XXX Международный конгресс ИИСАА. 19–21 июня 2019 г. Т. 1

к 150-летию академика В. В. Бартольда (1869–1930). Ч. 1 233 Секция V. Источниковедение и историография народов Кавказа Historiography and Source Studies of the Caucasus Andrzej P. Stopczyński (University of Lodz, Poland) First Chechen War in the Polish Press (1994–1996) Chechen wars can be seen as one of the most tragic episodes in the history of Russia in the 1990s. Events related to the Chechen wars were reflected in the Polish press of the period. It should also be noted that the events in Chechnya also increased the interest of the Polish press in the political changes in Russia at that time. However, the issue of the Chechen war has returned to the Polish public debate in 2015 during the discussion on the migration crisis in Europe. It was recalled that in the 1990s, there were a total of around 90,000 Chechens in Poland who emigrated from their country, but it is worth noting that for the majority of people submitting applications for asylum, Poland was perceived as a transit country. According to official data, over 70,000 Russian citizens have applied for the refugee status in Poland in the last 12 years. 90 percent of them are Chechens. As the Polish Office for Foreigners informs, Citizens of the Russian Federation declaring Chechen nationality for 15 years have constituted the largest national group among persons applying for the refugee status in the Republic of Poland. Most of the Chechens who came to Poland during the 90’s later went to the West of Europe. Those who stayed in Poland have integrated rather well, although most of them still wear traditional costumes or hijabs. The most famous of these refugees today is Mamed Khalidov. He is a Polish mixed martial artist, a heavyweight cham- pion. He came to Poland in 1997. He graduated in Poland, he got Polish citizenship and he is a practicing Muslim.