1. The First Chechen War (Chechen conflict 1994-1996, First Chechen campaign, Restoration of constitutional order in the Chechen Republic) - fighting between Russian troops (Armed Forces and Ministry of Internal Affairs) and the unrecognized Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Chechnya, and some settlements in neighboring regions of the Russian North Caucasus, with the aim of taking control of the territory of Chechnya, on which the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria was proclaimed in 1991.
2. Officially, the conflict was defined as “measures to maintain constitutional order”; military actions were called the “first Chechen war”, less often the “Russian-Chechen” or “Russian-Caucasian war”. The conflict and the events preceding it were characterized by a large number of casualties among the population, military and law enforcement agencies, and facts of ethnic cleansing of the non-Chechen population in Chechnya were noted.
3. Despite certain military successes of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the results of this conflict were the withdrawal of Russian units, mass destruction and casualties, de facto independence of Chechnya before the Second Chechen War and a wave of terror that swept across Russia.
4. With the beginning of perestroika in various republics of the Soviet Union, including Checheno-Ingushetia, various nationalist movements intensified. One of such organizations was the National Congress of the Chechen People (NCCHN), created in 1990, which set as its goal the secession of Chechnya from the USSR and the creation of an independent Chechen state. It was headed by former Soviet Air Force General Dzhokhar Dudayev.
5. On June 8, 1991, at the II session of the OKCHN, Dudayev proclaimed the independence of the Chechen Republic of Nokhchi-cho; Thus, a dual power arose in the republic.
6. During the “August putsch” in Moscow, the leadership of the Chechen Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic supported the State Emergency Committee. In response to this, on September 6, 1991, Dudayev announced the dissolution of republican government structures, accusing Russia of “colonial” policies. On the same day, Dudayev's guards stormed the building of the Supreme Council, the television center and the Radio House. More than 40 deputies were beaten, and the chairman of the Grozny City Council, Vitaly Kutsenko, was thrown out of a window, as a result of which he died. The head of the Chechen Republic, D. G. Zavgaev, spoke on this issue in 1996 at a meeting of the State Duma."
Yes, on the territory of the Chechen-Ingush Republic (today it is divided) the war began in the fall of 1991, it was the war against a multinational people, when the criminal regime, with some support from those who today also show an unhealthy interest in the situation, flooded this people with blood. The first victim of what was happening was the people of this republic, and the Chechens first of all. The war began when Vitaly Kutsenko, chairman of the Grozny City Council, was killed in broad daylight during a meeting of the Supreme Council of the republic. When Besliev, the vice-rector of a state university, was shot on the street. When Kancalik, the rector of the same state university, was killed. When every day in the fall of 1991, up to 30 people were found killed on the streets of Grozny. When, from the autumn of 1991 until 1994, the morgues of Grozny were filled to the ceiling, announcements were made on local television with a request to take them away, to establish who was there, and so on.
8. The Chairman of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR, Ruslan Khasbulatov, then sent them a telegram: “I was pleased to learn about the resignation of the Armed Forces of the Republic.” After the collapse of the USSR, Dzhokhar Dudayev announced the final secession of Chechnya from the Russian Federation. On October 27, 1991, presidential and parliamentary elections were held in the republic under the control of separatists. Dzhokhar Dudayev became the president of the republic. These elections were declared illegal by the Russian Federation
9. On November 7, 1991, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the Decree “On the introduction of a state of emergency in the Chechen-Ingush Republic (1991).” After these actions by the Russian leadership, the situation in the republic sharply worsened - separatist supporters surrounded the buildings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB, military camps, and blocked railway and air hubs. In the end, the introduction of a state of emergency was thwarted; the Decree “On the introduction of a state of emergency in the Checheno-Ingush Republic (1991)” was canceled on November 11, three days after its signing, after a heated discussion at a meeting of the Supreme Council of the RSFSR and from the republic The withdrawal of Russian military units and units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs began, which was finally completed by the summer of 1992. The separatists began seizing and looting military warehouses.
10. Dudayev’s forces received a lot of weapons: Two launchers of an operational-tactical missile system in a non-combat-ready state. 111 L-39 and 149 L-29 trainer aircraft, the aircraft converted into light attack aircraft; three MiG-17 fighters and two MiG-15 fighters; six An-2 aircraft and two Mi-8 helicopters, 117 R-23 and R-24 aircraft missiles, 126 R-60 aircraft; about 7 thousand GSh-23 aerial shells. 42 tanks T-62 and T-72; 34 BMP-1 and BMP-2; 30 BTR-70 and BRDM; 44 MT-LB, 942 vehicles. 18 Grad MLRS and more than 1000 shells for them. 139 artillery systems, including 30 122-mm D-30 howitzers and 24 thousand shells for them; as well as self-propelled guns 2S1 and 2S3; anti-tank guns MT-12. Five air defense systems, 25 missiles of various types, 88 MANPADS; 105 pcs. S-75 missile defense system. 590 anti-tank weapons, including two Konkurs ATGMs, 24 Fagot ATGM systems, 51 Metis ATGM systems, 113 RPG-7 systems. About 50 thousand small arms, more than 150 thousand grenades. 27 wagons of ammunition; 1620 tons of fuels and lubricants; about 10 thousand sets of clothing, 72 tons of food; 90 tons of medical equipment.
12. In June 1992, Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev ordered the transfer of half of all weapons and ammunition available in the republic to the Dudayevites. According to him, this was a forced step, since a significant part of the “transferred” weapons had already been captured, and there was no way to remove the rest due to the lack of soldiers and trains.
13. The victory of the separatists in Grozny led to the collapse of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. Malgobek, Nazranovsky and most of the Sunzhensky district of the former Chechen Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic formed the Republic of Ingushetia within the Russian Federation. Legally, the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic ceased to exist on December 10, 1992.
14. The exact border between Chechnya and Ingushetia was not demarcated and has not been determined to this day (2012). During the Ossetian-Ingush conflict in November 1992, Russian troops were introduced into the Prigorodny region of North Ossetia. Relations between Russia and Chechnya have deteriorated sharply. The Russian high command proposed at the same time solving the “Chechen problem” by force, but then the deployment of troops into the territory of Chechnya was prevented by the efforts of Yegor Gaidar.
16. As a result, Chechnya became a virtually independent state, but not legally recognized by any country, including Russia. The republic had state symbols - the flag, coat of arms and anthem, authorities - the president, parliament, government, secular courts. It was planned to create a small Armed Forces, as well as the introduction of its own state currency - nahar. In the constitution adopted on March 12, 1992, the CRI was characterized as an “independent secular state”; its government refused to sign a federal agreement with the Russian Federation.
