The period 1996-1999 in Chechnya is characterized by a gradual and deep criminalization of society, which led to a certain destabilization of the southern borders of Russia. Kidnappings, bombings and drug trafficking flourished, and it was not always possible to fight them, especially if Chechen bandits operated “on the road.” At the same time, the Russian leadership repeatedly turned to A. Maskhadov with an offer to provide assistance in the fight against organized crime, but received an invariable refusal. A new extremist movement in Chechnya - Wahhabism - was rapidly spreading in conditions of unemployment and social tension, although it was recognized as outlaw by the authorities of the self-proclaimed republic. The situation in the region was heating up.
The culmination of this process was the invasion of Chechen militants under the command of Sh. Basayev and Khattab into Russian territory, into Dagestan in August 1999. At the same time, the bandits were counting on the support of local Wahhabis, thanks to whom it was planned to then tear Dagestan away from Russia and thereby create the North Caucasus Emirate.
Beginning of the second Chechen war
However, the field commanders cruelly miscalculated, and the Russian army was no longer the same as it was 3 years ago. The militants almost immediately found themselves drawn into protracted fighting along the Chechen-Dagestan border - in a mountainous and wooded area. And if earlier the separatists were often “saved” by the mountains, now they had no advantage. The militants' hopes for broad support from the people of Dagestan were also not realized - on the contrary, the most severe resistance was offered to the invaders. As a result of the fighting in Dagestan during August, the Chechen gangs were completely driven back to the territory of Ichkeria, and relative calm established for several weeks.
However, already in the first half of September 1999, explosions occurred in residential buildings in Moscow, Volgodonsk and Buinaksk - and the traces of terrorist attacks led to Chechnya. These events put an end to the possibility of peaceful dialogue between Russia and Ichkeria.
Maskhadov's government officially condemned the actions of the militants, but in reality did absolutely nothing to prevent such actions. Taking this into account, on September 23, President of the Russian Federation B. Yeltsin signed a decree “On measures to increase the effectiveness of counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation,” according to which it was necessary to create a Joint Group of Forces and begin to destroy gangs and terrorist bases in the republic. On the same day, Russian aviation bombed Grozny, and a week later troops entered the territory of the republic.
During the fighting in the rebellious republic in the fall of 1999, the increased skill of the Russian army became noticeable. The troops, combining various tactics (for example, luring militants into minefields) and maneuvers, managed to partially destroy and push back the Chechen gangs to Grozny already in November-December. However, the Russian leadership did not intend to storm the city, which was announced by the commander of the eastern group of Russian troops, G. Troshev.
The Chechen side, meanwhile, relied on the internationalization of the conflict, attracting mujahideen, instructors and capital from near and far abroad, and primarily from Arab countries. The main, but not the only reason for their interest was, of course, oil. Peace in the North Caucasus would allow the Russian side to receive good profits from the exploitation of Caspian fields, which would be unprofitable for Arab countries. Another reason can be called the fashion for the radicalization of Islam, which then began to overwhelm the countries of the Middle East.
The Russian leadership, on the contrary, has relied on the massive recruitment of civilians and former Chechen fighters to its side. Thus, the most prominent figure who went over to the side of the federals was the Mufti of Ichkeria Akhmad Kadyrov, who declared jihad against Russia during the First Chechen War. Now, having condemned Wahhabism, he became an enemy of A. Maskhadov and headed the pro-Russian administration of Chechnya after the end of the Second Chechen War.
Storm of Grozny
By the winter of 1999-2000. Russian troops managed to block Grozny from the south. The initial decision to abandon the assault on the republican capital changed, and on December 26, an operation began to eliminate gangs in the city.
In the first days, the situation developed favorably for the federal troops. On the second day of the operation, the federals, with the assistance of pro-Russian Chechen police units, took control of the Staropromyslovsky district of the capital. However, on December 29, fierce fighting broke out on the streets of Grozny; federal units were surrounded, but were able to escape at the cost of serious losses. These battles forced the tempo of the offensive to slow down somewhat, but did not have any impact on the general situation.
In the following days, the Russian army continued to advance stubbornly, clearing more and more urban areas of militants. In the second half of January, fierce fighting broke out around a strategically important area - Minutka Square. Russian troops managed to oust the militants and take possession of this line. On February 6, 2000, the acting President of the Russian Federation V. Putin announced that the operation to liberate Grozny had been victoriously completed.
