Ukraine War Day #778: Tajik Shame – Part I

Dear Readers:

Today I have this thought-provoking piece by Russian military correspondent Grigory Kubatian. Who normally covers the Donbass Front, but, for this story, travelled all the way to Tajikistan. Where he acquired some valuable insights into the backstory and ramifications of the Moscow Crocus terrorist attack.

The city of Gissar, Tajikistan

Kubatian: All four of the Crocus killers hail from Tajikistan. I set off for their homeland trying to figure out what moved them; and what their relatives and neighbors are saying about them.

The city of Gissar is famous for its “lepyoshki” [a Russian biscuit baked using sour cream instead of butter]

The city of Gissar is considered ancient, the Great Silk Road passed through this city. Its symbol is the ancient fortress, mostly in ruins, but partially reconstructed. The ancient gate and staircase still stand. A tour guide keeps watch at the gate, ready (for 100 somoni, approximately 1,000 rubles) to guide you around and tell you the history of these settlements. Some being 4,000 years old, some being 40,000 years old.

The people of Gissar are simple and friendly folk, still very nostalgic for the Soviet Union. In the center of town there is a shop called “USSR”. And everywhere you can find the Soviet delicacy, tasty hot lepyoshki.

In one of these lepyoshki stands, once worked the terrorist Faridun Shamsiddin, before he left for Russia. He is the one who, when detained by the police, shivered and trembled like a leaf, as if coming down from a drug overdose; and who told those stories to the police about “the lessons of a holy man” which he studied over his phone, after which he was recruited for the terror act.

The ancient Gissar fortress is the symbol of the region.

Faridun lived in the village of Loiob, which rests in the mountains surrounding Gissar. It used to take him a whole day to get from the mountains to his job, hitchhiking, because he didn’t own his own car. He was poor. He and his young wife lived with his parents. They had a baby, a little boy, born about 8 months ago. When he became a father, Faridun left for Russia to find work, but once gone, he forgot all about his son. He even answered “No” when the judge asked him if he had any children. The interpreter repeated the question. And then he remembered: Yes! I have one child.

Children, whether his own or others, have always been an issue for Faridun. In 2014, when he himself was just 16 years old, he was sentenced to 7 and a half years for molesting an underage child. He served 5 and a half years, was let out early, and returned home. He got married. He migrated to Russia seeking work. It is a mystery how he got in, not every country will allow a convicted pedophile to cross into its borders.

Next: Why Tajiks love Russia and the Soviet Union.

[to be continued]