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Encyclopedia > First Chechen War
First Chechen War
300px
Photos by Mikhail Evstafiev
Date December 11, 1994August 31, 1996
Location Chechnya

Parts of Ingushetia, Stavropol Krai and Dagestan Image File history File links First_chechen_war_header. ... The sky over the city where we were happy by Mikhail Evstafiev, oil on canvas, 2006 Mikhail Aleksandrovich Evstafiev (Russian: Михаил Александрович Евстафьев; born in 1963), is a Russian artist, photographer, writer. ... December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... The Chechen Republic (IPA: ; Russian: , Chechenskaya Respublika; Chechen: , Noxçiyn Respublika), or, informally, Chechnya (; Russian: ; Chechen: , Noxçiyçö), sometimes referred to as Ichkeria, Chechnia, Chechenia or Noxçiyn, is a federal subject of Russia. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Stavropol Krai (Russian: ) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai). ... The Republic of Dagestan IPA: (Russian: ; Avar: , ), older spelling Daghestan, is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ...

Casus
belli
Chechen rejection of the Boris Yeltsin's ultimatum to disarm and surrender
Result Khasav-Yurt Accord
De facto independence of Chechnya
Combatants

Russian Federation

Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Commanders
Pavel Grachev
Anatoly Kulikov
Konstantin Pulikovsky
Anatoliy Romanov
Vyacheslav Tikhomirov
Gennady Troshev
Dzhokhar Dudayev  
Aslan Maskhadov
Strength
(December 11, 1994)
Up to 50,000 soldiers and Interior Ministry (MVD)
(December 11, 1994)
3,000 to 15,000[1]
Casualties
Military:
At least 5,500 killed or missing
Civilian:
At least 161 killed outside Chechnya[1]
Military:
At least 3,000 killed or missing
Civilian:
50,000–100,000 dead[2]

The First Chechen War (Russian: первая чеченская война) was fought between Russia and Chechnya from 1994 to 1996 and resulted in Chechnya's de facto independence from Russia. Casus belli is a modern Latin language expression meaning the justification for acts of war. ... Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (Russian: ) (February 1, 1931 – April 23, 2007[1]) was the first president of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999. ... An ultimatum (Latin: ) is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. ... Disarmament means the act of reducing or depriving arms i. ... Balian of Ibelin surrendering the city of Jerusalem to Saladin, from Les Passages faits Outremer par les Français contre les Turcs et autres Sarrasins et Maures outremarins, ca. ... A ceasefire agreement that marked the end of the First Chechen War was signed in Khasav-Yurt on August 30, 1996 between Alexander Lebed and Aslan Maskhadov. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... Image File history File links Flag_of_Russia_(bordered). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Chechen_Republic_of_Ichkeria. ... Official language Chechen Capital Grozny (Dzhokharabad, after 1996) President Doku Umarov Independence  â€“ Declared  â€“ Recognition From Russia  â€“ November 1, 1991  â€“ Georgian Republic National anthem Death or Freedom The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria IPA: (Нохчийн Республика Нохчийчоь) is the unrecognized secessionist government of Chechnya. ... Russian Defence Minister Pavel Grachev speaking in the State Duma in 1994. ... Gennday Torshev is a general in the Russian military and was a formerly the commander of the North Caucasus Military District, covering the Chechnya region. ... Dzhokhar Dudayev and his son (killed few days after the invasion of Chechnya) Dzhokhar Dudayev and his family Dzhokhar Musayevich Dudayev (Chechen: ; Cyrillic: Дудин Муса кант Жовхар, Russian: Джохар Мусаевич Дудаев) (February 1944 – April 21, 1996) was a Soviet Air Force general and a Chechen leader, the first President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, an unrecognized... Temporary grave of an American machine-gunner during the Battle of Normandy. ... Aslan Maskhadov Aslan Aliyevich Maskhadov (Russian: Аслан Алиевич Масхадов) (September 21, 1951 – March 8, 2005) was a leader of the separatist movement in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya. ... December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Modern emblem of Russian MVD Russian Gendarme officers in the 1860s The Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del (MVD) (Министерство внутренних дел) was the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the imperial Russia, later USSR, and still bears the same name in Russia. ... December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Combatants Provisional Council FSK Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Strength 1,200-4,000 men 50 tanks Casualties 500 KIA 200 POW (including 70 Russian mercenaries) 1 Su-25 4 helicopters 32 tanks destroyed 5 tanks captured Categories: | | | | ... Combatants VDV, Air Force National Guard Casualties At least 21 dead N/A The Battle of Dolinskoye (Dolinsky), which took place 25 kilometers northwest of the Chechen capital of Grozny, was the first major ground engagement of the First Chechen War. ... Combatants VDV Russian Air Force National Guard Casualties N/A 6 tanks, 1 APC Battle of Khankala was a failed attempt by the Chechen to counterattack at Khankala from Grozny and Argun using tanks. ... Combatants Russian Federation Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Commanders Pavel Grachev Ivan Babichev Vadim Orlov Lev Rokhlin Vladimir Shamanov Viktor Vorobyov â€  Aslan Maskhadov Turpal-Ali Atgeriev Shamil Basayev Ruslan Gelayev Strength 60,000 in all (est. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... now. ... Combatants Russian Army Chechen militia Foreign fighters Commanders N/A Ibn al-Khattab Strength Several hundred At least 50 Casualties Official losses: 53 killed, 52 wounded Other estimates: 100-223 killed Official losses: 5 killed The Shatoy ambush was a battle during the First Chechen War during which forces of... The August 1996 battle of Grozny was the quick assault of the Chechen capital Grozny by the Chechen rebels, which led to a ceasefire and the end of the First Chechen War. ... Combatants Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh1 Republic of Armenia 2 CIS mercenaries Republic of Azerbaijan Afghan Mujahideen 3 Chechen Volunteers 4 CIS mercenaries Commanders Samvel Babayan, Hemayag Haroyan, Monte Melkonian, Vazgen Sargsyan, Arkady Ter-Tatevosyan İsgandar Hamidov, Suret Huseynov, Rahim Gaziev, Shamil Basayev Casualties 6,000 dead, 25,000 wounded 17... Combatants Ossetian Separatists Russian Forces1 The National Guard of Georgia Casualties ~2,000 dead?, unknown wounded ~800 dead?, unknown wounded 1Involvement Disputed The South Ossetian War was fought from 1991 to 1992 between Georgia and S. Ossetian separatists. ... Combatants Abkhaz separatists Confederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus Russian Cossacks Russian Forces1 Georgian Interior and Defense Ministry forces Paramilitary groups and volunteer battalions Commanders Iysuph Soslanbekov, Musa Shanibov, Shamil Basaev, Beslan Barghandjia, Anri Djergenia Geno Adamia, Guram Gubelashvili, Gia Kharkharashvili, Davit Tevzadze, Soso Akhalaia Casualties ~2,500-4... Ossetian-Ingush conflict - armed conflict between Ossetian and Ingush people in Prigorodny District, region of North Ossetia-Alania, started in 1992. ... Combatants Transnistria Russian volunteers Ukrainian volunteers Moldova Casualties 823 Transnistrian fatalities,[1] 90 Cossacks,[2] and an unknown number of other casualties ~1,000 total casualties Official figures: 172 combatants, ~400 civilians [] The War of Transnistria involved armed clashes on a limited scale that broke out between the Transnistrian separatists... Combatants Russian Federation Daghestani militia Chechen rebels Shura of Dagestan Commanders Viktor Kazantsev Shamil Basayev Ibn al-Khattab Strength 17,000 unknown Casualties At least 279 dead and 987 wounded 2,500 dead The Dagestan War (in Russia called by the name Chechen invasion of Dagestan) began when Chechnya-based... Combatants Russian Federation Pro-Russian Chechens Republic of Ichkeria Caucasian insurgents and foreign fighters Commanders Vladimir Putin Akhmad Kadyrov† Ramzan Kadyrov Aslan Maskhadov† Abdul Halim Sadulayev† Doku Umarov Shamil Basayev† Strength At least 93,000 in Chechnya in 1999. ... The Chechen Republic (IPA: ; Russian: , Chechenskaya Respublika; Chechen: , Noxçiyn Respublika), or, informally, Chechnya (; Russian: ; Chechen: , Noxçiyçö), sometimes referred to as Ichkeria, Chechnia, Chechenia or Noxçiyn, is a federal subject of Russia. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without...