17. In reality, the state system of the CRI turned out to be extremely ineffective and rapidly became criminalized in the period 1991-1994. In 1992-1993, over 600 intentional murders were committed on the territory of Chechnya. During the period of 1993, at the Grozny branch of the North Caucasus Railway, 559 trains were subjected to an armed attack with the complete or partial looting of about 4 thousand cars and containers worth 11.5 billion rubles. During 8 months of 1994, 120 armed attacks were carried out, as a result of which 1,156 wagons and 527 containers were looted. Losses amounted to more than 11 billion rubles. In 1992-1994, 26 railway workers were killed as a result of armed attacks. The current situation forced the Russian government to decide to stop traffic through the territory of Chechnya from October 1994
18. A special trade was the production of false advice notes, from which more than 4 trillion rubles were received. Hostage-taking and slave trade flourished in the republic - according to Rosinformtsentr, a total of 1,790 people have been kidnapped and illegally held in Chechnya since 1992.
19. Even after this, when Dudayev stopped paying taxes to the general budget and banned employees of the Russian special services from entering the republic, the federal center continued to transfer funds from the budget to Chechnya. In 1993, 11.5 billion rubles were allocated for Chechnya. Russian oil continued to flow into Chechnya until 1994, but it was not paid for and was resold abroad.
21. In the spring of 1993, the contradictions between President Dudayev and the parliament sharply worsened in the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. On April 17, 1993, Dudayev announced the dissolution of parliament, the constitutional court and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On June 4, armed Dudayevites under the command of Shamil Basayev seized the building of the Grozny City Council, where meetings of the parliament and the constitutional court were held; Thus, a coup d'état took place in the CRI. Amendments were made to the constitution adopted last year; a regime of Dudayev’s personal power was established in the republic, which lasted until August 1994, when legislative powers were returned to parliament
22. After the coup d'etat on June 4, 1993, in the northern regions of Chechnya, not controlled by the separatist government in Grozny, an armed anti-Dudaev opposition was formed, which began an armed struggle against the Dudayev regime. The first opposition organization was the Committee of National Salvation (KNS), which carried out several armed actions, but was soon defeated and disintegrated. It was replaced by the Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic (VCCR), which declared itself the only legitimate authority on the territory of Chechnya. The VSChR was recognized as such by the Russian authorities, who provided it with all kinds of support (including weapons and volunteers).
23. Since the summer of 1994, fighting has unfolded in Chechnya between troops loyal to Dudayev and the forces of the opposition Provisional Council. Troops loyal to Dudayev carried out offensive operations in the Nadterechny and Urus-Martan regions controlled by opposition troops. They were accompanied by significant losses on both sides; tanks, artillery and mortars were used.
24. The forces of the parties were approximately equal, and none of them was able to gain the upper hand in the fight.
25. In Urus-Martan alone in October 1994, the Dudayevites lost 27 people killed, according to the opposition. The operation was planned by the Chief of the Main Staff of the Armed Forces of the ChRI Aslan Maskhadov. The commander of the opposition detachment in Urus-Martan, Bislan Gantamirov, lost from 5 to 34 people killed, according to various sources. In Argun in September 1994, the detachment of the opposition field commander Ruslan Labazanov lost 27 people killed. The opposition, in turn, carried out offensive actions in Grozny on September 12 and October 15, 1994, but retreated each time without achieving decisive success, although it did not suffer large losses.
26. On November 26, oppositionists unsuccessfully stormed Grozny for the third time. At the same time, a number of Russian military personnel who “fought on the side of the opposition” under a contract with the Federal Counterintelligence Service were captured by Dudayev’s supporters.
27. Deployment of troops (December 1994)
At that time, the use of the expression “the entry of Russian troops into Chechnya,” according to deputy and journalist Alexander Nevzorov, was, to a greater extent, caused by journalistic terminological confusion - Chechnya was part of Russia.
Even before any decision was announced by the Russian authorities, on December 1, Russian aviation attacked the Kalinovskaya and Khankala airfields and disabled all aircraft at the disposal of the separatists. On December 11, President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin signed Decree No. 2169 “On measures to ensure legality, law and order and public safety on the territory of the Chechen Republic.” Later, the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation recognized most of the decrees and resolutions of the government that justified the actions of the federal government in Chechnya as consistent with the Constitution.
On the same day, units of the United Group of Forces (OGV), consisting of units of the Ministry of Defense and Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, entered the territory of Chechnya. The troops were divided into three groups and entered from three different directions - from the west from North Ossetia through Ingushetia), from the northwest from the Mozdok region of North Ossetia, directly bordering Chechnya, and from the east from the territory of Dagestan).
The eastern group was blocked in the Khasavyurt region of Dagestan by local residents - Akkin Chechens. The western group was also blocked by local residents and came under fire near the village of Barsuki, but using force, they nevertheless broke through into Chechnya. The Mozdok group advanced most successfully, already on December 12 approaching the village of Dolinsky, located 10 km from Grozny.
Near Dolinskoye, Russian troops came under fire from a Chechen Grad rocket artillery system and then entered into battle for this populated area.
A new offensive by OGV units began on December 19. The Vladikavkaz (western) group blocked Grozny from the western direction, bypassing the Sunzhensky ridge. On December 20, the Mozdok (northwestern) group occupied Dolinsky and blocked Grozny from the northwest. The Kizlyar (eastern) group blocked Grozny from the east, and paratroopers of the 104th Airborne Regiment blocked the city from the Argun Gorge. At the same time, the southern part of Grozny was not blocked.
Thus, at the initial stage of hostilities, in the first weeks of the war, Russian troops were able to occupy the northern regions of Chechnya practically without resistance
In mid-December, federal troops began shelling the suburbs of Grozny, and on December 19 the first bomb attack was carried out on the city center. The artillery shelling and bombing killed and injured many civilians (including ethnic Russians).
Despite the fact that Grozny still remained unblocked on the southern side, on December 31, 1994, the assault on the city began. About 250 armored vehicles entered the city, extremely vulnerable in street battles. Russian troops were poorly prepared, there was no interaction and coordination between various units, and many soldiers had no combat experience. The troops had aerial photographs of the city, outdated plans of the city in limited quantities. The communications facilities were not equipped with closed-circuit communications equipment, which allowed the enemy to intercept communications. The troops were given an order to occupy only industrial buildings and areas and not to invade the homes of the civilian population.
