She emphasised that this was largely because almost all mainstream media stories about Chechen women were told by non-Chechens. ‘The Russian media, even their liberal media, don’t see us as real people’For those who know about Chechen women primarily through Russian media coverage, it may be a surprise to learn that the main concerns raised in personal conversations and on social media are often not connected to Chechen men. Many Chechen women therefore see attempts to blame Chechen culture alone as an effort to ignore the political system that made these abuses possible. The biggest issue that has especially divided opinion is the cultural norm that allows Chechen men to marry non-Chechen women while at the same time discouraging Chechen women from marrying non-Chechen men. When a Russian man kills or abuses a Russian woman, the media usually blames sexism or the individual perpetrator — when a Chechen man kills or abuses a Chechen woman, the media often blames Chechen culture or even the entire Chechen nation.