Uninvited Guests

In the Moscow metro, you often hear announcements beginning with the words ‘dear Muscovites and guests of the capital ...’ Muscovites are justly proud of their city, but all too often the distinction is made between nashi and chuzhiye – us and them. No one feels this distinction more strongly than people from the Caucasus region, whether they have just arrived or have lived in the capital for 20 years. On the third anniversary of the outbreak of war in Chechnya, Russian Life’s Associate Editor,

Anna Hoare looks at the issue of nationality and what it feels like to be a Caucasian living in Moscow.