The western group of troops was stopped, the eastern also retreated and did not take any action until January 2, 1995. In the northern direction, the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 131st separate Maykop motorized rifle brigade (more than 300 people), a motorized rifle battalion and a tank company of the 81st Petrakuvsky motorized rifle regiment (10 tanks), under the command of General Pulikovsky, reached the railway station and the Presidential Palace. Federal forces were surrounded - the losses of the battalions of the Maykop brigade, according to official data, amounted to 85 people killed and 72 missing, 20 tanks were destroyed, the brigade commander Colonel Savin was killed, more than 100 military personnel were captured.
The eastern group under the command of General Rokhlin was also surrounded and bogged down in battles with separatist units, but nevertheless, Rokhlin did not give the order to retreat.
On January 7, 1995, the Northeast and North groupings were united under the command of General Rokhlin, and Ivan Babichev became commander of the West grouping.
Russian troops changed tactics - now, instead of the massive use of armored vehicles, they used maneuverable air assault groups supported by artillery and aviation. Fierce street fighting broke out in Grozny.
Two groups moved to the Presidential Palace and by January 9 occupied the building of the Oil Institute and the Grozny airport. By January 19, these groups met in the center of Grozny and captured the Presidential Palace, but detachments of Chechen separatists retreated across the Sunzha River and took up defensive positions on Minutka Square. Despite the successful offensive, Russian troops controlled only about a third of the city at that time.
By the beginning of February, the strength of the OGV was increased to 70,000 people. General Anatoly Kulikov became the new commander of the OGV.
Only on February 3, 1995, the “South” group was formed and the implementation of the plan to blockade Grozny from the south began. By February 9, Russian units reached the line of the Rostov-Baku federal highway.
On February 13, in the village of Sleptsovskaya (Ingushetia), negotiations were held between the commander of the OGV Anatoly Kulikov and the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the ChRI Aslan Maskhadov on concluding a temporary truce - the parties exchanged lists of prisoners of war, and both sides were given the opportunity to remove the dead and wounded from the streets of the city. The truce, however, was violated by both sides.
In the 20th of February, street fighting continued in the city (especially in its southern part), but the Chechen troops, deprived of support, gradually retreated from the city.
Finally, on March 6, 1995, a detachment of militants of the Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev retreated from Chernorechye, the last area of Grozny controlled by the separatists, and the city finally came under the control of Russian troops.
A pro-Russian administration of Chechnya was formed in Grozny, headed by Salambek Khadzhiev and Umar Avturkhanov.
As a result of the assault on Grozny, the city was virtually destroyed and turned into ruins.
29. Establishing control over the lowland regions of Chechnya (March - April 1995)
After the assault on Grozny, the main task of the Russian troops was to establish control over the lowland areas of the rebellious republic.
The Russian side began to conduct active negotiations with the population, convincing local residents to expel the militants from their settlements. At the same time, Russian units occupied commanding heights above villages and cities. Thanks to this, Argun was taken on March 15-23, and the cities of Shali and Gudermes were taken without a fight on March 30 and 31, respectively. However, the militant groups were not destroyed and freely left populated areas.
Despite this, local battles took place in the western regions of Chechnya. On March 10, fighting began for the village of Bamut. On April 7-8, a combined detachment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, consisting of the Sofrinsky brigade of internal troops and supported by SOBR and OMON detachments, entered the village of Samashki (Achkhoy-Martan district of Chechnya). It was alleged that the village was defended by more than 300 people (the so-called “Abkhaz battalion” of Shamil Basayev). After Russian soldiers entered the village, some residents who had weapons began to resist, and shootouts broke out on the streets of the village.
According to a number of international organizations (in particular, the UN Commission on Human Rights - UNCHR), many civilians died during the battle for Samashki. This information, disseminated by the separatist agency Chechen Press, however, turned out to be quite contradictory - thus, according to representatives of the Memorial human rights center, this data “does not inspire confidence.” According to Memorial, the minimum number of civilians killed during the clearing of the village was 112-114 people.
One way or another, this operation caused a great resonance in Russian society and strengthened anti-Russian sentiments in Chechnya.
On April 15-16, the decisive assault on Bamut began - Russian troops managed to enter the village and gain a foothold on the outskirts. Then, however, Russian troops were forced to leave the village, as the militants now occupied commanding heights above the village, using old missile silos of the Strategic Missile Forces, designed for waging a nuclear war and invulnerable to Russian aircraft. A series of battles for this village continued until June 1995, then the battles were suspended after the terrorist attack in Budennovsk and resumed in February 1996.
By April 1995, Russian troops occupied almost the entire flat territory of Chechnya and the separatists focused on sabotage and guerrilla operations.
30. Establishing control over the mountainous regions of Chechnya (May - June 1995)
From April 28 to May 11, 1995, the Russian side announced a suspension of hostilities on its part.
The offensive resumed only on May 12. The attacks of Russian troops fell on the villages of Chiri-Yurt, which covered the entrance to the Argun Gorge, and Serzhen-Yurt, located at the entrance to the Vedenskoye Gorge. Despite significant superiority in manpower and equipment, Russian troops were bogged down in enemy defenses - it took General Shamanov a week of shelling and bombing to take Chiri-Yurt.
Under these conditions, the Russian command decided to change the direction of the attack - instead of Shatoy to Vedeno. The militant units were pinned down in the Argun Gorge and on June 3 Vedeno was taken by Russian troops, and on June 12 the regional centers of Shatoy and Nozhai-Yurt were taken.
Just as in the lowland areas, the separatist forces were not defeated and they were able to leave the abandoned settlements. Therefore, even during the “truce”, the militants were able to transfer a significant part of their forces to the northern regions - on May 14, the city of Grozny was shelled by them more than 14 times
On June 14, 1995, a group of Chechen militants numbering 195 people, led by field commander Shamil Basayev, entered the territory of the Stavropol Territory in trucks and stopped in the city of Budyonnovsk.
The first target of the attack was the building of the city police department, then the terrorists occupied the city hospital and herded captured civilians into it. In total, there were about 2,000 hostages in the hands of terrorists. Basayev put forward demands to the Russian authorities - a cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya, negotiations with Dudayev through the mediation of UN representatives in exchange for the release of hostages.
Under these conditions, the authorities decided to storm the hospital building. Due to an information leak, the terrorists managed to prepare to repel the assault, which lasted four hours; As a result, the special forces recaptured all buildings (except the main one), freeing 95 hostages. Special forces losses amounted to three people killed. On the same day, an unsuccessful second assault attempt was made.
After the failure of military action to free the hostages, negotiations began between the then Chairman of the Russian Government Viktor Chernomyrdin and field commander Shamil Basayev. The terrorists were provided with buses, on which they, along with 120 hostages, arrived in the Chechen village of Zandak, where the hostages were released.
