Hasan Israilov facts for kids

Hasan Israilov (Chechen: Исраил КIант Хьасан / Israil Khant Hasan; Russian: Хасан Исраилов Khasan Israilov; 1910 – December 29, 1944) was a Chechen leader, writer, and poet. He was also a guerrilla fighter, meaning he fought in small, unofficial groups. From 1940 until his death in 1944, he led Chechen and Ingush people in a fight against the Soviet Union.

Israilov is seen as one of the most important Chechen leaders during World War II. Many Chechens consider him a national hero. His name is sometimes also written as Hassan Izrailov.

Early Life and Education

Hasan Israilov was born in 1910 in the village of Galanchozh, Chechnya. He was the youngest of six brothers. His family belonged to the Terloy teip, which is a Chechen clan.

He finished secondary school in Rostov in 1929. In 1919, he joined Komsomol, a youth group linked to the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. After graduating from a communist secondary school in Rostov-on-Don in 1929, Israilov became a member of the Communist Party. In 1933, he went to a special university in Moscow called the Communist University of the Toilers of the East.

Writing and Early Troubles

While he was a student, Israilov wrote plays and poetry. He also worked as a reporter for a Moscow newspaper called Krestianskaia Gazeta (Farmer's Newspaper). He wrote articles that criticized Soviet policies in the Checheno-Ingushetia region. He said that Party leaders were "plundering Chechnya," meaning they were taking things unfairly.

Even though his articles made him popular with other students, the Soviet leaders arrested him when he was 19. He was accused of "speaking out against the government" after writing about Party officials who were "stealing and acting unfairly." He was sentenced to ten years in prison. However, after two years, Israilov was released. He was cleared of the charges and allowed to go back to his university. This happened because some of the Party members he had accused were later charged with corruption themselves.

Return to Chechnya and Resistance

When Israilov returned to Moscow, he met other Chechen and Ingush students. These included Abdurakhman Avtorkhanov and his older brother Hussein. They all believed that the Soviet rules would eventually cause people to rebel.

In 1935, Israilov got into trouble with the law again. His signature was found on a student letter that criticized Soviet policies in the North Caucasus. Because of this, he was sent to a work camp in Siberia for five years. But Israilov was released early in 1939. He then returned to Chechnya and worked as a barrister, which is a type of lawyer, in Shatoy.

Leading the Rebellion

In 1940, Israilov heard about Finland's fight against the Soviet Union. This inspired him and his brother Hussein to organize and lead a rebellion in Chechnya. During this time, Israilov led a temporary government for his people called the Provisional Popular Revolutionary Government of Checheno-Ingushetia.

In February 1944, Israilov managed to avoid being deported by the Soviet Union. The Soviets had deported all Chechens and Ingushes in an operation called Operation Lentil. Sadly, his entire family was either deported or killed. This made it very hard for him to avoid capture.

Even though forced confessions from his friends helped the NKVD (Soviet security forces) find many of Israilov's weapons, he managed to stay hidden for ten months. He moved from cave to cave, trying to escape. He was deeply affected by the deportation of his people.

In a secret message between Soviet officers, it was reported that Hasan Israilov was killed. His body was photographed and identified on December 29, 1944. Soviet security forces continued to hunt down the remaining Chechen fighters in the North Caucasus until 1953.