After the initial campaign of 1994–1995, culminating in the devastating Battle of Grozny, Russian federal forces attempted to control the mountainous area of Chechnya but were set back by Chechen guerrilla warfare and raids on the flatlands (including mass hostage takings beyond Chechnya) in spite of Russia's overwhelming manpower, weaponry, and air support. The resulting widespread demoralization of federal forces, and the almost universal opposition of the Russian public to the brutal conflict, led Boris Yeltsin's government to declare a ceasefire in 1996 and sign a peace treaty a year later. There were several battles of Grozny: Battle of Grozny (October 1994) Battle of Grozny (November 1994) Battle of Grozny (1994-1995) March 1996 raid on Grozny Battle of Grozny (August 1996) Battle of Grozny (1999-2000) Category: ... Guerrilla warfare (also guerilla) is the unconventional warfare and combat with which small group combatants (usually civilians) use mobile tactics (ambushes, raids, etc) to combat a larger, less mobile formal army. ... A hostage is a person (sometimes another entity) which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act or refrain from acting in a particular way. ... Close air support (often abbreviated CAS) is the use of military aircraft in a ground attack role against targets in close proximity to friendly troops, in support of ground combat operations. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (Russian: ) (February 1, 1931 – April 23, 2007[1]) was the first president of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999. ... A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war or any armed conflict, where each side of the conflict agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. ... A peace treaty is an agreement (a peace treaty) between two hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends a war or armed conflict. ...


TIME magazine commented:[3] (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ...

The pictures of bomb-gutted buildings and bloody-faced civilians could have come from Sarajevo. Footage of burned corpses protruding from tank hatches might have been taken along the Highway of Death leading out of Kuwait. But there was something unnervingly different about the war in Chechnya, as a government turned its military might upon its own people and attempted, at terrible cost to its own soldiers, to level their capital city. For all the destruction and death, there was no victory to be had. David was defying Goliath, a Goliath that had held the world in fear for a half-century. It bred a creepy sense of things coming unhinged, of supposed verities turned upside down, of heroes and villains switching roles, of future dangers that looked all the scarier because it was hard to tell which scenario to fear the most. Combatants ARBiH (1992-95)  NATO (1995) JNA (1992) VRS (1992-95) Commanders Jovan Divjak Mustafa Hajrulahović Vahid Karavelić Nedžad Ajnadžić Stanislav Galić (1992-94) Dragomir MiloÅ¡ević (1994-95) Strength 40,000 (1992) 30,000 (1992) The Siege of Sarajevo was the longest siege in the history of... The Highway of Death A rusting tank at the Highway of Death, taken in February 2003 A sole, the only remaining part of a shoe, that lays where it was left by its wearer. ...

By one conservative estimate there were 7,500 Russian military, 4,000 Chechen combatant, and more than 35,000 civilian deaths.[2] Other estimates put the number of casualties between 80,000 to 100,000 killed. More than 500,000 persons were displaced by the conflict,[4] as cities and villages across the republic were left in ruins, but the conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen separatists remained unresolved. In 1999 it resumed in the form of the Second Chechen War. A combatant is a person who takes a direct part in the hostilities of an armed conflict who upon capture qualifies for prisoner of war under the Third Geneva Convention (GCIII). ... In times of armed conflict a civilian is any person who is not a combatant. ... A casualty is a person who is the victim of an accident, injury, or trauma. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with forced migration. ... Combatants Russian Federation Pro-Russian Chechens Republic of Ichkeria Caucasian insurgents and foreign fighters Commanders Vladimir Putin Akhmad Kadyrov† Ramzan Kadyrov Aslan Maskhadov† Abdul Halim Sadulayev† Doku Umarov Shamil Basayev† Strength At least 93,000 in Chechnya in 1999. ...

Contents

Origins of the war in Chechnya

Main article: History of Chechnya

Ancient Christian caves of Vardzia Chechen society has traditionally been organized around many autonomous local clans, called teips. ...

Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union

Chechnya and Russia
Chechnya and Russia
Chechnya and North Caucasus region
Chechnya and North Caucasus region

Russian Cossacks had lived in lowland Chechnya (Terek) since the 16th century. Russia first invaded the Chechen highlands during the reign of Peter the Great, in the early 18th century, as a countermeasure to Chechen raids on Russian settlements. After a series of fierce battles, Russia defeated Chechnya and annexed it in the 1870s. Chechnya's subsequent attempts at gaining independence after the fall of the Russian Empire failed. In 1922 Chechnya was incorporated into Bolshevist Russia and later into the Soviet Union (USSR). File links The following pages link to this file: Chechnya Second Chechen War Categories: GFDL images ... File links The following pages link to this file: Chechnya Second Chechen War Categories: GFDL images ... File links The following pages link to this file: Chechnya Second Chechen War Ichkeria User:Kbh3rd/Images Categories: Caucasus maps ... File links The following pages link to this file: Chechnya Second Chechen War Ichkeria User:Kbh3rd/Images Categories: Caucasus maps ... North Caucasus in Russia The North Caucasus (sometimes referred to as Ciscaucasia or Ciscaucasus) is the northern part of the Caucasus region between Europe and Asia. ... This article needs cleanup. ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Peter the Great or Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov (Russian: Пётр I Алексеевич Pyotr I Alekséyevich) (9 June 1672–8 February 1725 [30 May 1672–28 January 1725 O.S.][1]) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death, jointly ruling before 1696 with his weak and sickly... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... // The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... The subject of this article was previously also known as Russia. ... Bolshevist Russia is a common term that refers to the Bolshevik side in the Russian Civil War, or more specifically the Russian government between the October Revolution (November 7, 1917) and the constitution of the Soviet Union (December 30, 1922). ...


In 1936, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin created the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1944, on the orders of NKVD chief Lavrenti Beria, more than 1 million Chechens, Ingushes, and other North Caucasian peoples were deported to Siberia and Central Asia, officially as punishment for alleged collaboration with the invading Nazi Germany. Stalin's policy made the state of Chechnya a non-entity. Eventually, Soviet first secretary Nikita Khrushchev granted the Chechen and Ingush peoples permission to return to their homeland and restored the republic in 1957. Josef Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili (Georgian: , Ioseb Besarionis Dze Jughashvili; Russian: , Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili) (December 18 [O.S. December 6] 1878[1] – March 5, 1953), better known by his adopted name, Joseph Stalin (alternatively transliterated Josef Stalin), was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Unions Central Committee from... Chechen-Ingush Aautonomous Soviet Socialist Rrepublic, or Chechen-Ingush ASSR (Russian: ) was an autonomous republic within Russian SFSR. Its capital was Grozny. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Lavrenty Beria Lavrenty Pavlovich Beria (Russian: Лавре́нтий Па́влович Бе́рия) (29 March 1899 - 23 December 1953), Soviet politician and police chief, is remembered chiefly as the executor of Joseph... The Republic of Ingushetia (Russian: Респу́блика Ингуше́тия; Ingush: Гiалгiай Мохк) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... Ethno-Linguistic groups in the Caucasus region This article deals with the various ethnic groups inhabiting the Caucasus region. ... “Siberian” redirects here. ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (Russian: , Nikita Sergeevič Chruščiov; IPA: , in English, , or , occasionally ); surname more accurately romanized as Khrushchyov[1]; April 17 [O.S. April 5] 1894[2]–September 11, 1971) was the chief director of the Soviet Union after the death of Joseph Stalin. ...


The collapse of the Soviet Union

Russia became an independent nation after the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991. While Russia was widely accepted as the successor state to the USSR, it lost most of its military and economic power. While ethnic Russians made up more than 70% of the population of the Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, significant ethnic and religious differences posed a threat of political disintegration in some regions. In the Soviet period, some of Russia's approximately 100 nationalities were granted ethnic enclaves that had various formal federal rights attached. Relations of these entities with the federal government and demands for autonomy erupted into a major political issue in the early 1990s. The rise of Gorbachev Although reform stalled between 1964–1982, the generational shift gave new momentum for reform. ... There is no agreed-upon definition of power in economics. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ... State motto: Russian: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! Translation: Workers of the world, unite! Capital Moscow Official language Russian Established In the USSR:  - Since  - Until November 7, 1917 November 7, 1917 December 12, 1991 (dissolution) Area  - Total  - Water (%) Ranked 1st in the USSR 17,075,200 km² 13% Population  - Total   - Density Ranked 1st in the... Disintegration is the eighth studio album by rock band The Cure, released in 1989. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... In human geography, an enclave is a piece of land which is totally enclosed within a foreign territory. ... A federal government is the common government of a federation. ... Look up autonomy, autonomous in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ...


