Russia Ends the Circassian War: A Genocide Nobody Talks About
The Russian Empire called it a military victory. The Circassians called it genocide. Between 1863 and 1867, roughly 90% of the Circassian population—somewhere between 800,000 and 1.5 million people—were expelled from the Caucasus or killed. Entire villages marched to the Black Sea coast, crammed onto Ottoman ships. Thousands drowned. Thousands more died of disease and starvation before reaching Anatolia. Today, more Circassians live in diaspora across Turkey, Jordan, and Syria than in their ancestral homeland. Russia built ski resorts where their villages once stood.
May 21, 1864
162 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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