Chotkar, who became an enemy of the Mari

According to legend, Chotkar-patyr protected the Mari nation from the invasion of strangers. The occupiers have done and have been doing everything to make the Mari forget this legend, but it is so tenacious, and its hero is such a vivid character that even the servants of Moscow who betrayed their people want to be like him, not realizing that they are against everything that the legend of Chotkar taught the Mari.

The other day, a podcast from a mental hospital from Mari El won in the Top Content competition among Russian state publics. The main topic of the podcast is “what to do if a family member has a mental disorder?”

This news comes at a perfect time with the news about a certain Chotkar appearing in the ranks of the Russian occupation army, fighting for the enemies of the Mari nation. What to do if they try to replace the legendary hero of a folk epic with a mentally ill impostor?