Witness History: #4 - Russian soldier playing an abandoned piano / Chechnya 1994

Chechnya 1994

Tonights picture was taken in 1994 in Chechnya. Whilst the photographer remains unknown, this picture has, unlike the others that i've posted in this series so far, not been colored, it simply is a diapositive.

Until the fall of the soviet union, Chechnya had been considered part of soviet Russia. There had been nationalist movements which Boris Yeltsin tried to calm by promoting stronger individualism in the region. Under the soviet government, Chechnya had been populated mostly by Russians and Ukrainians, but due to low birth rates under the failing communist regime, this population started to decrease continuously during the sixties. As a result of national movements, the people gained some independence, which kickstarted the birthrates of the Chechen population. Towards the end of the soviet reign, the Chechen population in the country reached a 84% rate. This increase in population rate was furthermore strengthened by mass emigration of the Russian people towards the new Russia.

On this photograph we see a Russian soldier in Chechnya in 1994 playing on an abandoned piano. It is an interesting and quite emotional scene, as it can be seen as a symbol for the peace that independence from the soviet union has brought to the country. Although this soldier is from the old enemies army, he too may have some cultural or ethnic roots in the country, and together the people of the east bloc managed to find some moments of true piece like this one.

I am starting a new series about historic photographs, titled "Witness History", in which i will show and comment some of the photographs from my collection. The goal is to deliver an insight into the events that led to today. Every photograph will be accompanied by additional informations and explications. If you are interested in this series, feel free to follow me and stay up to date on my newest posts.