Abreks

(probably from the Ossetian abyraeg, abreg —wanderer, robber), in the past, exiles from the peoples of the Northern Caucasus who then became wanderers or robbers.

During the foundation of tsarism in the Northern Caucasus, those who waged solitary battles against tsarism and its imposed regime came to be called abreks. The most famous of these were Zelimkhan Gushmazukaev of Kharachoi, who died in battle, and Salambek Garavodzhev of Sagopsha, who had turned himself in on the condition that he would face a firing squad, but who was hanged instead. A large amount of folklore in the Northern Caucasus centers on the exploits of the lone battlers against tsarism.