Circassian Genocide (also known as Circassian Exile) Systematic mass murder, ethnic cleansing, and exile of the Circassian people by Tsarist Russia. 80-97% of the Circassian population, approximately 750.000-1.500.000 people were affected by the events. Although the people planned to be destroyed were Circassians in general, other Muslim peoples of the Caucasus were also affected. Russian forces reportedly used various methods, such as disemboweling pregnant women. Russian generals such as Grigori Zass described Circassians as "inhuman scumbags" and glorified the mass murder of Circassian civilians, advocated their use in scientific experiments, and allowed their soldiers to rape women.
During the Russo-Circassian War, the Russian Empire systematically implemented a strategy of exterminating the Circassian population. Only a small part of the Circassians who agreed to Russify and settle in other parts of Russia remained unaffected by the events. The remaining Circassian population, who refused, was variously dispersed or killed en masse. In some cases, Circassians were forced to accept Christianity. In many cases, Circassian settlements were found and burned, systematically starved or their entire population slaughtered.
Lev Tolstoy, a soldier in the Russian army, reported that Russian soldiers attacked village houses at night. British diplomat William Palgrave, who witnessed the events, adds that "their only crime was not being Russian". In 1864, a petition requesting humanitarian aid from the British Empire was signed by the Circassians. That same year, mass deportations against the surviving population were initiated before the end of the war in 1864 and were largely completed by the 1870s. Some died of epidemics among the crowds while waiting to leave. Others died when ships on the way sank during storms or when profit-oriented shippers overloaded their ships to maximize profits. Scholars estimate that 80-97% of the Circassian population was affected by this process, taking into account the Russian government's own archive figures.
Circassians who survived and were exiled were settled in the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman archives show that about 1879 million Circassian immigrants entered Ottoman lands in 1, but about half of them died on the coasts due to diseases. If the Ottoman archives are correct, this makes the Circassian genocide the greatest genocide of the 19th century. The 1897 Russian census, supplementing the Ottoman archives, records only 150.000 Circassians, one-tenth of the original number. A 1929-year-old old man met by the Georgian historian Simon Canashia, who went to the Caucasus on scientific research in the spring of 91, reported that the Black Sea was filled with human body parts “like watermelon” and that crows nested in female hair and male beards.
As of 2023, Georgia is the only country to recognize the Circassian genocide. The US city of Wayne and the East Turkestan Government of Exile also officially recognized the Circassian genocide. The Ukrainian parliament, on the other hand, is discussing recognition. Russia actively denies the Circassian genocide and classifies the events as consensual immigration. In February 2020, Russia's ambassador to Ankara, Aleksey Yerhov, described the Circassian Genocide as a “beautiful tale”. Saying that Circassians migrated to Turkey to find work, Yerhov apologized as a result of KAFFED's pressure. Some Russian Neo-Nazi groups in the Caucasus region annually celebrate May 21 (OS), when the Circassian deportation begins. Circassians commemorate May 21 as the Circassian Mourning Day every year. On May 21, Circassians around the world are protesting the Russian government, especially in cities with large Circassian populations such as Kayseri and Amman, as well as in other major cities such as Istanbul.