The total losses of the Russian side, according to official data, amounted to 143 people (of which 46 were law enforcement officers) and 415 wounded, terrorist losses - 19 killed and 20 wounded
32. The situation in the republic in June - December 1995
After the terrorist attack in Budyonnovsk, from June 19 to 22, the first round of negotiations between the Russian and Chechen sides took place in Grozny, at which it was possible to achieve the introduction of a moratorium on hostilities for an indefinite period.
From June 27 to 30, the second stage of negotiations took place there, at which an agreement was reached on the exchange of prisoners “all for all,” the disarmament of the CRI detachments, the withdrawal of Russian troops and the holding of free elections.
Despite all the agreements concluded, the ceasefire regime was violated by both sides. Chechen detachments returned to their villages, but no longer as members of illegal armed groups, but as “self-defense units.” Local battles took place throughout Chechnya. For some time, the tensions that arose could be resolved through negotiations. Thus, on August 18-19, Russian troops blocked Achkhoy-Martan; the situation was resolved at negotiations in Grozny.
On August 21, a detachment of militants of the field commander Alaudi Khamzatov captured Argun, but after heavy shelling by Russian troops, they left the city, into which Russian armored vehicles were then introduced.
In September, Achkhoy-Martan and Sernovodsk were blocked by Russian troops, since militant detachments were located in these settlements. The Chechen side refused to leave their occupied positions, since, according to them, these were “self-defense units” that had the right to remain in accordance with previously reached agreements.
On October 6, 1995, an assassination attempt was made on the commander of the United Group of Forces (OGV), General Romanov, as a result of which he ended up in a coma. In turn, “retaliation strikes” were carried out against Chechen villages.
On October 8, an unsuccessful attempt was made to eliminate Dudayev - an air strike was carried out on the village of Roshni-Chu.
The Russian leadership decided before the elections to replace the leaders of the pro-Russian administration of the republic, Salambek Khadzhiev and Umar Avturkhanov, with the former head of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Dokka Zavgaev.
On December 10-12, the city of Gudermes, occupied by Russian troops without resistance, was captured by the detachments of Salman Raduev, Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov and Sultan Gelikhanov. On December 14-20, there were battles for this city; it took Russian troops about another week of “cleansing operations” to finally take control of Gudermes.
On December 14-17, elections were held in Chechnya, which were held with a large number of violations, but were nevertheless recognized as valid. Separatist supporters announced in advance their boycott and non-recognition of the elections. Dokku Zavgaev won the elections, receiving over 90% of the votes; At the same time, all UGA military personnel participated in the elections.
On January 9, 1996, a detachment of militants numbering 256 people under the command of field commanders Salman Raduev, Turpal-Ali Atgeriyev and Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov carried out a raid on the city of Kizlyar. The militants' initial target was a Russian helicopter base and weapons depot. The terrorists destroyed two Mi-8 transport helicopters and took several hostages from among the military personnel guarding the base. Russian military and law enforcement agencies began to approach the city, so the terrorists seized the hospital and maternity hospital, driving about 3,000 more civilians there. This time, the Russian authorities did not give the order to storm the hospital, so as not to strengthen anti-Russian sentiments in Dagestan. During the negotiations, it was possible to agree on providing the militants with buses to the border with Chechnya in exchange for the release of the hostages, who were supposed to be dropped off at the very border. On January 10, a convoy with militants and hostages moved towards the border. When it became clear that the terrorists would go to Chechnya, the bus convoy was stopped with warning shots. Taking advantage of the confusion of the Russian leadership, the militants captured the village of Pervomaiskoye, disarming the police checkpoint located there. Negotiations took place from January 11 to 14, and an unsuccessful assault on the village took place on January 15-18. In parallel with the assault on Pervomaisky, on January 16, in the Turkish port of Trabzon, a group of terrorists seized the passenger ship "Avrasia" with threats to shoot Russian hostages if the assault was not stopped. After two days of negotiations, the terrorists surrendered to the Turkish authorities.
The losses of the Russian side, according to official data, amounted to 78 people killed and several hundred wounded.
On March 6, 1996, several groups of militants attacked Grozny, controlled by Russian troops, from various directions. The militants captured the Staropromyslovsky district of the city, blocked and fired at Russian checkpoints and checkpoints. Despite the fact that Grozny remained under the control of the Russian armed forces, the separatists took with them supplies of food, medicine and ammunition when they retreated. The losses of the Russian side, according to official data, amounted to 70 people killed and 259 wounded
On April 16, 1996, a column of the 245th motorized rifle regiment of the Russian Armed Forces, moving to Shatoi, was ambushed in the Argun Gorge near the village of Yaryshmardy. The operation was led by field commander Khattab. The militants knocked out the leading and trailing column of the vehicle, so the column was blocked and suffered significant losses - almost all the armored vehicles and half of the personnel were lost.
From the very beginning of the Chechen campaign, Russian special services have repeatedly tried to eliminate the President of the Chechen Republic, Dzhokhar Dudayev. Attempts to send assassins ended in failure. It was possible to find out that Dudayev often talks on a satellite phone of the Inmarsat system.
On April 21, 1996, a Russian A-50 AWACS aircraft, which was equipped with equipment for bearing a satellite phone signal, received an order to take off. At the same time, Dudayev’s motorcade left for the area of the village of Gekhi-Chu. Unfolding his phone, Dudayev contacted Konstantin Borov. At that moment, the signal from the phone was intercepted, and two Su-25 attack aircraft took off. When the planes reached the target, two missiles were fired at the motorcade, one of which hit the target directly.
By a closed decree of Boris Yeltsin, several military pilots were awarded the titles of Heroes of the Russian Federation
37. Negotiations with the separatists (May - July 1996)
Despite some successes of the Russian Armed Forces (the successful liquidation of Dudayev, the final capture of the settlements of Goiskoye, Stary Achkhoy, Bamut, Shali), the war began to take a protracted character. In the context of the upcoming presidential elections, the Russian leadership decided to once again negotiate with the separatists.
On May 27-28, a meeting of the Russian and Ichkerian (headed by Zelimkhan Yandarbiev) delegations was held in Moscow, at which it was possible to agree on a truce from June 1, 1996 and an exchange of prisoners. Immediately after the end of the negotiations in Moscow, Boris Yeltsin flew to Grozny, where he congratulated the Russian military on their victory over the “rebellious Dudayev regime” and announced the abolition of conscription.
On June 10, in Nazran (Republic of Ingushetia), during the next round of negotiations, an agreement was reached on the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Chechnya (with the exception of two brigades), the disarmament of separatist detachments, and the holding of free democratic elections. The question of the status of the republic was temporarily postponed.