President Yeltsin incorporated these demands into his 1990 election campaign by claiming that their resolution was a high priority. There was an urgent need for a law to clearly define the powers of each federal subject. Such a law was passed on March 31, 1992, when Yeltsin and Ruslan Khasbulatov, then chairman of the Russian Supreme Soviet and an ethnic Chechen himself, signed the Federation Treaty bilaterally with 86 out of 88 federal subjects. In almost all cases, demands for greater autonomy or independence were satisfied by concessions of regional autonomy and tax privileges. The treaty outlined three basic types of federal subjects and the powers that were reserved for local and federal government. March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (91st in leap years), with 275 days remaining. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Ruslan Khasbulatov speaks to Radio Free Europe in 2003 Ruslan Imranovich Khasbulatov (Руслан Имранович Хасбулатов) (born 1942) is a Russian economist and politician who played a central role in the events leading to the 1993 constitutional crisis in the Russian Federation. ... The Supreme Soviet (Russian: , Verhovniy Sovet, literally the Supreme Council) comprised the highest legislative body in the Soviet Union in the interim of the sessions of the Congress of Soviets, and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments. ... The politics of Russia (the Russian Federation) take place in a framework of a federal presidential republic. ...


The only federal subjects which did not sign the treaty were Chechnya and Tatarstan. Eventually, in the spring of 1994, President Yeltsin signed a special political accord with Mintimer Şäymiev, the president of Tatarstan, granting many of its demands for greater autonomy for the republic within Russia. Thus, Chechnya remained the only federal subject which did not sign the treaty. Neither Yeltsin nor the Chechen government attempted any serious negotiations and the situation would deteriorate into a full-scale conflict. Republic of Tatarstan (Russian: ; Tatar: ) is a federal subject of Russia (a republic). ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...


Chechen declaration of independence

Meanwhile, on September 6, 1991, militants of the All-National Congress of the Chechen People (NCChP), party led by former Soviet general Dzhokhar Dudayev, stormed a session of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR Supreme Soviet with the aim of asserting independence. They killed the Communist Party of the Soviet Union chief for Grozny, Vitali Kutsenko, brutalized several other party members, and effectively dissolved the government of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Republic of the Soviet Union. is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... The word militant can refer to any individual engaged in warfare, a fight, combat, or generally serving as a soldier. ... The All-National Congress of the Chechen People (NCChP) of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria came to power on November 1, 1991 under president Dzhokhar Dudayev, a former commander of the Soviet air force base in Tartu, Estonia. ... Dzhokhar Dudayev and his son (killed few days after the invasion of Chechnya) Dzhokhar Dudayev and his family Dzhokhar Musayevich Dudayev (Chechen: ; Cyrillic: Дудин Муса кант Жовхар, Russian: Джохар Мусаевич Дудаев) (February 1944 – April 21, 1996) was a Soviet Air Force general and a Chechen leader, the first President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, an unrecognized... The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Russian: Коммунисти́ческая Па́ртия Сове́тского Сою́за = КПСС) was the name used by the successors of the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social-Democratic Labour Party from 1952 to 1991, but the wording Communist Party was present in the partys name since 1918 when the Bolsheviks became the Russian... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In its final decades of its existence, the Soviet Union consisted of 15 Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR), often called simply Soviet republics. ...


In the following month Dudayev won overwhelming popular support to oust the interim central government-supported administration. He was made president and declared independence from the USSR. In November 1991, President Yeltsin dispatched troops to Grozny, but they were forced to withdraw when Dudayev's forces prevented them from leaving the airport. After Chechnya had made its initial declaration of sovereignty, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Republic split in two in June 1992 amidst the Ingush armed conflict with the other Russian republic of North Ossetia. Republic of Ingushetia then joined the Russian Federation, while Chechnya declared full independence in 1993 as the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Sovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme political (e. ... The Republic of North Ossetia-Alania (Russian: Респу́блика Се́верная Осе́тия-Ала́ния; Ossetic: Цæгат Иры&#1089... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Official language Chechen Capital Grozny (Dzhokharabad, after 1996) President Doku Umarov Independence  â€“ Declared  â€“ Recognition From Russia  â€“ November 1, 1991  â€“ Georgian Republic National anthem Death or Freedom The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria IPA: (Нохчийн Республика Нохчийчоь) is the unrecognized secessionist government of Chechnya. ...


Internal conflict in Chechnya

See also: Battle of Grozny (November 1994)

From 1991 to 1994, tens of thousands of people of non-Chechen ethnicity, mostly Russians, left the republic amidst reports of violence against the non-Chechen population. Chechen industry began to fail as a result of many Russian engineers and workers leaving or being expelled from the republic. During the undeclared Chechen civil war, factions both sympathetic and opposed to Dudayev fought for power, sometimes in pitched battles with the use of heavy weapons. Combatants Provisional Council FSK Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Strength 1,200-4,000 men 50 tanks Casualties 500 KIA 200 POW (including 70 Russian mercenaries) 1 Su-25 4 helicopters 32 tanks destroyed 5 tanks captured Categories: | | | | ... in particular, for the archaizing senses of republic, as a translation of politeia or res publica Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A republic is a form of government maintained by a state or country whose sovereignty is based on consent of the governed... A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight against each other for the control of political power. ...


In March 1992, the opposition attempted a coup d'état, but their attempt was crushed by force. A month later, Dudayev introduced direct presidential rule, and in June 1993, dissolved the parliament to avoid a referendum on a vote of non-confidence. Federal forces dispatched to the Ossetian-Ingush conflict were ordered to move to the Chechen border in late October 1992, and Dudayev, who perceiving this as "an act of aggression against the Chechen Republic," declared a state of emergency and threatened general mobilization if the Russian troops did not withdraw from the Chechen border. After staging another coup attempt in December 1993, the opposition organized a Provisional Council as a potential alternative government for Chechnya, calling on Moscow for assistance. // A coup dÉtat (pronounced ), or simply coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, often through illegal means by a part of the state establishment — mostly replacing just the high-level figures. ... A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modelled after that of the United Kingdom. ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... A motion of no confidence, also called a motion of non-confidence, a censure motion, a no-confidence motion, or simply a confidence motion, is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ... Ossetian-Ingush conflict - armed conflict between Ossetian and Ingush people in Prigorodny District, region of North Ossetia-Alania, started in 1992. ... A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, may work to alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or may order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. ... This article describes military mobilization. ... Moscow (Moskva) (Russian: , romanised: Moskva, IPA: see also other names) is the capital of Russia and the countrys economic, financial, educational, and transportation centre. ...

Dudayev's supporters pray in front of the Presidential Palace in Grozny, 1994. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Dudayev's supporters pray in front of the Presidential Palace in Grozny, 1994. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev

In August 1994, when the coalition of the opposition factions, based in the north of Chechnya, launched an armed campaign to remove Dudayev's government, Moscow clandestinely supplied rebel forces with financial support, military equipment, and mercenaries. Russia suspended all civilian flights to Grozny while the air defense aviation and border troops set up a military blockade of the republic. On October 30, 1994, unmarked Russian aircraft began bombing the capital Grozny. The opposition forces, who were joined by Russian troops, launched a clandestine but badly organized assault on Grozny in mid-October 1994. It was followed by a second, larger attack on November 2627, 1994. Dudayev's National Guard forces repulsed the attacks. In a major embarrassment for the Kremlin, they also succeeded in capturing some 20 Russian Army regulars and about 50 other Russian citizens secretly hired by the Russian FSK state security organization.[5] Image File history File links Evstafiev-chechnya-iternal-praying. ... Image File history File links Evstafiev-chechnya-iternal-praying. ... The official residence of the President of India. ... The sky over the city where we were happy by Mikhail Evstafiev, oil on canvas, 2006 Mikhail Aleksandrovich Evstafiev (Russian: Михаил Александрович Евстафьев; born in 1963), is a Russian artist, photographer, writer. ... Rebel may mean: A participant in a rebellion, see Rebellion. ... Mercenary (disambiguation). ... American troops man an anti-aircraft gun near the Algerian coastline in 1943 Anti-aircraft warfare, or air defense, is any method of combating military aircraft from the ground. ... A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies, troops, information or aid from reaching an opposing force. ... is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about explosive devices. ... Combatants Provisional Council FSK Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Strength 1,200-4,000 men 50 tanks Casualties 500 KIA 200 POW (including 70 Russian mercenaries) 1 Su-25 4 helicopters 32 tanks destroyed 5 tanks captured Categories: | | | | ... is the 330th day of the year (331st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Moscow Kremlin in the 19th century. ... In ordinary English, regular is an adjective or noun used to mean in accordance with the usual customs, conventions, or rules, or frequent, periodic, or symmetric. ... This article should belong in one or more categories. ...


On November 29, President Boris Yeltsin issued an ultimatum to all warring factions in Chechnya ordering them to disarm and surrender. When the government in Grozny refused, President Yeltsin ordered an attack to restore "constitutional order." By December 1, Russian forces were carrying out heavy aerial bombardments of Chechnya, targeting both military sites and the capital Grozny. is the 333rd day of the year (334th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Balian of Ibelin surrendering the city of Jerusalem to Saladin, from Les Passages faits Outremer par les Français contre les Turcs et autres Sarrasins et Maures outremarins, ca. ... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The aerial bombing of cities became a common tactic in World War II. World War I The first ever aerial bombardment of civilians was on January 19, 1915, in which two German Zeppelins dropped 24 fifty-kilogram high-explosive bombs and ineffective three-kilogram incendiaries on Great Yarmouth, Sheringham, Kings...


