After suicide bombers set off two huge explosions, killing dozens in the Moscow subway system last week, attention turned toward Chechnya — the troubled republic in North Caucasus where the Russian government has sought to suppress  a violent Muslim uprising since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Italian photographer Davide Monteleone has been working there extensively this year, pursuing a project that documents Muslim life and the struggle for stability as the Russian government tries to stamp out the remnants of a war that has continued for nearly 15 years. Based in Rome and Moscow, Mr. Monteleone, 35, is represented by Contrasto.

Much of your work is from the Caucasus — South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Dagestan, Chechnya. What draws you to the region?

I’ve been working in Russia since 2002. My first project ended with the publication of the book "Dusha — Russian Soul.” Since the summer of 2008, with the lightning war between Russia and Georgia in South Ossetia, I started this new project in the Northern Caucasus. This project takes into consideration those regions where disputes have not yet come to an end, disputes which nowadays resurface as intermittent fires under the surface of rhetorical politics of "normalization” and "pacification.” My curiosity was sparked by the need to see with my own eyes and attempt to comprehend what makes Chechnya different from Dagestan, Ingushetia, Ossetia, and so on.

Tell me about your most recent trip to Chechnya in January. Were you on assignment? What brought you there this time?

I spent two months in the region, based in Grozny and traveling around Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia. My goal is to go beyond the news that from time to time brings the region into the spotlight. I wanted to document the daily life and the diversity in those republics torn between the dream of independence and pride, the economical subordination and the historical-political affiliation.

Chechnya is one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work. What is the atmosphere like?

I would not say Chechnya is a dangerous place — Grozny is today quite safe, almost completely rebuilt after many years of wars.

Davide Monteleone/Contrasto

The danger is not something you can feel directly. On the other end, freedom of movement in the region and the possibility of reaching information is quite hard. Any attempt to get deep into the stories or any investigation on subjects such as human rights, antiterrorist activities, etc., in the area can cause over-attention from the authorities.

I did not feel in danger for myself, but for some of the people I’ve been in touch with there who decide to tell me their stories.

Several of your photographs from this series are from very intimate settings — a family reunion, a religious ceremony. Was access difficult? As a journalist, were you treated with suspicion?

Freedom of movement and access to information is the hardest part of working in the area. On the other hand, common people are really kind and hospitable, in some way wishful to tell their stories. I was welcomed in their houses, during weddings, funerals, any private celebration or reunion. Incredibly, it’s easier to work in intimate settings than in the middle of the streets! I do speak some Russian and this of course, helped me.

You covered the war in Georgia? Tell me about that experience.

I arrived in South Ossetia about a week after the war started. I reached the area from the Russian side. After few days in Vladikavkaz, waiting for the permission, I traveled to Ossetia where I spent two weeks living with a local family and trying to cover not only the aspects of the war, but also the daily life of people in the region. Being there during and just after the war gave me, incredibly, more freedom of movement and the possibility to get closer to people.

Davide Monteleone/Contrasto

Your photographs from Russia are color and square-format, a departure from your earlier work from the Middle East which was mostly black and white and 35-millimeter. Why the change?

I actually prefer to work in color, film and square for my personal projects. I do work in black and white, mostly during spot news when the conditions don’t allow me to control light and color as I would like. In Russia I found the right light for me, and the long-term project gave me the opportunity to decide what kind of condition I like to shoot.

What are you hoping to accomplish with the project?

On one hand, this project originated as the continuation of my personal interest in the "Russian Empire,” while on the other hand it’s a journalistic survey of an area too often neglected by the media. The Caucasus is the quintessential of

Davide Monteleone/Contrasto

both stereotypes and surprises. For centuries, it has been the land of political, ethnic and religious rivalries, the land of battles, cruel struggles between hostile countries and also among allied peoples. I began this work with the passion for a specific geographical area and its inhabitants. For me is a chance to give my small contribution for others to understand such a not-so-well-known area.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/05/documenting-the-chechen-struggles/