The agreements concluded in Moscow and Nazran were violated by both sides, in particular, the Russian side was in no hurry to withdraw its troops, and the Chechen field commander Ruslan Khaikhoroev took responsibility for the explosion of a regular bus in Nalchik.
On July 3, 1996, the current President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin, was re-elected to the presidency. The new Secretary of the Security Council, Alexander Lebed, announced the resumption of hostilities against militants.
On July 9, after the Russian ultimatum, hostilities resumed - aircraft attacked militant bases in the mountainous Shatoi, Vedeno and Nozhai-Yurt regions.
On August 6, 1996, detachments of Chechen separatists numbering from 850 to 2000 people again attacked Grozny. The separatists did not aim to capture the city; They blocked administrative buildings in the city center, and also fired at checkpoints and checkpoints. The Russian garrison under the command of General Pulikovsky, despite significant superiority in manpower and equipment, was unable to hold the city.
Simultaneously with the assault on Grozny, the separatists also captured the cities of Gudermes (they took it without a fight) and Argun (Russian troops only held the commandant’s office building).
According to Oleg Lukin, it was the defeat of Russian troops in Grozny that led to the signing of the Khasavyurt ceasefire agreements
On August 31, 1996, representatives of Russia (Chairman of the Security Council Alexander Lebed) and Ichkeria (Aslan Maskhadov) signed a truce agreement in the city of Khasavyurt (Dagestan). Russian troops were completely withdrawn from Chechnya, and the decision on the status of the republic was postponed until December 31, 2001.
40. The result of the war was the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements and the withdrawal of Russian troops. Chechnya again became a de facto independent state, but de jure not recognized by any country in the world (including Russia).
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42. Destroyed houses and villages were not restored, the economy was exclusively criminal, however, it was criminal not only in Chechnya, so, according to former deputy Konstantin Borovoy, kickbacks in the construction business under contracts of the Ministry of Defense, during the First Chechen War, reached 80% of the contract amount. . Due to ethnic cleansing and fighting, almost the entire non-Chechen population left Chechnya (or was killed). The interwar crisis and the rise of Wahhabism began in the republic, which later led to the invasion of Dagestan, and then to the beginning of the Second Chechen War."
43. According to data released by the OGV headquarters, the losses of Russian troops amounted to 4,103 killed, 1,231 missing/deserted/prisoned, 19,794 wounded
44. According to the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, the losses amounted to at least 14,000 people killed (documented deaths according to the mothers of deceased servicemen).
45. However, it should be borne in mind that the data from the Committee of Soldiers’ Mothers includes only the losses of conscript soldiers, without taking into account the losses of contract soldiers, special forces soldiers, etc. The losses of militants, according to the Russian side, amounted to 17,391 people. According to the chief of staff of the Chechen units (later President of the ChRI) A. Maskhadov, the losses of the Chechen side amounted to about 3,000 people killed. According to the Memorial Human Rights Center, the militants’ losses did not exceed 2,700 people killed. The number of civilian casualties is not known for certain - according to the human rights organization Memorial, they amount to up to 50 thousand people killed. Secretary of the Russian Security Council A. Lebed estimated the losses of the civilian population of Chechnya at 80,000 dead.
46. On December 15, 1994, the “Mission of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the North Caucasus” began to operate in the conflict zone, which included deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and a representative of Memorial (later called the “Mission of Public Organizations under the leadership of S. A. Kovalev "). “Kovalyov’s Mission” did not have official powers, but acted with the support of several human rights public organizations; the work of the Mission was coordinated by the Memorial human rights center.
47. On December 31, 1994, on the eve of the assault on Grozny by Russian troops, Sergei Kovalev, as part of a group of State Duma deputies and journalists, negotiated with Chechen militants and parliamentarians in the presidential palace in Grozny. When the assault began and Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers began to burn in the square in front of the palace, civilians took refuge in the basement of the presidential palace, and soon wounded and captured Russian soldiers began to appear there. Correspondent Danila Galperovich recalled that Kovalev, being among the militants at Dzhokhar Dudayev’s headquarters, “almost all the time was in a basement room equipped with army radio stations,” offering Russian tank crews “an exit from the city without shooting if they indicate the route.” According to journalist Galina Kovalskaya, who was also there, after they were shown burning Russian tanks in the city center,
48. According to the Institute of Human Rights, headed by Kovalev, this episode, as well as Kovalev’s entire human rights and anti-war position, became the reason for a negative reaction from the military leadership, government officials, as well as numerous supporters of the “state” approach to human rights. In January 1995, the State Duma adopted a draft resolution in which his work in Chechnya was recognized as unsatisfactory: as Kommersant wrote, “because of his “unilateral position” aimed at justifying illegal armed groups.” In March 1995, the State Duma removed Kovalev from the post of Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia, according to Kommersant, “for his statements against the war in Chechnya”
49. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launched an extensive relief program since the beginning of the conflict, providing more than 250,000 internally displaced people with food parcels, blankets, soap, warm clothing and plastic coverings in the first months. In February 1995, of the 120,000 residents remaining in Grozny, 70,000 were completely dependent on ICRC assistance. In Grozny, the water supply and sewer systems were completely destroyed, and the ICRC hastily began organizing the supply of drinking water to the city. In the summer of 1995, approximately 750,000 liters of chlorinated water were delivered daily by tanker truck to meet the needs of more than 100,000 residents at 50 distribution points throughout Grozny. Over the next year, 1996, more than 230 million liters of drinking water were produced for residents of the North Caucasus.
51. During 1995-1996, the ICRC carried out a number of programs to assist those affected by the armed conflict. Its delegates visited about 700 people detained by federal forces and Chechen fighters in 25 places of detention in Chechnya itself and neighboring regions, delivered more than 50,000 letters to the recipients on Red Cross message forms, which became the only opportunity for separated families to establish contacts with each other, so how all forms of communication were interrupted. The ICRC provided medicines and medical supplies to 75 hospitals and medical institutions in Chechnya, North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Dagestan, participated in the reconstruction and provision of medicines to hospitals in Grozny, Argun, Gudermes, Shali, Urus-Martan and Shatoy, and provided regular assistance to homes for the disabled and orphanages shelters.
Corpses in the back of a truck in Grozny. Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev
Exactly 23 years ago, on December 11, 1994, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree “On measures to ensure law, order and public safety in the territory of the Chechen Republic.” On the same day, units of the United Group of Forces (Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Internal Affairs) began military operations in Chechnya. Perhaps some participants in the first clashes were mentally prepared for death, but hardly any of them suspected that they would be stuck in this war for almost two years. And then he will come back again.
