Lavrentii Beria, From the Report of the NKVD Department of Special Settlements. September 5, 1944
Translated by James von Geldern
Original Source: Ikh nado deportirovat’ (Moscow: Druzhba narodov, 1992), p. 98
<…> On the Chechen-Ingush. In the early 1930s in the area was an actual threat that significant masses of people would become involved in the rebel adventure.
As a result of subversive activities major tracts of land were put to private use, until recently land was purchased, sold and rented, collective farms existed only formally, no more than 17% of arable land, 32% of meadows and quite a small number of draft animals (about 5%) had been socialized. In connection with this situation, poor and middle peasants came under the influence of and were dependent on the kulaks. Excesses and provocations brought the masses into deep social ferment. Exploiting this, the kulaks moved into the open action, carrying along a significant portion of the middle peasants. To address this counter-revolutionary movement in March-April 1930 serious Cheka-military operations were conducted with the support artillery and aviation.
In 1932 an armed rebellion was organized involving over 3000 persons which included all villages of the Nozhai-Yurtovsk District, and several other villages.
In late January 1941 in Khilda-Kharoi, Itumkalinsk District local residents were provoked to take part in anti-Soviet activities.
During this period, desertion from the Red Army among Chechens and Ingush took on a mass character. From July 1941 to April 1942 more than 1500 men drafted into the Red Army and labor battalion deserted, and more than 200 people evade military service. Of one ethnic Cavalry Division, 850 people deserted. <…>