After the 1828-1829 Ottoman-Russian War, Meskhetia, located on the Georgian border with Turkey, was left to Russia with the agreement made. Many atrocities were committed against the Turks living in the Meskhetian region. The oppression and persecution that started during the Russian period continued in the USSR period as well. Especially during the Stalin era, oppression and persecution reached its peak. Many prominent and intellectuals of the Meskhetian Turks were killed, arrested or exiled for various reasons.
With the start of World War II, nearly 40 thousand Meskhetian Turks were recruited. The Turks, whose surnames were changed and sent to the military, were sent to the front to fight the Germans. The elderly and women left behind were employed in the railway construction. During the 2nd World War, the Meskhetian Turks who fought in the Russian army, as in other Turkish communities, were exiled.
The Inhuman Journey of the Meskhetian Turks:
This exile, one of the worst events in the history of humanity, has an important place in the memories and hearts. Thousands of Meskhetian Turks lost their lives in the exile carried out by being put in animal wagons on a winter night in 1944.
During the exile, the brothers were separated from each other, and all of them were sent to different parts of Central Asia. People gathered from more than 200 villages and towns were sent on an unknown journey without even being allowed to take any belongings with them. It is known that the exiled Meskhetian Turks consisted of more than 86 thousand people.
The difficult journey of the Meskhetian Turks, who were loaded into wagons one after the other, took more than a month. During the journey, 17 thousand Meskhetian Turks lost their lives due to hunger, cold and disease. Many Ahıska survivors were left on the borders of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. On the other hand, 30 thousand Ahıska Turks lost their lives in the place where they were left due to infectious diseases, epidemics and hunger.
The Soviet Russian administration created many labor camps. Those who stayed in these camps were subjected to heavy labor and many tortures, regardless of women, the elderly or children. Decisions taken about the Meskhetian Turks; They were prohibited from settling in the city, and leaving their place was dependent on their permission. Many rules have been put in place so that they do not leave their place. Those who violated these rules were exiled to Siberia with their relatives.
The Main Purpose of the Exile of Ahıska Turks:
The leader of the Soviet Union, Stalin, as the reason for exile; He claimed that Meskhetian Turks, who fought on the front with the Russians, cooperated with the Nazis during the Second World War. With the disintegration of Soviet Russia, it became clear that this claim was not true and that its main purpose was different. The main purpose of the exile was to clear the Black Sea region from the Turks.
Today, approximately 20 thousand people live in the Ahıska region. A very small part of this population consists of Turks. Meskhetian Turks, who were sent to various parts of the world, continue their lives longing for their homeland. As a result of the researches, it has been determined that there are approximately 600 thousand Ahıska Turks.
The countries with the highest number of Ahıska Turks are Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan. After the collapse of the USSR, the issue of the Ahıska people returning to their homeland was brought to the agenda. In 2007, a law covering the return was enacted by the Georgian administration. However, no concrete steps have been taken.
Here is a short excerpt from the story of Ahıska Aslı İskanderova, who lives in Turkey:
“I was 15 years old when the Soviets exiled the Meskhetian Turks. I changed three countries, four villages. Ahıska Turks were first taken to Borcum Village of Batumi by military vehicles. The station where our journey, which will last for days, will begin, was in this village.
The train was cold, dirty, open. There were hundreds of people. They only gave a bucket of soup at the stations so we wouldn’t starve. Everyone could have a little drink with whatever bowl they could grab. The Ural Mountains were very cold. There have been deaths. There were people injured by the cold. They were throwing the dead out of the train. My aunt’s mother-in-law, one of our neighbors, died.”