I would not like to talk about the causes and consequences of the war, about the behavior of the main characters, about the number of losses, about whether it was a civil war or an anti-terrorist operation: hundreds of books have already been written about this. But many photographs certainly need to be shown so that you never forget how disgusting any war is.
Russian Mi-8 helicopter shot down by Chechens near Grozny. December 1, 1994 
Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev
Despite the fact that the Russian army officially began hostilities in December 1994, the first Russian soldiers were captured by the Chechens back in November. 
Photo: AP Photo / Anatoly Maltsev
Dudayev's militants pray against the backdrop of the Presidential Palace in Grozny 
Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev
In January 1995, the palace looked like this: 
Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev
Dudayev's militant with a homemade submachine gun in early January 1995. In Chechnya in those years, various types of weapons, including small arms, were collected. 
Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev
Destroyed BMP-2 of the Russian army 
Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev
Prayer against the backdrop of a fire caused by shrapnel hitting a gas pipe 
Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev
Action 
Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev
Field commander Shamil Basayev rides on a bus with hostages 
Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev
Chechen militants ambushed a convoy of Russian armored vehicles 
Photo: AP PHOTO / ROBERT KING
On New Year's Eve 1995, clashes in Grozny were especially brutal. The 131st Maykop Motorized Rifle Brigade lost many soldiers. 
Militants fire back at advancing Russian units. 
Photo: AP PHOTO / PETER DEJONG
Children play in the suburbs of Grozny 
AP PHOTO / EFREM LUKATSKY
Chechen militants in 1995 
Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev / AFP
Photo: Christopher Morris
Minute Square in Grozny. Evacuation of refugees. 
Gennady Troshev at the stadium. Ordzhonikidze in 1995. The lieutenant general led the Joint Group of Troops of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Chechnya, during the Second Chechen War he also commanded Russian troops, then was appointed commander of the North Caucasus Military District. In 2008, he died in a Boeing crash in Perm. 
A Russian serviceman plays a piano left in the central park of Grozny. February 6, 1995 
Photo: Reuters
The intersection of Rosa Luxemburg and Tamanskaya streets 
Photo: Christopher Morris
Chechen fighters run for cover 
Photo: Christopher Morris
Grozny, view from the Presidential Palace. March 1995 
Photo: Christopher Morris
A Chechen sniper holed up in a destroyed building takes aim at Russian soldiers. 1996 
Photo: James Nachtwey
Chechen negotiator enters neutral zone 
Photo: James Nachtwey
Children from an orphanage play on a wrecked Russian tank. 1996 
Photo: James Nachtwey
An elderly woman makes her way through the destroyed center of Grozny. 1996 
Photo: Piotr Andrews
Chechen militant holds a machine gun during prayer 
Photo: Piotr Andrews
A wounded soldier in a hospital in Grozny. 1995 
Photo: Piotr Andrews
A woman from the village of Samashki is crying: during an operation by the Ministry of Internal Affairs troops, helicopters or RZSO shot her cows. 
Photo: Piotr Andrews
Russian checkpoint at the Council of Ministers, 1995 
Photo: AP Photo
People left homeless after the bombing of Grozny cook food on a fire in the middle of the street 
Photo: AP Photo/Alexander Zemlanichenko
People fleeing a war zone 
Photo: AP Photo/David Brauchli
The CRI command stated that at the height of the conflict up to 12 thousand soldiers fought for it. Many of them were, in fact, children who went to war after their relatives. 
Photo: AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky
On the left is a wounded man, on the right is a Chechen teenager in military uniform 
Photo: Christopher Morris
By the end of 1995, most of Grozny was ruins 
Photo: AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis
Anti-Russian demonstration in the center of Grozny in February 1996 
Photo: AP Photo
A Chechen with a portrait of separatist leader Dzhokhar Dudayev, killed in a rocket attack by federal troops on April 21, 1996 
Photo: AP Photo
Before the 1996 elections, Yeltsin visited Chechnya and, in front of the soldiers, signed a decree reducing the length of military service. 
Photo: AP Photo
Election campaign 
Photo: Piotr Andrews
On August 19, 1996, the commander of the group of Russian troops in Chechnya, Konstantin Pulikovsky, issued an ultimatum to the militants. He invited civilians to leave Grozny within 48 hours. After this period, the assault on the city was supposed to begin, but the military leader was not supported in Moscow, and his plan was thwarted. 
On August 31, 1996, agreements were signed in Khasavyurt, according to which Russia pledged to withdraw troops from the territory of Chechnya, and the decision on the status of the republic was postponed for 5 and a half years. In the photo, General Lebed, who was then the presidential envoy to Chechnya, and Aslan Maskhadov, the field commander of Chechen militants and the future “president” of the Chechen Republic of Ichnia, are shaking hands. 
Russian soldiers drink champagne in the center of Grozny 
Russian soldiers are preparing to be sent home after the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements 
According to human rights activists, up to 35,000 civilians died during the First Chechen War. 
Photo: AP PHOTO / ROBERT KING
In Chechnya, the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements was perceived as a victory. In fact, that's what she was. 
Photo: AP Photo/Misha Japaridze
Russian troops left with nothing, losing many soldiers and leaving behind ruins.
In 1999, the Second Chechen War will begin...
On December 11, 1994, the 1st Chechen War began. The background to the conflict and chronicle of the fighting in Chechnya in the Voenpro review dedicated to the anniversary of the start of the war. This conflict can be called a sad symbol of a Russia that had not yet found itself, which was at a crossroads, in the timelessness between the collapse of one great power and the birth of a new Russia.
Reasons for the start of the Chechen War
The collapse of the Soviet Union into separate states occurred in different ways. There were even local territorial conflicts, but things came to an open war only in the North Caucasus.
In the last months of the existence of the USSR in Checheno-Ingushetia, former Air Force General Dzhokhar Dudayev created the organization National Congress of the Chechen People. She set her main task to be the republic’s withdrawal from the Union and the proclamation of its complete independence in all respects.
After the failure of the putschists in Moscow, the Dudayevites announced the dissolution of all union authorities and on September 6, 1991, seized all government buildings in Grozny, as well as the Radio House and the television center.
After the final legal liquidation of the USSR, Dzhokhar Dudayev declared the independence of Chechnya and was elected the first president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The Russian government did not recognize the elections, and Boris Yeltsin issued a decree introducing a state of emergency in the territories controlled by the separatists.
