Abstract: The breakup of USSR has created an identity crisis in Russia. Before the collapse, the U.S.S.R was considered as the leader of the Communist revolution universally and was a multicultural and multinational state. However, soon after the breakup of Soviet Union, the Russians were faced with the question “Where do we belong?”. They struggled to find out what ideology they should follow, where and how do they fit in the world spectrum and most importantly “Who are we?” The problem of identity crisis arose not just due to the need to redefine the idea of “Us” based on the newly formed political, social and geographical boundaries but also due to the rising ideological conflict as well as increase in geopolitical competition. A strong wave of nationalism engulfed the Northern Caucasus regions after the collapse of the Soviet Union and caused several regional conflicts. The Russian government was not able to establish peace in these regions and the worsening situation provoked the youth of these regions to join local and global terrorist movements. Not only this, there has been a sharp rise in the number of suicide bombers in these radical terrorist groups, which include women folk too. Most of the women suicide bombers are widows, who have lost their closed ones, especially husband or children in the violent conflicts.

It is to be noted that the main driving force which drives these men and women to join terrorist organizations is not only the threat to religion or nationalism, but also the need to protect their identity. This article explores the problem of identity crisis which arose in Russia due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. We have based this article on the novel Khadijah, Notes of a Suicide Bomber by Marina Akhmedova (2011) wherein the writer portrays the emotional, philosophical and mental turmoil faced by the main protagonists due to the breakup of USSR and how they deal with the problem of identity crisis.

Keywords: Identity, Modernization, Northern caucus, terrorism, Suicide Bombers, City life, Village life