On December 11, 1994, five days after Dudayev and Minister of Defense Pavel Grachev of Russia had agreed to avoid the further use of force, Russian forces entered Chechnya in order to "establish constitutional order in Chechnya and to preserve the territorial integrity of Russia." Grachev boasted he could topple Dudayev in a couple of hours with a single airborne regiment, and proclaimed that it will be "a bloodless blitzkrieg, that would not last any longer than December 20." December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... A defence minister ( Commonwealth English) or defense minister ( American English) is a cabinet portfolio (position) which regulates the armed forces in a sovereign nation. ... Russian Defence Minister Pavel Grachev speaking in the State Duma in 1994. ... The defining characteristic of what is commonly known as Blitzkrieg is that it is a highly mobile form of mechanized warfare. ...


The Russian war in Chechnya

Initial stages

On December 11, 1994 Russian forces launched a three-pronged ground attack towards Grozny. The main attack was halted by deputy commander of Russian ground forces, Colonel-General Eduard Vorobyov, who resigned in protest, stating "it is criminal to use the military against ones' own people". Yeltsin's adviser on nationality affairs, Emil Pain, and Russia's Deputy Minister of Defense, Colonel-General Boris Gromov (esteemed commander of the Soviet-Afghan War), also resigned in protest of the invasion ("It will be a bloodbath, another Afghanistan," he said on television), as did Major-General Borys Poliakov. More than 800 professional soldiers and officers refused to take part in the operation. Of these, 83 were convicted by military courts, and the rest were discharged. December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Colonel General is a senior military rank which is used in some of the world’s militaries. ... General Boris Gromov. ... The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a 10-year war which wreaked incredible havoc and destruction on Afghanistan. ... Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries. ... What constitutes a military tribunal varies according to nation and sometimes even military branch and regional jurisdiction. ...

Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter downed by the Chechens near Grozny, December 1994. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter downed by the Chechens near Grozny, December 1994. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev

The Chechen Air Force was destroyed in the first few hours of the war, while around 500 people took advantage of the mid-December amnesty declared by Boris Yeltsin for members of Dzhokhar Dudayev's armed groups. Nevertheless, Boris Yeltsin cabinet's expectations of a quick surgical strike, quickly followed by Chechen capitulation, were horribly misguided, and Russia soon found itself in a quagmire. The morale of the troops was low from the beginning, for they were poorly prepared and did not understand why they were sent into battle. Some Russian units resisted the order to advance, and in some cases the troops sabotaged their own equipment. In Ingushetia, civilian protesters stopped the western column and set 30 military vehicles on fire, while about 70 conscripts deserted their units. Advance of the western column was halted by the unexcepted Chechen resistance at Dolinskoye. A group of 50 Russian paratroopers surrendered to the local militia, after being deployed by helicopters behind enemy lines and then abandoned. Image File history File links Evstafiev-helicopter-shot-down. ... Image File history File links Evstafiev-helicopter-shot-down. ... The Mil Mi-8 (NATO reporting name Hip) is a large twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. ... Look up Amnesty in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A surgical strike is a military attack upon a target which results in, was intended to result in, or is claimed only to have resulted in damage to the intended legitimate military target, and does not result in any collateral damage to surronding structures, vehicles, buildings, etc. ... Capitulation (Lat. ... Look up Quagmire in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... “Saboteur” redirects here. ... For other uses of Desertion, see Abandonment. ... Combatants VDV, Air Force National Guard Casualties At least 21 dead N/A The Battle of Dolinskoye (Dolinsky), which took place 25 kilometers northwest of the Chechen capital of Grozny, was the first major ground engagement of the First Chechen War. ... Reniyskyi Raion is located in the Odessa Oblast. ... VDV flag. ... Lebanese Kataeb militia A Militia is an organization of citizens to provide defense, emergency or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ...


Yeltsin ordered the former Soviet army, known for its callous regard toward human life, to show restraint, but it was neither prepared nor trained for this. In effect civilians losses quickly mounted, alienating the Chechen population and rising hostility to the federal forces even among these who intiatially supported the attempts to unseat Dudayev. Other problems occurred as Yeltsin sent in freshly trained conscripts from neighboring regions rather than regular soldiers. Highly mobile units of Chechen fighters caused severe losses to Russia's ill-prepared, demoralized troops. The federal military command then resorted to the carpet bombing tactics and indiscriminate rocket artillery barrages, causing enormous casualties among the Chechen and Russian civilian population. With the Russians closing in on the capital, Chechens started to prepare bunkers and set up fighting positions in Grozny. On December 29, in a rare instance of a Russian outright victory, the Russian airborne forces seized the military airfield next to Grozny and repelled a Chechen armored counterattack in the battle of Khankala. The next objective was the city itself. This article is about the armed forces of the Soviet Union. ... The phrase carpet bombing refers to the use of large numbers of unguided gravity bombs, often with a high proportion of incendiary bombs, to attempt the complete destruction of a target region, either to destroy personnel and materiel, or as a means to demoralize the enemy (see terror bombing). ... M270 MLRS. Rocket artillery is artillery equipped with rocket launchers instead of conventional guns or mortars. ... Bunkers in Albania A bunker is a defensive military fortification. ... U.S. Marine in a foxhole, July 1958 There are many types of defensive fighting positions (DFPs), more commonly known in U.S. military slang as foxholes. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants VDV Russian Air Force National Guard Casualties N/A 6 tanks, 1 APC Battle of Khankala was a failed attempt by the Chechen to counterattack at Khankala from Grozny and Argun using tanks. ...


Battle for Grozny

Main article: Battle of Grozny (1994-1995)
A Chechen fighter near the burned-out ruins of the Presidential Palace in Grozny, January 1995. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev

When Russians attacked the Chechen capital of Grozny from December 1994 to January 1995, thousands of civilians died from a week-long series of air raids and artillery bombardment of the sealed-off city in the heaviest bombing campaign in Europe since the destruction of Dresden.[3] After armored assaults failed, the Russian military set out to pulverize the city into submission. Russian aircraft bombarded Grozny while armored forces and artillery hammered the city from the ground. The Russian assault fell mainly on Grozny's civilians, mostly ethnic Russians, as separatist forces operated from buildings filled with Russian civilians as human shields. Combatants Russian Federation Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Commanders Pavel Grachev Ivan Babichev Vadim Orlov Lev Rokhlin Vladimir Shamanov Viktor Vorobyov â€  Aslan Maskhadov Turpal-Ali Atgeriev Shamil Basayev Ruslan Gelayev Strength 60,000 in all (est. ... Image File history File links Evstafiev-chechnya-palace-gunman. ... Image File history File links Evstafiev-chechnya-palace-gunman. ... A Chechen fighter near the burned-out presidential palace during the fighting in Grozny, January 1995. ... Strategic bombing is a military strategem used in a total war style campaign that attempts to destroy the economic ability of a nation-state to wage war. ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... The bombing of Dresden, led by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and followed by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) between February 13 and February 15, 1945, remains one of the more controversial Allied actions of World War II. The exact number of casualties is uncertain, but most historians... Human shield is a military term describing the use of civilians to deter an enemy from attacking certain targets—in particular military targets. ...


The initial attack ended with a major rout of the attacking forces and led to heavy Russian casualties and nearly a complete breakdown of morale. An estimated 1,000 to 2,000 federal soldiers died in the disastrous New Year's Eve assault. All units of the Maikop Brigade sent into the city, numbering more than 1,000 men, were destroyed during the 60-hour fight in the area of the Grozny's central railway station, leaving only about 230 survivors (1/3 of them captured). Several other Russian armored columns each lost hundreds of men during the first two days and nights of the siege.[4] New Years Eve is December 31, the final day of the Gregorian year, and the day before New Years Day. ... Maykop (Майко́п), capital of the Republic of Adygea, Russia. ...


Despite the early Chechen defeat of the New Year assault and many further casualties, Grozny was eventually conquered by Russian forces amidst bitter urban warfare. On January 7, 1995, Russia's Major-General Viktor Vorobyov was killed by mortar fire, becoming the first on a long list of generals to be killed in Chechnya. On January 19, despite heavy casualties, Russian forces seized the ruins of the presidential palace, which had been heavily contested for more than three weeks as Chechens finally abandoned their positions in the destroyed downtown area. The battle for the southern part of the city continued until the official end on March 6, 1995. MOUT/FIBUA simulated in US Army exercise Urban warfare is warfare conducted in populated urban areas such as towns and cities. ... is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... US soldier loading a M224 60-mm mortar. ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The official residence of the President of India. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ...