The course of the second Chechen war in 2000-2009.
Many Chechen fighters managed to escape from Grozny, and as a result the war entered the guerrilla stage. However, its intensity steadily decreased, and by 2002 the media began to talk about the “fading” of the Chechen conflict. However, in 2002-2005, militants committed a number of brutal and daring terrorist attacks (hostage-taking in a recreation center on Dubrovka (Moscow), at a school in Beslan, an unsuccessful raid in Kabardino-Balkaria), thereby demonstrating that the conflict is far from over .
It is worth noting that the period 2001-2005. was remembered for the frequent liquidations of the leaders of Chechen separatists and foreign fighters, as a result of which tension in the region significantly decreased. As a result, on April 15, 2009, the CTO (counter-terrorism operation) regime was abolished on the territory of the Chechen Republic.
Results of the war
Since then, the situation in Chechnya has practically stabilized, and the intensity of hostilities has decreased to almost zero. The new administration of the republic managed to restore order in the region and make Chechnya a completely safe place. Nevertheless, it should be noted that special operations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the army in the northern Caucasus continue - not only in Chechnya, but also in other areas. Therefore, the Second Chechen War can be called a completed chapter of history.
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The worst war in the history of the Russian Federation began in 1994. On December 1, 1994, Russian troops were introduced into the territory of the Chechen Republic. It was after these actions that the war in Chechnya began. The first Chechen war lasted 3 years, from 1994 to 1996.
Despite the fact that the war in Chechnya has been on newspaper pages and television screens for 3 years, many Russians still do not understand what led to this bloody conflict. Although many books have been written about the war in Chechnya, the reasons for the outbreak of the conflict in Chechnya remain quite vague. After the hostilities in Chechnya ended, Russians gradually ceased to be interested in this problem.
The beginning of the war in Chechnya, the causes of the conflict
After the collapse of the USSR, a presidential decree was issued, according to which Chechnya received state sovereignty, which could allow it to secede from the Russian Federation. Despite the desire of the people, Chechnya failed to secede from the Russian Federation, since already in 1992 power was seized by Dudayev, who was extremely popular among the Chechen people.
Dudayev's popularity was due to his politics. The goals of the Chechen leader were quite simple and appealed to the common people:
- Unite the entire Caucasus under the flag of the Mountain Republic;
- Achieve complete independence of Chechnya.
Since after the collapse of the USSR, various ethnic groups living in Chechnya began to openly conflict with each other, the people joyfully welcomed their new leader, whose political program promised to end all these troubles.
During the 3 years of Dudayev’s rule, the republic slipped decades backward in development. If 3 years ago there was relative order in Chechnya, then since 1994, such bodies as the police, courts and prosecutor's office have completely disappeared in the republic. All this provoked the growth of organized crime. After 3 years of Dudayev’s rule, almost every second criminal in Russia was a resident of the Chechen Republic.
Since after the collapse of the USSR many republics decided to break with Russia and follow their own path of development, the Chechen Republic also declared a desire to secede from Russia. Under pressure from the Kremlin elite, Russian President Boris Yeltsin decided to overthrow the Dudayev regime, which was recognized as criminal and outright gangster. On December 11, 1994, Russian soldiers entered the territory of the Chechen Republic, marking the beginning of the Chechen war.
According to the forecasts of the Russian Minister for National Affairs, the entry of Russian troops into Chechen territory should have taken place with the support of 70 percent of the local population. The fierce resistance of the Chechen people came as a complete surprise to the Russian government. Dudayev and his supporters managed to convince the Chechen people that the invasion of Russian troops would only bring enslavement to the republic.
Most likely, the negative attitude of the Chechen people towards the Russian military was formed back in 1944, when the Chechen people were subjected to mass repression and deportation. Almost every Chechen family had deaths. People died from cold and hunger, and most of them never returned to their homeland. The old people still remembered the executions for which the Stalinist regime was famous, and encouraged the youth to resist to the last drop of blood.
Based on all of the above, you can understand what the essence of the war in Chechnya was:
- The criminal regime of Dudayev was not satisfied with establishing order in the republic, since the bandits would inevitably have to curtail their activities;
- Chechnya's decision to secede from the Russian Federation did not suit the Kremlin elite;
- The desire of the Chechen “elite” to create an Islamic state;
- Chechen protest against the entry of Russian troops.
