The Chechen and Ingush peoples were exiled by Stalin to Siberia and the steppes of north Kazakhstan in 1944. They were ostensibly deported for having aided Hitler's troops during WWII, although as historians have pointed out, German forces did not reach the Caucasus.
Some 450,000 people were deported in just eight days, according to archives. Some 20% are believed to have died on the long journey, and many more during their first months of exile.
The decision to allow them to return home was taken on January 9, 1957, almost four years after Stalin's death.
"It is important to remember the day when the Chechens returned to their homeland from deportation, having overcome one of the bleakest periods in their history," Kadyrov was quoted as saying.
He added that neither the Chechen nor the Ingush people should ever forget the tragedy.
"However, I believe it is also worth remembering some of the most joyful periods in our history," he said.