But numerous crowds of residents poured into the streets and blocked military units, police stations, KGB buildings and all major transport hubs, so the introduction of a state of emergency was thwarted.
As a result of three days of debate in the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR, a decision was made to withdraw all paramilitary forces from Chechnya. At the same time, the separatists received a large amount of weapons and equipment, which could not be removed due to lack of transport.
It is noteworthy that the Republic of Ingushetia separated from Chechnya and chose to become part of the Russian Federation, so that in fact only Chechnya became an “independent” state, which was not recognized by any country in the world.
Because of this, the state could not establish any international relations; people suffered from rampant banditry and unemployment. The crime situation was at an extremely high level, and the authorities could not establish a normal life.
The Russian-speaking population of Chechnya found itself in dire straits, virtually abandoned by the federal authorities. The period from 1992 to 1994 is a dark page in the history of Russians in Chechnya.
According to numerous evidence of that time, the position of the Slavic national minority in Chechnya was unenviable.
Because of this, opposition to the power of Dzhokhar Dudayev arose in the country, which organized itself into the Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic. Nobody managed to win in the political field, so in the summer of 1994 a civil war broke out. The Russian government unofficially supported the Supreme Soviet of Chechnya, since with their help it was possible to overthrow the power of Dudayev and return Chechnya to the Federation.
Officially, the start date of the 1st Chechen War in all sources is indicated as December 11, 1994. But in fact, since November, federal troops have been taking part in the civil war on the side of the opposition. In particular, as a result of the assault on Grozny on November 26, 1994, 68 Russian servicemen were captured by the Dudayevites. The militants promised to shoot everyone if the Russian Federation did not officially recognize itself as a party to the conflict.
As a result, some of the soldiers were released, but their number did not exceed 30 people. At the same time, only 21 people were identified by name from the lists, so the authorities do not recognize such a large number of prisoners.
Footage of Russian soldiers was shown on television around the clock, which caused a great public outcry. Therefore, on December 11, Boris Yeltsin issued a decree “On measures to ensure legality, law and order and public safety on the territory of the Chechen Republic.”
It is from this event that the date of the beginning of the Chechen war comes. Moreover, a short-term campaign and the defeat of the army of Ichkeria in a few days were initially planned. The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation even stated that the Russian army can solve the problem within a few hours.
But the beginning of the Chechen war quickly cooled the ardor of politicians and military officials. In just two days of fighting, federal troops lost about two hundred people, although no one officially acknowledged such losses.
Moreover, more than half of the fighters died on the march, when columns of troops attacked “flying detachments” of militants from ambushes. From the first day of the war, Dzhokhar Dudayev decided to wage a guerrilla war, which, given the balance of forces, was the only correct decision.
The beginning of the First Chechen War confirmed the command's unwillingness to develop the right tactics and effectively use intelligence. Columns of troops were ambushed over and over again, suffering huge losses in manpower and equipment. Failures on the battlefield undermined the morale of the army, which felt abandoned to the mercy of fate. Anti-war sentiment in society also grew.
The beginning of the Chechen War in 1994 was accompanied not only by military operations in the North Caucasus, but also by terrorist attacks in Russian cities. In this way, the militants tried to intimidate the civilian population and force people to influence the government in order to achieve the withdrawal of troops. They failed to sow panic, but many still have difficulty remembering those times.
Another remarkable fact after the outbreak of the war in Chechnya in 1994 was the ability of some field commanders to perfectly prepare traps and emerge from battles with virtually no losses. The thing is that the backbone of the army of Ichkeria consisted of soldiers and officers of the Soviet troops who had undergone baptism of fire in Afghanistan and were well versed in the tactical intricacies of warfare.
And the warehouses with weapons and ammunition left behind during the withdrawal of Russian forces made it possible to effectively defend on all sectors of the fronts.
The disastrous start of the First Chechen War in 1994 forced the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to urgently introduce additional forces and establish interaction between all branches of the military. After this, the first victories began, and federal forces began to quickly advance deeper into the separatist possessions.
The result was access to the suburbs of Grozny and the beginning of the assault on the capital on December 31, 1994. In bloody and fierce battles that lasted until March 6, 1995, Russia lost about one and a half thousand soldiers killed and up to 15 thousand wounded.
But the fall of the capital did not break the resistance of the separatists, so the main tasks were not completed. Before the start of the war in Chechnya, the main goal was the liquidation of Dzhokhar Dudayev, since the resistance of the militants was largely based on his authority and charisma.
Destruction of Dzhokhar Dudayev
After several unsuccessful attempts to destroy the president, he was assassinated on April 21, 1996. To do this, a homing missile was used, which located the signal of the general's cell phone when he turned it on to make several calls.
According to unofficial data, several million dollars were spent on the operation, the creation of weapons and the search for informants, which at that time was a fairly significant amount.
The death of the actual “father of Ichkeria” brought turmoil into the ranks of the separatists, but they did not stop armed resistance. The militants were able to recover from the loss by August, when they gathered their strength and carried out Operation Jihad. From August 6 to August 22, 1996, federal forces completely or partially lost control over Argun, Gudermes and Grozny.
During the fighting, losses amounted to about 500 people killed and one and a half thousand wounded of varying degrees of severity. Nevertheless, even in these difficult days, heroes were born who are still remembered today.
The events of August 1996 are a sad page in Russian history. A number of events and facts suggest a betrayal of Russian interests in the high echelons of power of that period.
