What is meant by the Circassian genocide?
The Circassian genocide refers to the mass killing, destruction, forced displacement, and expulsion of Circassians during and after the Russian imperial conquest of Circassia in the nineteenth century. The most catastrophic phase occurred in the final years of the Caucasus War, especially in the early 1860s, when Russian forces destroyed villages, drove populations toward the Black Sea coast, and forced large numbers of Circassians into exile in the Ottoman Empire.
The term “genocide” is used by many Circassian organisations, scholars, and recognition campaigns because the violence involved more than military defeat. It involved the destruction of Circassian political, social, and territorial life in much of the homeland.
Who are the Circassians?
Circassians, also known as Adyghe, are an Indigenous Northwest Caucasian people historically connected to Circassia in the north-western Caucasus and the north-eastern Black Sea coast. Circassian communities historically included several tribal and regional groups, including Abzakh, Shapsug, Natukhai, Bzhedug, Kabardian, Ubykh, and others.
Most Circassians today live outside the historical homeland because of nineteenth-century conquest and forced exile. Large Circassian communities exist in Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Israel, Europe, North America, and elsewhere.
When did the main catastrophe occur?
Russian imperial expansion into Circassian lands unfolded over a long period, but the final catastrophe is associated especially with the last phase of the Caucasus War. The date 21 May 1864 is remembered by Circassians as the symbolic end of the war and the beginning of mass exile and dispossession. It is commemorated annually as the Circassian Day of Mourning. Circassian memory connects this date to the final Russian victory celebrations and the destruction of Circassian life in the homeland.
Was this simply migration to the Ottoman Empire?
No. Some Circassians may have viewed Ottoman territory as refuge, but the movement occurred under conditions of conquest, village destruction, military pressure, hunger, disease, and the collapse of viable life in the homeland. “Migration” is therefore misleading if used alone. More accurate terms include forced displacement, expulsion, deportation, and exile, depending on the context.
Which states have recognised the Circassian genocide?
Georgia became the first state to recognise the nineteenth-century massacre and deportations of Circassians by Tsarist Russia as genocide in May 2011. Ukraine became the second state to recognise the Circassian genocide when the Verkhovna Rada adopted a resolution on 9 January 2025; Ukrainian sources reported that 232 MPs supported the decision.
Why does recognition matter?
Recognition matters because it gives public and institutional status to a history that has often been marginalised, denied, or reframed as ordinary war, migration, or imperial consolidation. Recognition is not only symbolic. It affects public memory, education, research, diplomatic language, and the way Russian imperial history is discussed.
Why is the Circassian genocide relevant today?
The Circassian genocide is relevant because its consequences continue: diaspora dispersion, memory politics, debates about recognition, historical geography, Russian denial, and the struggle to make Circassian history visible in wider discussions of Russian imperialism. It is also relevant to contemporary European debates on Russia, colonial violence, Indigenous dispossession, and historical justice.