Naturally, oil interests were not in last place.
First Chechen War, chronicles
The first Chechen war began with the fact that Dudayev’s militants received reinforcements from those from whom Russia expected help for itself. All Chechen groups that were in opposition to the Dudayev regime suddenly united in the fight against Russian military personnel. Thus, the operation, which was planned to be short-term, turned into the first Chechen war, which ended only in 1996.
Chechen militants were able to provide very worthy resistance to the Russian army. Since after the withdrawal of Soviet troops a lot of weapons remained on the territory of the republic, almost all residents of Chechnya were armed. In addition, the militants had established channels for the delivery of weapons from abroad. History remembers many cases when the Russian military sold weapons to the Chechens, which they used against them.
The Russian military command had information that Dudayev's Chechen army consisted of only a few hundred militants, but they did not take into account that there would be more than just one participant on the Chechen side. Dudayev's army was constantly replenished with members of the opposition and volunteers from the local population. Modern history has come to the conclusion that about 13 thousand militants fought on Dudayev’s side, not counting the mercenaries who constantly replenished the ranks of their troops.
The first Chechen war began extremely unsuccessfully for Russia. In particular, an operation was undertaken to storm Grozny, as a result of which the war in Chechnya was supposed to end. This attack was launched in an extremely unprofessional manner; the Russian command simply threw all its forces into the assault. As a result of this operation, the Russian troops lost almost all of their available armored vehicles (the total number of which was 250 units). Although Russian troops captured Grozny after three months of fierce fighting, the operation showed that Chechen fighters were a serious force to be reckoned with.
The first Chechen war after the capture of Grozny
After Grozny was captured by Russian troops, the war in Chechnya in 1995-1996 moved to the mountains, gorges and villages. The information that Russian special forces are slaughtering entire villages is not true. Civilians fled to the mountains, and abandoned towns and villages turned into fortifications for militants, who often disguised themselves as civilians. Often, women and children were used to deceive the special forces and were released to meet Russian troops.
The summer of 1995 was marked by relative calm as Russian forces took control of the mountainous and lowland regions of Chechnya. In the winter of 1996, militants attempted to recapture the city of Grozny. The war resumed with renewed vigor.
In April, Russian forces were able to locate the leader of the militants, Dudayev, along with his motorcade. Aviation immediately responded to this information, and the motorcade was destroyed. For a long time, residents of Chechnya did not believe that Dudayev had been destroyed, but the remnants of the separatists agreed to sit down at the negotiating table, as a result of which the Khasavyurt agreements were reached.
On August 1, 1996, a document was signed that meant the end of the first Chechen war. The ended military conflict left behind devastation and poverty. After the war, Chechnya was a republic in which it was almost impossible to make money through peaceful means. Legally, the Chechen Republic gained independence, although the new state was not officially recognized by any world power, including Russia.
After Russian troops were withdrawn, Chechnya was hit by a post-war crisis:
- No one restored the destroyed cities and villages;
- Purges were carried out regularly, as a result of which all representatives of non-Chechen nationality were killed or expelled;
- The economy in the republic was completely destroyed;
- Bandit formations received actual power in Chechnya.
This state of affairs lasted until 1999, when Chechen militants decided to invade Dagestan to help the Wahhabis establish an Islamic republic there. This invasion provoked the start of the second Chechen campaign, since the creation of an independent Islamic state posed a great danger to Russia.
Second Chechen War
The counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, which lasted for 10 years, is unofficially called the second Chechen war. The impetus for the start of this war was the entry of Russian armed forces into the territory of the Chechen Republic. Although large-scale hostilities lasted only about a year, fighting continued until 2009.
Although the Khasavyurt agreements satisfied both sides at the time of signing, there was no peace in the Chechen Republic. Chechnya was still ruled by bandits who made a business out of kidnapping people. Moreover, these abductions were of a massive nature. The media of those years regularly reported that Chechen gangs had taken hostages for ransom. The bandits did not know who to capture. Both Russians and foreigners who worked or covered events in Chechnya became hostages. The bandits grabbed everyone:
- Journalists lured with promises of sensational reporting;
- Red Cross employees who came to help the Chechen people;
- Religious figures and even those who came to Chechnya for the funeral of their relatives.