Chronology of the first Chechen war
- December 11, 1994 - troops of the United Group of Russian Forces enter Chechnya from three directions;
- December 12 - The Mozdok group of the OGV takes positions 10 km from Grozny;
- December 15 - Kizlyar group occupies Tolstoy-Yurt;
- December 19 - The Western group bypasses the Sunzhensky ridge and seizes Grozny from the west;
- December 20 - The Mozdok group blocks the capital of Chechnya from the north-west;
- December 20 - The Kizlyar group blocks the city from the east, 104th Guards. The traffic police are blocking the Argun Gorge. Lieutenant General Kvashnin becomes the commander of the OGV;
- December 24 - 28 - Battle of Khankala;
- December 31, 1994 - the beginning of the assault on Grozny;
- January 7, 1995 - change of tactics of federal forces. Airborne assault maneuver groups, supported by aviation and artillery, replaced armored groups that were ineffective in urban combat;
- January 9 - the airport is busy;
- January 19 - the Presidential Palace was taken;
- February 1 - Colonel General Kulikov becomes commander of the OGV;
- February 3 - creation of the southern group of the OGV, the beginning of attempts to block Grozny from the south;
- February 9 - exit to the federal highway Rostov-Baku;
- March 6, 1995 - Grozny came under the full control of the Federal Forces;
- March 10 - the beginning of the battles for Bamut;
- March 23 - Argun was captured;
- March 30 - Shali was taken;
- March 31 - Gudermes was captured;
- April 7 - 8 - operation in the village of Samashki;
- April 28 - May 11 - suspension of hostilities;
- May 12 - the beginning of the battles for Chiri-Yurt and Serzhen-Yurt;
- June 3 - capture of Vedeno;
- June 12 - Nozhai-Yurt and Shatoy were taken;
- June 14 - 19, 1995 - terrorist attack in Budennovsk;
- June 19 - 30 - 2 stages of negotiations between the Russian and Chechen sides, a moratorium on combat operations, the beginning of a guerrilla and sabotage war throughout Chechnya, local battles;
- July 19 - Lieutenant General Romanov becomes commander of the OGV;
- October 6 - assassination attempt on Lieutenant General Romanov;
- December 10 - 20 - active battles for Gudermes;
- January 9 - 18, 1996 - terrorist attack in Kizlyar;
- March 6 - 8 - fighting in the Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny;
- April 16 - an ambush on a convoy of the Russian army in the Argun Gorge (the village of Yaryshmardy);
- April 21, 1996 - liquidation of Dzhokhar Dudayev;
- May 24 - final capture of Bamut;
- May - July 1996 - negotiation process;
- July 9 - resumption of hostilities;
- August 6 - 22 - Operation Jihad;
- August 6 - 13 - militants invade Grozny, blockade of federal forces in the city;
- from August 13 - unblocking of OGV checkpoints, encirclement of Maskhadov’s forces;
- August 17 - ultimatum of General Pulikovsky;
- August 20 - return from vacation of the OGV commander, Lieutenant General Tikhomirov. Condemnation in Moscow of Pulikovsky's ultimatum;
- August 31 - signing of the Khasavyurt agreements. The end of the First Chechen War.
Khasavyurt agreements of 1996
After the events of August and their controversial coverage in the media, society once again spoke out for an end to the war. On August 31, 1996, the Khasavyurt Peace Agreement was signed, according to which the issue of the status of Chechnya was postponed for 5 years, and all federal forces were to immediately leave the territory of the republic.
The outbreak of the First War in Chechnya should have brought a quick victory, but instead the Russian army lost more than 5 thousand people killed, approximately 16 thousand wounded and 510 missing. There are other figures in which irretrievable losses vary from 4 to 14 thousand military personnel.
Killed militants number from 3 to 8 thousand, and civilian casualties are estimated at 19-25 thousand people. The maximum losses, therefore, can be estimated at 47 thousand people, and of the assigned tasks, only the liquidation of Dudayev was completed successfully.
The 1st Chechen War still serves as a symbol of “Yeltsin’s Russia” - a troubled period in our modern history. We do not undertake to judge unequivocally whether the signing of the Khasavyurt Agreement (and the events preceding it in August 1996) was a betrayal, but it is obvious that it did not solve the problems in Chechnya.
The first Chechen war officially began with the introduction of federal troops in December 1994, and ended with their withdrawal from the region in August 1996. This conflict became the largest internal Russian armed confrontation since the Great Patriotic War and caused a significant resonance in the domestic and international community.
First Chechen War: causes
The North Caucasus region has always been a “powder keg” within Russia. Conquest
These territories in the first half of the 19th century took place through bloody battles and thorough cleansing of fanatical paramilitary forces of the highlanders. The weakening of Soviet power at the turn of the eighties and nineties logically led to a weakening of control over local separatist elements. However, before perestroika they were not so strong, but on the eve of the collapse of the Union, Chechnya was overrun by radical Wahhabi preachers from Arab countries, who incited secession and the forcible cleansing of Chechen territories from the non-Muslim population. The teaching confessors did their job by eliminating the influence of the previous Sunni clergy and instructing the youth accordingly. As a result, by the fall of 1991, a significant military group was formed here, headed by Dzhokhar Dudayev. In September 1991, his guards captured the building of the Supreme Council of Ministers of the Republic and other strategic objects in Grozny, and later in other cities. In October, the previous government was dissolved, which was effectively a coup d'etat. Dzhokhar Dudayev announced the creation of a sovereign Ichkeria, which in practice actually enjoyed independence for more than three years. However, officially it remained part of the Russian Federation, and was not recognized by any country in the world. Three years of separatist rule have turned Chechnya into the most impoverished region of Russia. The number of murders was several times higher than in 1990. The state infrastructure was completely destroyed. The unemployment rate has reached its peak. All this was complemented by large-scale ethnic cleansing of the Slavic population, the slave trade, and the seizure of trains. The outrages took place not only with the consent, but also with the support of the new government. In 1994, the state of affairs in the region provoked the formation of an anti-Dudaev opposition, which resulted in a civil war between the local population. This was the last straw, which forced the government in Moscow to take specific measures.
Main episodes of the conflict
Federal troops entered the republic on December 11, 1995. However, a significant underestimation of the enemy's forces led to the fact that the first Chechen war became an unexpectedly long confrontation. According to Moscow's preliminary estimates, Dudayev had only a couple of hundred armed militants. In practice, there were about 13 thousand of them, moreover, the Chechen forces were generously sponsored from abroad and were able to invite a large number of mercenaries. The assault on Grozny lasted from December 1994 to early March 1995. By the summer of the same year, control was established over the lowland and mountainous regions of Chechnya. Negotiations began, which resulted in a truce and an agreement to hold elections. Such elections were carried out in December 1996, but they did not suit the militants, who continued the war with a terrorist attack in Kizlyar in January 1996, as well as an attempt to recapture Grozny in March. The first Chechen war continued. However, already in April it was possible to track down Dzhokhar Dudayev’s motorcade via radio signal, which was immediately destroyed by aircraft. Negotiations with the remnants of the separatists continued until August and ended with the Khasavyurt
agreements.
The first Chechen war: losses of both sides and consequences
According to the agreement, Russia withdrew its troops from the republic, but the decision on the status of Chechnya was postponed for five years. The agreements demonstrated Moscow's desire to avoid further escalation and resolve problems peacefully. However, they also returned the Chechen Republic to lack of control, an increase in crime and Wahhabi sentiments. This situation was corrected only as a result of the next deployment of troops. According to the Russian military, the number of those killed on their side was more than 4 thousand, more than 1 thousand missing, and there were almost 20 thousand wounded. According to Russian data, the number of militant losses is about 17 thousand, while the Chechens cite the figure at 3 thousand. But the first Chechen war brought about 50 thousand dead to the civilian population.