in the campaign “Forcing Chechnya into submission after the fall of Akhulgo and suppression of the general uprising of 1840 (1838-1840)”
While suppressing the uprising of 1840, the imperial troops kept taking hostages (amanat - a person whom the empire took from a family or community as a hostage; the threat of reprisal against the taken kept the relatives and the whole aul in subjection). On 15 March 1840 general Pullo, who commanded the left flank of the Caucasus Line (the chain of imperial fortifications on the land of the Nokhchi), took hostages in the aul of Aldy by the Groznaya fortress - captain Pushkin reported to Traskin, chief of staff of the troops of the Caucasus Line: "gen. Pullo... entered there himself and took five new amanats"[1]. The "Conditions prescribed to submitting highlanders", issued by general Grabbe, commander of the troops of the Caucasus Line, on 15 June 1840, open with a demand for hostages: "Immediately hand over amanats from these auls. The commander of the troops reserves to himself to designate how many and from which families the said amanats must be handed over" - and close with a threat: "the amanats of unsubmissive auls are exiled to Siberia"[1].