In 1998, a French citizen was kidnapped and spent 11 months in captivity. In the same year, bandits kidnapped four employees of the company from Great Britain, who were brutally killed three months later.
The bandits made money in all areas:
- Sale of oil stolen from wells and overpasses;
- Sale, manufacture and transportation of drugs;
- Production of counterfeit banknotes;
- Act of terrorism;
- Predatory attacks on neighboring regions.
The main reason why the second Chechen war began was the huge number of training camps in which militants and terrorists were trained. The core of these schools were Arab volunteers who learned military science from professional instructors in Pakistan.
These schools tried to “infect” not only the Chechen people, but also the regions neighboring Chechnya with the ideas of separatism.
The last straw for the Russian government was the kidnapping of the plenipotentiary representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Chechnya, Gennady Shpigun. This fact became a signal that the Chechen government is unable to fight terrorism and banditry, which have spread throughout the republic.
The situation in Chechnya on the eve of the second Chechen war
Before starting hostilities and not wanting a second Chechen war to break out, the Russian government took a number of measures that were supposed to cut off the flow of money to Chechen bandits and militants:
- Self-defense units were created throughout the Chechen Republic and received weapons;
- All police units were reinforced;
- Operational employees of the department for combating ethnic crimes were sent to the Caucasus;
- Several firing points were set up, equipped with rocket launchers designed to carry out targeted strikes on concentrations of militants;
- Strict economic sanctions were adopted against Chechnya, which led to problems with conducting criminal business;
- Border controls were strengthened, which resulted in drug trafficking;
- Gasoline made from stolen oil has become impossible to sell outside Chechnya.
In addition, a serious fight unfolded against criminal groups that financed the militants.
Invasion of Chechen militants into the territory of Dagestan
Deprived of their main sources of funding, Chechen militants, under the leadership of Khattab and Basayev, were preparing to seize Dagestan. Since August 1999, they have carried out several dozen military operations of a reconnaissance nature, although during these operations dozens of military and civilians were killed. Reconnaissance in force showed that the militants did not have enough strength to overcome the resistance of the federal troops. Realizing this, the militants decided to strike the mountainous part of Dagestan, where there were no troops.
On August 7, 1999, Chechen militants, reinforced by Khattab's Arab mercenaries, invaded the territory of Dagestan. Shamil Basayev, who led this operation along with field commander Khattab, was confident that the Chechen fighters, assisted by professional mercenaries associated with al-Qaeda, would easily be able to carry out this invasion. However, the local population did not support the militants, but, on the contrary, resisted them.
While the federal troops of Ichkeria were holding back the Chechen militants, the Russian leadership proposed conducting a joint military operation against the Islamists. In addition, the Russian side offered to take on the problem of destroying all bases and warehouses of militants that were located on the territory of Chechnya. The President of the Chechen Republic, Aslan Maskhadov, assured the Russian authorities that he knew nothing about such underground bases on the territory of his country.
Although the confrontation between the federal troops of Dagestan and the Chechen militants lasted a whole month, in the end, the bandits had to retreat to the territory of Chechnya. Suspecting the Russian authorities of providing military assistance to Dagestan, the militants decided to take revenge.
Between September 4 and September 16, residential building explosions occurred in several Russian cities, including Moscow. Taking these actions as a challenge, and realizing that Aslan Maskhadov is not able to control the situation in the Chechen Republic, Russia decides to conduct a military operation, the goal of which was the complete destruction of illegal gangs.
On September 18, Russian troops completely blocked the Chechen borders, and on September 23, the Russian President signed a decree on the creation of a joint group of troops to conduct a large-scale anti-terrorist operation. On the same day, Russian troops began bombing Grozny, and on September 30 they invaded the territory of the republic.
Features of the second Chechen war
During the second Chechen war, the Russian command took into account the mistakes made in 1994-1996 and no longer relied on brute force. The military relied on military stratagems, luring militants into various traps (including minefields), infiltrating agents among the militants, and so on.
After the main centers of resistance were broken, the Kremlin began to win over the elite of Chechen society and former authoritative field commanders. The militants relied on gangs of non-Chechen origin. These actions turned the Chechen people against them, and when the leaders of the militants were destroyed (closer to 2005), the organized resistance of the militants ceased. There were no significant terrorist attacks between 2005 and 2008, although several major terrorist attacks were carried out by militants after the end of the second Chechen war in 2010.
