France, has suffered a profound personal loss. His mother, Mizan Vachagaeva, died in Chechnya this morning.

She lived a long and difficult life, marked by many of the hardships that shaped the formative and adult years of her generation. Mizan Vachagaeva spent her youth and the early years of her marriage in exile in Kazakhstan. Through years of deportation, her return to her homeland and the difficulties that followed, she carried throughout her life the qualities that fellow villagers remembered today at her funeral in the historic Chechen village of Avtury: dignity, resilience, integrity, kindness and a gentle nature.

The children she raised, they said, were the best testament to the principles by which she lived.

For Mairbek Vachagaev, the loss is particularly painful because he had been unable to be with his mother for the past 16 years. Living in political exile, he could communicate with her only by video call.

In September 2023, Russia’s Justice Ministry added Mairbek Vachagaev to its register of “foreign agents.”

The editorial team of Novy Dosh extends its deepest condolences to Mairbek Vachagaev, his family and loved ones on their profound loss.

“Indeed, to Allah we belong, and indeed, to Him we shall return.”

May the Almighty have mercy on Mizan, forgive her sins and grant her a place in the gardens of Firdaus.