And the Caucasus—a region loosely encompassing Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Chechnya, Dagestan, Ossetia, and Ingushetia—has always occupied a mystical place in Russian literature. It is a region of rough natural beauty but also the place of exile, where those who ran afoul of the tsar were sent to ponder their fealty to the empire. A place to conquer but also a place before which to stand in awe. If Russia has a cultural subconscious, it lies east of the Don River.