By Sergey Kovalev's estimates, about 27,000 civilians died in the first five weeks of fighting. Dmitri Volkogonov, the late Russian historian and general, said the Russian military's bombardment of Grozny killed around 35,000 civilians, including 5,000 children, and that the vast majority of those killed were ethnic Russians. While military casualties are not known, the Russian side admitted to having lost nearly 2,000 killed or missing.[5] International monitors from the OSCE described the scenes as nothing short of an "unimaginable catastrophe," while former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev called the war a "disgraceful, bloody adventure," and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl described the events as "sheer madness."[6] Sergei Kovalev Sergei Adamovich Kovalev (Russian: ) (born March 2, 1930) is a notable dissident and political prisoner in the former Soviet Union, and a human rights activist and politician in post-Soviet Russia. ... Dmitri Antonovich Volkogonov (Дмитрий Антонович Волкогонов in Russian) (22 March 1928, Chita - 6 December 1995, Moscow) was a Russian historian, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of History, Colonel General (1986). ... The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is an international organization for security. ... Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (Russian: ), surname more accurately romanized as Gorbachyov; (born 2 March 1931) is a Russian politician. ... Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (born April 3, 1930) is a German conservative politician and statesman. ...


Continued Russian offensive

Hostages released from the hospital at Budyonnovsk (Russia), June 1995. Buddyonovsk crisis was considered the major turning point in the war
Hostages released from the hospital at Budyonnovsk (Russia), June 1995. Buddyonovsk crisis was considered the major turning point in the war

In the southern mountains, the Russians launched an offensive along the entire front on April 15, 1994, advancing in columns comprised of 200–300 vehicles.[6] The Chechens defended the city of Argun, moving their military headquarters first to completely surrounded Shali, then shortly after to Serzhen-Yurt as they were forced into the mountains, and finally to Shamil Basayev's stronghold of Vedeno. The second-largest city of Gudermes was surrendered without a fight, but the village of Shatoy was defended by the men of Ruslan Gelayev. Eventually, the Chechen Command withdrew from the area of Vedeno to the Chechen opposition-aligned village of Dargo, and from there to Benoy.[7] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... is the 105th day of the year (106th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... Argun may refer to Argun, Chechnya, a city in Chechnya Argun River, Caucasus Argun River, Asia an alternative spelling of Arghun, an Ilkhan (Mongol ruler of a Persia-baded empire). ... Shali (Russian: ) is a town in the Chechen Republic, Russia. ... Shamil Basayev in Dagestan, 1999 Shamil Salmanovich Basayev (Russian: Шамиль Салманович Басаев) (January 14, 1965 – July 10, 2006) was a Vice-President of the internationally unrecognized separatist government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Islamist guerrilla leader, self-admitted terrorist and a national hero for many Chechens. ... Vedeno (Russian: ) is a village in the Chechen Republic, Russia. ... Gudermes (Russian: ) is a town in the Chechen Republic, Russia, located on the Sunzha River 36 km east of Grozny. ... Shatoy (Russian: ) is a village in the Chechen Republic, Russia. ... Ruslan Gelaev (b. ... Dargo is a town in Victoria, Australia, located 348 kilometres east of Melbourne, in the Wellington Shire. ...


Between January and May 1995, when the Russian forces conquered most of the republic in the conventional campaign, their losses in Chechnya were approximately 2,800 killed, 10,000 wounded, and over 500 missing or captured, according to an estimate cited in a U.S. Army report.[8] The dominant Russian strategy was to use heavy artillery and air strikes throughout the campaign, leading some Western and Chechen sources to call the air strikes deliberate terror bombing on the part of Russia.[9] Ironically, due to the fact that ethnic Chechens in Grozny were able to seek refuge among their respective Teips in the surrounding villages of the countryside, the highest proportion of initial civilian casualties were inflicted against ethnic Russians who were unable to procure viable escape routes. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Terror bombing is a strategy of deliberately bombing civilian targets and strafing civilians in order to break the morale of the enemy and make its civilian population panic. ... Teip (pronounced TAPE) is the name of a film and commercial production company located in Stavanger, Norway. ...


It was wiedly alleged that Russian troops, especially those belonging to the MVD, committed numerous, and in part systematic acts of torture and summary executions on rebel sympathizers; they were often linked to zachistka (cleansing) raids, affecting entire town districts and villages that harbored boyeviki, the rebel fighters. In the lowland border village of Samashki, from April 7 to April 8, 1995, Russian forces killed at least 103 civilians, while several hundred more were beaten or otherwise tortured.[10] Humanitarian and aid groups chronicled persistent patterns of Russian soldiers killing civilians, raping, and looting civilians at random, often in disregard of their nationality. Chechen criminals also robbed and killed ethnic Russians and looted abandoned houses. The acronym MVD can stand for: Mitral valve disease, or Mitral regurgitation. ... Torture is defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he... Samashki is a large village on the western plains of the Chechen Republic, Russia. ... April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ... April 8 is the 98th day of the year (99th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... Samashki massacre was the April 7-8, 1995, incident in the border village of Samashki, Chechnya, which resulted in the death of numerous villagers killed by the Russian paramilitary troops under the command of Gen. ... Looting (which derives via the Hindi lut from Sanskrit lung, to rob), sacking, plundering, or pillaging is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe or riot, such as during war,[1] natural disaster,[2] or rioting. ...


As the war went on, separatists resorted to large hostage takings, attempting to influence the Russian public and Russian leadership. More than 1,500 hostages were seized and about 120 civilians died in the June 1995 Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis in southern Russia. The Budyonnovsk raid enforced a temporary stop in Russian military operations, allowing the Chechens the time to regroup in the time of their greatest crisis and prepare for the national guerrilla campaign. A hostage is a person (sometimes another entity) which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act or refrain from acting in a particular way. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... Guerilla may refer to Guerrilla warfare. ...


Quagmire

Chechen irregular fighter with a Borz. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Chechen irregular fighter with a Borz. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev

The full-scale Russian attack led many of Dudayev's opponents to side with his forces, and thousands of volunteers to swell the ranks of mobile guerilla units. Many others formed local self-defence militia units to defend their settlements in the case of the federal offensive action, numbering officially 5,000–6,000 badly-equipped men in late 1995. Altogether, Chechens fielded some 10,000–12,000 full-time and reserve fighters at a time, according to the Chechen command. According to the UN report, the Chechen separatist forces included a large number of child soldiers, some as young as 11 (including females).[11] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (700x1048, 195 KB) Photo by Евстафьев Михаил / Evstafiev Mikhail Source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (700x1048, 195 KB) Photo by Евстафьев Михаил / Evstafiev Mikhail Source: http://www. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Lebanese Kataeb militia A Militia is an organization of citizens to provide defense, emergency or paramilitary service, or those engaged in such activity. ... A Chinese soldier, age 10, member of a Chinese division boarding planes in Myitkyina (Burma) bound for China, May 1944. ...

A teenage fighter in Chechnya. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
A teenage fighter in Chechnya. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev

In addition to the continued conventional fighting, the separatists resorted to guerrilla tactics, such as setting booby traps and mining roads in the enemy territory. They also effectively exploited a combination of mines and ambushes. The successful use of improvised explosive devices was particularly noteworthy. In effect, by the summer of 1995, Russian military sources said the Chechen mine attacks on the transportation routes were "acquiring a massive character." Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x655, 111 KB) Photo by Евстафьев Михаил / Evstafiev Mikhail Source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x655, 111 KB) Photo by Евстафьев Михаил / Evstafiev Mikhail Source: http://www. ... Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ... This article is about an antipersonnel trap designed for use against humans. ... “Minefield” redirects here. ... An ambush is a long established military tactic in which an ambushing force uses concealment to attack an enemy that passes its position. ... Munitions rigged for an IED discovered by Iraqi police in Baghdad, November 2005. ...


Human rights organizations accused Russian forces of engaging in indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force whenever encountering resistance, resulting in numerous civilian deaths. For example, during the December 1995 rebel raid on Gudermes, Russian forces pounded parts of the town with heavy artillery and rockets, killing at least 267 civilians.[12] They also prevented civilians from evacuating from areas of imminent danger, and prevented humanitarian organizations from assisting civilians in need. Separatist fighters, in turn, kidnapped or killed Chechens considered to be collaborators and mistreated civilian captives and federal prisoners of war, especially pilots. Both rebel and federal sides of the conflict kidnapped hostages for ransom and used human shields for cover during the fighting and movement of troops (in one incident, a group of surrounded Russian troops took approximately 500 civilian hostages at the Grozny's 9th Municipal Hospital[13]). Russian forces committed violations of international humanitarian law and human rights on a much larger scale than Chechen separatists.[14] The violations by the members of the Russian forces were usually tolerated and not punished even when investigated, with the example story of Vladimir Glebov. An aid agency is an organisation dedicated to distributing aid. ... Human shield is a military term describing the use of civilians to deter an enemy from attacking certain targets—in particular military targets. ... International humanitarian law (IHL), also known as the law of war, the laws and customs of war or the law of armed conflict, is the legal corpus comprised of the Geneva Conventions and the Hague Conventions, as well as subsequent treaties, case law, and customary international law. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Glebov is a Russian military officer who participated in the conflict in the Chechnya region. ...

