A group of Chechen refugees returned from Poland to Chechnya

On April, 25, a group of Chechens consisting of 24 people, little children among them, was delivered to Grozny by bus from Poland. Until recently they had resided in that country. Residents of the republic who left for the countries of Europe in different periods are now returning to their motherland because they failed to get settled abroad, a representative of Federal Migration Service told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"A group of refugees returned to Grozny from Poland yesterday. They left several years ago motivated by myths of wonderful life they were going to have in Europe but reality turned to be quite different. For years the families were living in camps for refugees with no future. They had no money left and even could not go back", our interlocutor says.

"Thanks to the aid from Head of our republic Ramzan Kadyrov and assistance of the Ministry of External Relations, Press and Information, 24 people including little children successfully returned home. All the expenses connected with their temporary stay at hotels before departure, providing them with everything necessary and motor transport were covered by the republican authorities", the official of the Department of Federal Migration Service states.

He also said that many of the Chechens who had lived in Europe during some past years were returning by themselves. "Even those who resided in such problem-free countries as Norway, France and others, to say nothing of Poland, are coming back. Tens families have returned since the beginning of the year. The people have just realized that nobody wanted them in strange lands and only very few persons could make themselves comfortable in Europe while the majority of them had to take shelter in camps and have miserable allowances for living with no opportunities to improve their living conditions", our interlocutor says.

A resident of the republic Magomed M. told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that he and his family left for Poland yet in 2005. Until recently he had resided there, always in search of job and money.

"We were generally planning to leave for Belgium or France but we had a bad luck. It was just in 2005 that new regulations were enacted according to which refugees arriving in Europe should be deported to the country where they first registered. At first my wife, my children and I were staying in a refugees' camp and then we rented a flat. Our life was very hard. The flat cost about 20 thousand rubles a month and we had to spend practically all the money we earned on housing fee and food", Magomed says.

According to incomplete data, about one hundred thousand Chechen expatriates are residing in Europe today. The majority of the Chechens, about 28-30 thousand, live in Germany today. About 10-12 thousand natives of Chechnya live in Norway, the same as in Czechia, from 5 to 7 thousand in France, 12-14 thousand Chechens live in Austria, 15 to 17 thousand in Belgium, about 20 thousand in Poland and no more than 2-3 thousand Chechens live in Sweden.