Genesis Frontier’s Identities in the Age of the Caucasian War

The article discusses the features of formation and development of border identities in the age of the Caucasian
War. The conditions of their origination become fi eld of Caucasus and time of the Caucasian War. For the Russian soldiers,
offi cers and offi cials Caucasus was a radical change of the usual spatial horizontal (fl at) on the spatial vertical (mountains).
This was a great psychological shock, the overcoming of which was associated with a complex process of adaptation to
the natural landscape conditions of region. Russian army in the Caucasus fought not only with the mountaineers, but not
also against nature of the Caucasus. These circumstances, coupled with the unprecedented duration of the confl ict have
been the breeding ground of this phenomenon as a “Real Caucasian” – special corporate subculture Russian veterans
of the Caucasian War. On the other hand at the same time in the Russian army and the administration appears native
Caucasus, trained in the educational institutions of the empire, the knowledge and skills which are highly valued leaders
of Russian policy in the Caucasus. Highlanders on Russian service are trapped in drifting or split identity: between duty
and sense of ethnic solidarity.