A soldier in the war in Chechnya. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
A soldier in the war in Chechnya. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev

Television and newspaper accounts widely reported largely uncensored images of the carnage to the Russian public. As a result, the Russian media coverage partially precipitated a loss of public confidence in the government and a steep decline in president Yeltsin's popularity. Chechnya was one of the heaviest burdens on Yeltsin's 1996 presidential election campaign. In addition, the protracted war in Chechnya, especially many reports of extreme violence against civilians, ignited fear and contempt of Russia among other ethnic groups in the federation. Image File history File links Evstafiev-checnnya-soldier-fire. ... Image File history File links Evstafiev-checnnya-soldier-fire. ... With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, the Russian Federation became an independent country. ...


In the fall of 1995, the Russian commander in Chechnya, Lieutenant General Anatoliy Romanov, was critically injured and paralized in a bomb blast in Grozny. Suspicion of responsibility for the attack fell on rogue elements of the Russian military, as the attack destroyed hopes for a permanent ceasefire based on the developing trust between Romanov and General Aslan Maskhadov, Chief of Staff of the Chechen forces and former Soviet Colonel.[15] In August, the two personally went to southern Chechnya in an effort to convince the local commanders to release Russian prisoners, while the Russian command spread word through the media that some Chechen field commanders had announced that they would no longer obey Maskhadov.[16] In February 1996 the Russian forces in Grozny opened fire on the massive pro-independence peace march involving tens of thousands of people, killing a number of demonstrators.[17] Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A ceasefire is a temporary stoppage of a war or any armed conflict, where each side of the conflict agrees with the other to suspend aggressive actions. ... Aslan Maskhadov Aslan Aliyevich Maskhadov (Russian: Аслан Алиевич Масхадов) (September 21, 1951 – March 8, 2005) was a leader of the separatist movement in the southern Russian republic of Chechnya. ... The term Chief of Staff can refer to: The White House Chief of Staff, the highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States. ...


Spread of the war

Chechen separatist fighter praying. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev

Chief Mufti Akhmad Kadyrov's declaration that Chechnya was waging a Jihad (Muslim holy war) against Russia raised the spectre that Jihadis from other regions and even outside Russia would enter the war. By one estimate, in all up to 5,000 non-Chechens served as foreign volunteers; they were mostly Caucasian and included possibly 1,500 Dagestanis, 1,000 Georgians and Abkhazians, 500 Ingushes and 200 Azeris, as well as 300 Turks, 400 Slavs from Baltic states and Ukraine, and more than 100 Arabs and Iranians. Many of them were motivated by the anti-Russian Nationalism, rather then Islamism. The volunteers included a number of ethnic Russians, which included citizens of Moscow. On March 6, 1996, a Cypriot passenger jet flying toward Germany was hijacked by Chechen sympathisers to publicize the Chechen cause; as was a Turkish passenger ship carrying 200 Russian passengers on January 9, 1996 (these incidents, perpetrated by the Turkish gunmen, were resolved without fatalities). Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (700x1040, 190 KB) Photo by Евстафьев Михаил / Evstafiev Mikhail Source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (700x1040, 190 KB) Photo by Евстафьев Михаил / Evstafiev Mikhail Source: http://www. ... Akhmat Abdulkhamidovich Kadyrov (Russian: Ахмат Абдулхамидович Кадыров (August 23, 1951 – May 9, 2004) was the president of the Chechen Republic (elected on October 5, 2003). ... Flag, featuring the Shahada, used by Muslims Army during early Islam Jihad (Arabic: IPA: ) as an Islamic term, is sometimes referred to as the sixth pillar of Islam, although it occupies no official status as such in Sunni Islam. ... Jihadi is a political neologism referring to an individual who participates in advancing Jihad politically or militarily, most often referring to the people directly engaged in Islamic terrorism or supporting it. ... This page discusses foreign volunteers who are serving in forces of a country other than their own, but who are not primarily motivated by personal profit. ... Abkhazians - small ethnic group, which is distinct from Georgian. ... The Republic of Ingushetia (Russian: Респу́блика Ингуше́тия; Ingush: Гiалгiай Мохк) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ... Azerbaijanis or Azerbaijani Turks, are a Muslim people who number more than 25 million worldwide. ... The Slavic peoples are the most numerous ethnic and linguistic body of peoples in Europe. ... The three Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. ... Languages Arabic other minority languages Religions Predominantly Sunni Islam, as well as Shia Islam, Greek Orthodoxy, Greek Catholicism, Roman Catholicism, Alawite Islam, Druzism, Ibadi Islam, and Judaism Footnotes a Mainly in Antakya. ... Islamist is sometimes also used for a scholar who studies Islam and Muslim societies. ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... A jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (usually of the turbofan type). ... Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Stub | Crimes | Terrorism | IT ... A passenger ship is a ship whose primary function is to carry passengers. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...


Meanwhile, the war in Chechnya spawned a new form of separatist activity in the Russian Federation. Resistance to the conscription of men from minority ethnic groups to fight in Chechnya was widespread among other republics, many of which passed laws and decrees on the subject. For example, the government of Chuvashia passed a decree providing legal protection to soldiers from the republic who refused to participate in the Chechnya war and imposed limits on the use of the Russian army in ethnic or regional conflicts within Russia. Some regional and local legislative bodies called for a prohibition on the use of draftees in quelling internal uprisings; others demanded a total ban on the use of the armed forces in quelling domestic conflicts. Capital Cheboksary Area - total - % water 81st - 18,300 km² - N/A Population - Total - Density 41st - est. ... Decree is an order that has the force of law. ... An ethnic war is a war between ethnic groups often as a result of ethnic nationalism. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative body with the power to adopt laws. ...


Limited fighting occurred in the neighbouring Russian republic of Ingushetia in 1995, mostly when Russian commanders sent troops over the border in pursuit of Chechen fighters. Although all sides generally observed the distinction between the two peoples that formerly shared the autonomous republic, as many as 200,000 refugees from Chechnya and neighboring North Ossetia strained Ingushetia's already weak economy. On several occasions, Ingush president Ruslan Aushev protested incursions by Russian soldiers, and even threatened to sue the Russian Ministry of Defence for damages inflicted. President Aushev said that his people could not forget how the same Russian armored columns "and the same Defense Minister" (Grachev) assisted in the destruction of Ingush settlements and the expulsion of Ingush population during the 1992 ethnic conflict.[18] Undisciplined Russian soldiers were also reported as murdering, raping, and looting in Ingushetia. In a widely reported incident partially witnessed by visiting Russian Duma deputies, at least nine Ingush civilians and an ethnic Bashkir soldier were murdered by apparently drunk Russian soldiers. In earlier incidents, drunken Russian soldiers killed another Russian soldier, the Ingush Health Minister and five Ingush villagers.[19] Ruslan Aushev is the former Ingushetia president (March 1993 to December 2001). ... The Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation exercises operational leadership of the armed forces of Russia. ... Expulsion is one of words used to describe expulsions after World War II, indicating condemnation of the events. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with State Duma. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... The Bashkirs, a Turkic people, live in Russia, mostly in the republic of Bashkortostan. ... The Health Minister is a cabinet position in a government. ...


The Russian government officials feared that a move to end the war short of victory would create a cascade of secession attempts by other ethnic minorities, and present a new target for extreme nationalist Russian factions. The Don Cossacks, who were originally sympathetic to the Chechen cause, turned hostile in result of the Chechen terror attacks, and the Kuban Cossacks started organising themselves against the Chechens, including manning paramilitary roadblocks against infiltration of their territories by militants. In January 1996, Russian forces, in reaction to the large-scale Chechen hostage taking in Kizlyar, destroyed Pervomayskoye, a border village in the Russian republic of Dagestan. This action brought strong criticism from the hitherto loyal Dagestan and escalated domestic dissatisfaction. Don Cossacks refers to cossacks that settled along the Don River, Russia it its lower and middle parts. ... Russian Kuban Cossacks (Кубанские козаки, Kubanskie Kozaki) were cossacks that settled in the region around the Kuban River protected the southern borders of the Russian Empire. ... See: espionage, urban exploration, entryism, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. ... The word militant can refer to any individual engaged in warfare, a fight, combat, or generally serving as a soldier. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... Pervomaysky (masculine), Pervomayskaya (feminine), or Pervomayskoye may refer to: Pervomaysky District, name of several districts and city districts in Russia Pervomaiskyi, a town in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine Pervomaysky, Chelyabinsk Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia Pervomaysky, Chita Oblast, an urban-type settlement in Chita Oblast, Russia Pervomaysky... The Republic of Dagestan IPA: (Russian: ; Avar: , ), older spelling Daghestan, is a federal subject of the Russian Federation (a republic). ...


