Introduction. The film depicts the escalation of conflict between Russia and Chechnya during the Second Chechen War in May 2002. The conflict between the two nations centered on independence and conquest. Culture marks each nation's different perspectives on war. Chechens viewed the war as a political game in which they played on words (Greetings from Grozny, 2002). The Russians, for their part, viewed the war as a security operation, as they wanted to justify their occupation of Chechnya. Why do they want Chechnya? To fully understand the conflict, one must examine the cultural divisions between Russians and Chechens, as they influenced the motivations and tactics used during the war (Ho-Won Jeong, 2008). It is important to note that the conflict between Russia and Chechnya created a divide that had deadly consequences in these countries.History. In the North Caucasus, Chechens endured centuries of Russian conquests, which they fought off through resistance. In 1834, the Russians began their conquests of the North Caucasus and completed them in 1859 (“BBC News Timeline”, 2011). The Chechens attempted to separate from Russia by creating an autonomous region in 1922. This region later became the Chechen-Innguish Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1934 (2011). Then Stalin deported the Chechens from Chechnya in 1944, because he believed the Chechens were collaborating with the Germans ("Chechen terrorism"). Stalin's accusation embodies Gultung's definition of cultural violence, to the extent that he justifies the expulsion of the Chechens by this accusation (Galtung, 1999). Deportations exemplify Burton's definition of structural violence, a deprivation of needs caused by policies and institutions (Burton, 1997). As a result, the Chechens lost middle of paper ......sis. Sage Publications Ltd. Jeffrey, J. (2011). Chechen terrorism (Russia, Chechnya, separatist) - Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed February 28, 2011 at http://www.cfr.org/terrorism/chechen-terrorism-russia-chechnya-separatist/p9181. Kadiev, A. (1999). Opinion: A Chechen vision of the war in Russia. Retrieved March 1, 2011 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/577525.stm.Leake, D. and Black, R. (2005). Essential tools: Cultural and linguistic diversity: Implications for transition staff. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Living, National Center on Secondary Education and Transition. Language, culture, customs and etiquette of Russia (nd). Russia. Retrieved March 2, 2011 from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/russia-country-profile.html.Settlement. 3rd edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.