Residents of Grozny claim enforcement to celebrate Day of Russia

The celebrations of the Day of Russia in Grozny were attended by about 115,000 people; they passed without incidents, said the city officials. However, the participants themselves believe that the official figures are "highly overstated."

"There were really plenty of people around here yesterday, but 115,000 is an unrealistic figure. The crowd was 20,000 strong at the most; maybe a little more or a little less," said Israil, a participant of the festivities.

Similar information was reported by Maktub, a user of the "Caucasian Knot", in his comments; he added that the festivities were attended by people who checked the attendance of local residents.

The fact that some residents of Grozny had to come to the feast under the threat of dismissal is a common thing for the republic, said Zarema, a student of the Chechen State Pedagogical Institute.

A number of employees of state institutions of Chechnya have also confirmed to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that they had taken part in the celebrations of the Day of Russia under orders of their bosses.

So far, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has no comments of the administration of Grozny on the enforcement to visit the celebrations.