Endgame

A group of the Chechen boyeviki (fighters). Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
A group of the Chechen boyeviki (fighters). Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev

The poorly trained, ill-supplied, and badly led conscripts of the Russian army proved incapable of suppressing determined Chechen opposition, both in the Chechen capital and in the countryside. It took Russian forces over 15 months to capture Bamut, a small village southwest of the capital Grozny, which fell on May 22, 1996. On March 6, 1996, between 1,500 and 2,000 Chechen fighters infiltrated Grozny and launched a three-day surprise raid on the city, overrunning much of the city and capturing caches of weapons and ammunition. Also in March the Chechens attacked Samashki, where hundreds of villagers were killed by the indiscriminate Russian fire. A month later, in April, forces of Arab commander Ibn al-Khattab destroyed a large Russian armoured column in an ambush near Shatoy. Image File history File links Evstafiev-chechnya-handshake. ... Image File history File links Evstafiev-chechnya-handshake. ... is the 142nd day of the year (143rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 65th day of the year (66th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Ibn al-Khattab (ابن الخطاب), more commonly known as Amir Khattab (also transliterated as Emir Khattab and Ameer Khattab), and also known as Habib Abdul Rahman, was a warlord, terrorist organizer, and financier working with Chechen rebels in the First Chechen War and the Second Chechen War. ... Combatants Russian Army Chechen militia Foreign fighters Commanders N/A Ibn al-Khattab Strength Several hundred At least 50 Casualties Official losses: 53 killed, 52 wounded Other estimates: 100-223 killed Official losses: 5 killed The Shatoy ambush was a battle during the First Chechen War during which forces of...


As military defeats and growing casualties made the war more and more unpopular in Russia, and as the 1996 presidential elections neared, Yeltsin's government sought a way out of the conflict. Although a Russian guided missile attack killed the Chechen President Dudayev on April 21, 1996, the rebels persisted. Yeltsin officially declared "victory" in Grozny on May 28, 1996, after a new temporary ceasefire was signed with the Chechen Acting President Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev.[20] While the political leaders were talking about the ceasefires and peace negotiations, military forces continued to conduct combat operations. On August 6, 1996, three days before Yeltsin was to be inaugurated for his second term as president, and when most of the Russian Army troops were moved south due to what was planned as their final offensive against remaining mountainous rebel strongholds, the Chechens launched another surprise attack on Grozny. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Missile. ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... An Acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of an organizations president, either when the real president is unavailable (for example ill or on vacation) or when the post is vacant (for example because of death, injury, resignation, or dismissal). ... Zelimkhan Abdumuslimovich Yandarbiyev (Chechen: Яндарбин Абдулмуслиман кант Зелимха, Russian: Зелимхан Абдумуслимович Яндарбиев) (September 12, 1952 – February 13, 2004) was an acting president of the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (1996-1997). ... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...


Grozny again

Two Chechen fighters take cover behind a burned Russian BMP-1 vehicle on a street of Grozny. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Two Chechen fighters take cover behind a burned Russian BMP-1 vehicle on a street of Grozny. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev

In spite of the fact that the Russians had about 12,000 troops in and around Grozny, more than 1,500 Chechen fighters, led by Shamil Basayev, had overrun the key districts within hours. The attackers then laid siege to the Russian posts and bases and the government compound in the centre, while a number of Chechens deemed to be Russian collaborators were rounded up, detained, and in some cases executed.[21] At the same time Russian troops in the other cities of Argun and Gudermes were too surrounded in their garrisons. Combatants Russian Federation Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Commanders Konstantin Pulikovsky Doku Zavgayev Aslan Maskhadov Shamil Basayev Strength August 6: 15,000-20,000 August 6: 1,500-2,000 Casualties Official losses: 494 killed 182 missing 1,407 wounded More than 40 to 500 killed In the August 1996 battle... Image File history File links Evstafiev-Chechnya-BURNED.jpg‎ Photo by Евстафьев Михаил / Evstafiev Mikhail Source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Evstafiev-Chechnya-BURNED.jpg‎ Photo by Евстафьев Михаил / Evstafiev Mikhail Source: http://www. ... The BMP-1 is a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle which was first introduced in the early 1960s. ... Shamil Basayev in Dagestan, 1999 Shamil Salmanovich Basayev (Russian: Шамиль Салманович Басаев) (January 14, 1965 – July 10, 2006) was a Vice-President of the internationally unrecognized separatist government of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Islamist guerrilla leader, self-admitted terrorist and a national hero for many Chechens. ... A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition, often accompanied by an assault. ...


Several attempts by the Army armored columns to rescue the mainly MVD units, which were trapped by the Chechens, were repelled with heavy Russian casualties; the 276th Motorized Regiment of 900 men lost 450 dead or wounded in a two-day attempt to reach the city centre. Russian military officials said that more than 200 soldiers had been killed and nearly 800 wounded in five days of fighting, and that an unknown number were missing; Chechens put the number of Russian dead at close to 1,000. Thousands of demoralized, hungry, and thirsty troops were either taken prisoner or surrounded and largely disarmed, their heavy weapons and ammunition commandeered by the rebels. The acronym MVD can stand for: Mitral valve disease, or Mitral regurgitation. ...


On August 19, despite the presence of 50,000 to 200,000 both Chechen and Russian civilians, as well as thousands of federal servicemen in Grozny, the Russian commander Konstantin Pulikovsky gave an ultimatum for Chechen fighters to leave the city in 48 hours, or it would be leveled in a massive aerial and ground bombardment. This was followed by a chaotic of scenes of panic as civilians tried to flee before the army carried out its threat, with parts of the city ablaze and falling shells scattering refugee columns.[22] The bombardment was halted by a ceasefire brokered by Yeltsin's national security adviser Alexander Lebed on August 22. The ultimatum, issued by Gen. Pulikovsky, now replaced, had been a "bad joke", Gen. Lebed said.[23] However, Maskhadov later said the ultimatum was probably Lebed's initiative.[24] is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Panic is the primal urge to run and hide in the face of imminent danger. ... Aleksandr Ivanovich Lebed (Алексáндр Ивáнович Лéбедь) ( April 20, 1950– April 28, 2002) was a Russian general and politician. ... is the 234th day of the year (235th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...


The Khasav-Yurt Accord

During eight hours of subsequent talks, Lebed and Maskhadov drafted and signed the Khasav-Yurt Accord on August 31, 1996. It included: technical aspects of demilitarization, the withdrawal of both sides' forces from Grozny, the creation of joint headquarters to preclude looting in the city, the withdrawal of all federal forces from Chechnya by December 31, 1996, and a stipulation that any agreement on the relations between the Chechen Republic Ichkeria and the Russian federal government need not be signed until late 2001. A ceasefire agreement that marked the end of the First Chechen War was signed in Khasav-Yurt on August 30, 1996 between Alexander Lebed and Aslan Maskhadov. ... is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... In military terms, a demilitarized zone (DMZ) is an area, usually the frontier or boundary between two or more groups, where military activity is not permitted, usually by treaty or other agreement. ... is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...


Aftermath

The Moscow peace treaty

Street of Grozny after war

The Khasav-Yurt Accord paved the way for the signing of two further agreements between Russia and Chechnya. In mid-November 1996, Yeltsin and Maskhadov signed an agreement on economic relations and reparations to Chechens who had been "affected" by the 1994–96 war. Ostensibly fair use from http://www. ... Ostensibly fair use from http://www. ... Reparations refers to two distinct ideas: Reparations for slavery of groups or individuals War reparations: Payments from one country to another as compensation for starting a war under a peace treaty, such as those made by Germany to France under the Treaty of Versailles. ...


Six months later, on May 12, 1997, Chechen-elected president Aslan Maskhadov traveled to Moscow where he and Yeltsin signed a formal treaty "on peace and the principles of Russian-Chechen relations" that Maskhadov predicted would demolish "any basis to create ill-feelings between Moscow and Grozny."[25] Maskhadov's optimism, however, proved misplaced. Over the next two years many of Maskhadov's former comrades-in-arms, led by field commander Shamil Basayev, launched an incursion into Dagestan in the summer of 1999. is the 132nd day of the year (133rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar). ... Combatants Russian Federation Daghestani militia Chechen rebels Shura of Dagestan Commanders Viktor Kazantsev Shamil Basayev Ibn al-Khattab Strength 17,000 unknown Casualties At least 279 dead and 987 wounded 2,500 dead The Dagestan War (in Russia called by the name Chechen invasion of Dagestan) began when Chechnya-based...


Casualties

According to the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, 3,826 troops were killed, 17,892 were wounded, and 1,906 are missing in action.[7] According to NVO, the authoritative Russian independent military weekly, at least 5,362 Russian soldiers died during the war, up to 52,000 were wounded and some 3,000 more remained missing by 2005.[8] The estimate of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia, however, put the number of the Russian military dead at 14,000.[26] A General Staff is a group of professional military officers who act in a staff or administrative role under the command of a general officer. ... MIA is a three-letter acronym that is most commonly used to designate a combatant who is Missing In Action, and has not yet returned or otherwise been accounted for as either dead (KIA) or a prisoner of war (POW). ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Union of the Committees of Soldiers Mothers of Russia workes to expose human rights violations within the Russian military. ...

Dead bodies on a truck in Grozny. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev
Dead bodies on a truck in Grozny. Photo by Mikhail Evstafiev

Chechen casualties are estimated at up to 100,000 dead or more, of which most were civilians.[27] Various estimates put the number of Chechens dead or missing between 50,000 and 100,000.[28] Russian Interior Minister Kulikov claimed that fewer than 20,000 civilians were killed. State Duma deputy Sergey Kovalyov's team could offer their conservative, documented estimate of more than 50,000 civilian deaths. Aleksander Lebed asserted that 80,000 to 100,000 had been killed and 240,000 had been injured. The number given by the Ichkerian authorities was about 100,000 killed.[29] Image File history File links Evstafiev-chechnya-killed-in-truck. ... Image File history File links Evstafiev-chechnya-killed-in-truck. ... Sergei Kovalev Sergei Adamovich Kovalev (Russian: ) (born March 2, 1930) was a notable dissident and political prisoner in the former Soviet Union, and is a human rights activist and politician in the post-Soviet Russian Federation. ...


According to Gazeta, approximately 35,000 ethnic Russian civilians were killed by Russian forces operating in Chechnya, most of them during the bombardment of Grozny.[9] A June 16, 2005 article notes that in the past 10 years more than 300,000 ethnic Russians, mainly from Chechnya, left the North Caucasus.[10] Gazeta is a Russian language daily newspaper covering politics and business. ...


Chechen separatists estimated their combat deaths at about 3,000 (including 800 in the first three months and mostly by mortar fire [30]), although this number is almost certainly too low. It is impossible to know how many Chechen rebels were killed, since many fought independently and were not under the control of Dudayev (as such, their deaths were not counted among official Chechen losses). The Russian estimate is much higher; Russia's Federal Forces Command estimated that 15,000 Chechen fighters had been killed by the end of the war.[11]


Prisoners

In the Khasavyurt agreements, both sides specifically agreed to an "all for all" exchange of prisoners to be carried out at the end of the war. Despite this commitment, many persons remained forcibly detained.


As of mid-January 1997, the Chechens still held between 700 and 1,000 Russian soldiers and officers as prisoners of war, according to Human Rights Watch.[31] According to Amnesty International same month, 1,058 Russian soldiers and officers were still detained by Chechen fighters who were willing to release them in exchange for members of Chechen armed groups.[32] Human Rights Watch Banner Human Rights Watch is a United States-based international non-government organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. ... Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a pressure group that promotes human rights. ...


A partial analysis of 264 of the list of 1,432 reported missing Chechens found that, as of October 30, 1996, at least 139 were still being forcibly detained by the Russian side. It was entirely unclear, however, how many of these men were in fact alive.[33] In February 1997 Russia approved an amnesty for Russian soldiers and Chechen rebels who committed illegal acts in connection with the war in Chechnya between December 9, 1994, and September 1, 1996.[34] is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... Look up Amnesty in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... is the 343rd day of the year (344th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar). ... September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...


Notes

  1. ^ 120 in Budyonnovsk, and 41 in Pervomayskoe hostage crisis
  2. ^ New Left Review - Tony Wood: The Case for Chechnya
  3. ^ Williams, Bryan Glyn (2001).The Russo-Chechen War: A Threat to Stability in the Middle East and Eurasia?. Middle East Policy 8.1.
  4. ^ Gall, Carlotta; Thomas de Waal (1998). Chechnya: Calamity in the Caucasus. New York University Press. ISBN 0-8147-2963-0. 
  5. ^ Faurby, Ib; Märta-Lisa Magnusson (1999). "The Battle(s) of Grozny". Baltic Defence Review (2): 75-87. 
  6. ^ The First Bloody Battle. The Chechen Conflict. BBC News (2000-03-16).
  7. ^ The War in Chechnya. MN-Files. Mosnews.com (2007-02-07).
  8. ^ Saradzhyan, Simon. "Army Learned Few Lessons From Chechnya", Moscow Times, 2005-03-09. 
  9. ^ Chechnya Weekly from the Jamestown Foundation
  10. ^ Ethnic Russians in the North of Caucasus - Eurasia Daily Monitor
  11. ^ Knezys, Stasys, and Romaras Sedlickas. The War in Chechnya. 1st ed. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1999. 303-304

This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ... now. ... Middle East Policy is the leading academic peer-reviewed journal on the Middle East region in the field of foreign policy founded in 1982, published quarterly by Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the Middle East Policy Council and available online with subscription via Blackwell Synergy. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year (76th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 68th day of the year (69th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
First Chechen War

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Construction of the Georgian Military Road through disputed territories was a key factor in the eventual Russian success A Scene from the Caucasian War, by Franz Roubaud Russian Invasion of the Caucasus, better known in Russia as the Caucasian War of 1817-1864, was a series of military actions of... The Chechen Republic (IPA: ; Russian: , Chechenskaya Respublika; Chechen: , Noxçiyn Respublika), or, informally, Chechnya (; Russian: ; Chechen: , Noxçiyçö), sometimes referred to as Ichkeria, Chechnia, Chechenia or Noxçiyn, is a federal subject of Russia. ... // Geography The Chechen people are mainly inhabitants of Chechnya, which is internationally recognized as part of Russia. ... Ancient Christian caves of Vardzia Chechen society has traditionally been organized around many autonomous local clans, called teips. ... With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991, the Russian Federation became an independent country. ... According to the United States Department of State, there are an estimated 14 to 20 million Muslims in Russia, constituting approximately 14 percent of the population and forming the largest religious minority. ... Combatants Russian Federation Pro-Russian Chechens Republic of Ichkeria Caucasian insurgents and foreign fighters Commanders Vladimir Putin Akhmad Kadyrov† Ramzan Kadyrov Aslan Maskhadov† Abdul Halim Sadulayev† Doku Umarov Shamil Basayev† Strength At least 93,000 in Chechnya in 1999. ...

External links

  • Why the Russian Military Failed in Chechnya U.S. Foreign Studies
  • Chechnya Reference Library A collection of analyses and interviews of the Chechen commanders conducted by United States Marine Corps
  • Why It All Went So Very Wrong TIME magazine
  • Chechen War 1994-96 The World Regional Conflicts Project
  • Chechnya Crimes of War Project
  • First Chechnya War - 1994-1996 Foreign Military Studies Office
  • Post-war interview with a Chechen field commander
  • Red Dawn in Chechnya: A Campaign Chronicle ARMOR (Early 1995)
  • The Chechen Campaign Pavel Felgenhauer (Fall 1995)
  • War and Human Rights (links) Memorial human rights group
  • Wounded Bear: The Ongoing Russian Military Operation FMSO (August 1996)
  • Chechen 9x18mm BORZ ("Wolf") machine-pistol Security Arms
  • Cursed and forgotten Documentary by Sergey Govorukhin about the Chechen war

  Results from FactBites:
 
First Chechen War - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (1992 words)
The First Chechen War (первая чеченская война, первая чеченская) occurred when Russian forces attempted to recapture the breakaway southern republic of Chechnya in a two year period lasting from 1994 to 1996.
In the first half of 1996, Chechnya continued to pose the biggest obstacle to the quelling of separatism among the components of the Russian Federation.
As the war was widely reported to the Russian public through television and newspaper accounts, it contributed, among the Russian population, to a loss of confidence in the government and, particularly, a steep decline in president Yeltsin's popularity.
First Chechnya War (1511 words)
The declaration of full independence issued in 1993 by the Chechen government of Dudayev led to civil war in that republic, and several Russian-backed attempts to overthrow Dudayev failed in 1993 and 1994.
Although Russian forces leveled the Chechen capital city of Groznyy and other population centers during a long and bloody campaign of urban warfare, Chechen forces held extensive territory elsewhere in the republic through 1995 and into 1996.
Chechen forces executed some members of the federal forces and repeatedly seized civilian hostages.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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