Heroes and veterans of the Chechen war
The first and second Chechen campaigns were the bloodiest military conflicts in the entire history of new Russia. Most of all, in this war, reminiscent of the war in Afghanistan, the Russian special forces distinguished themselves. Many, while paying off their soldier's duty, did not return home. Those servicemen who participated in the hostilities of 1994-1996 were given veteran status.
Armed conflict in 1994-1996 (first Chechen war)
The Chechen armed conflict of 1994-1996 - military actions between Russian federal troops (forces) and armed formations of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, created in violation of the legislation of the Russian Federation.
In the fall of 1991, in the context of the beginning of the collapse of the USSR, the leadership of the Chechen Republic declared the state sovereignty of the republic and its secession from the USSR and the RSFSR. The bodies of Soviet power on the territory of the Chechen Republic were dissolved, the laws of the Russian Federation were repealed. The formation of the armed forces of Chechnya began, led by Supreme Commander-in-Chief President of the Chechen Republic Dzhokhar Dudayev. Defense lines were built in Grozny, as well as bases for waging sabotage warfare in mountainous areas.
The Dudayev regime had, according to the calculations of the Ministry of Defense, 11-12 thousand people (according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, up to 15 thousand) of regular troops and 30-40 thousand people of armed militia, of which 5 thousand were mercenaries from Afghanistan, Iran, Jordan, and the North Caucasus republics and etc.
On December 9, 1994, President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin signed Decree No. 2166 “On measures to suppress the activities of illegal armed groups on the territory of the Chechen Republic and in the zone of the Ossetian-Ingush conflict.” On the same day, the Government of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution No. 1360, which provided for the disarmament of these formations by force.
On December 11, 1994, the movement of troops began in the direction of the Chechen capital - the city of Grozny. On December 31, 1994, troops, by order of the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, began the assault on Grozny. Russian armored columns were stopped and blocked by Chechens in different areas of the city, and the combat units of the federal forces that entered Grozny suffered heavy losses.
(Military encyclopedia. Moscow. In 8 volumes, 2004)
The further course of events was extremely negatively affected by the failure of the eastern and western groupings of troops; the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs also failed to complete the assigned task.
Fighting stubbornly, federal troops took Grozny on February 6, 1995. After the capture of Grozny, the troops began to destroy illegal armed groups in other settlements and in the mountainous regions of Chechnya.
From April 28 to May 12, 1995, according to the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation, a moratorium on the use of armed force in Chechnya was implemented.
Illegal armed groups (IAF), using the negotiation process that had begun, redeployed part of their forces from mountainous regions to the locations of Russian troops, formed new groups of militants, fired at checkpoints and positions of federal forces, and organized terrorist attacks of unprecedented scale in Budennovsk (June 1995), Kizlyar and Pervomaisky (January 1996).
On August 6, 1996, federal troops, after heavy defensive battles, having suffered heavy losses, left Grozny. INVFs also entered Argun, Gudermes and Shali.
On August 31, 1996, cessation of hostilities agreements were signed in Khasavyurt, ending the first Chechen war. After the conclusion of the agreement, the troops were withdrawn from the territory of Chechnya in an extremely short period of time from September 21 to December 31, 1996.
On May 12, 1997, a Treaty on Peace and Principles of Relations between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria was concluded.
The Chechen side, not observing the terms of the agreement, took the line towards the immediate secession of the Chechen Republic from Russia. Terror against employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and representatives of local authorities intensified, and attempts to rally the population of other North Caucasian republics around Chechnya on an anti-Russian basis intensified.
Counter-terrorism operation in Chechnya in 1999-2009 (second Chechen war)
In September 1999, a new phase of the Chechen military campaign began, which was called the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus (CTO). The reason for the start of the operation was the massive invasion of Dagestan on August 7, 1999 from the territory of Chechnya by militants under the overall command of Shamil Basayev and the Arab mercenary Khattab. The group included foreign mercenaries and Basayev’s militants.
Fighting between federal forces and invading militants continued for more than a month, ending with the militants being forced to retreat from the territory of Dagestan back to Chechnya.
On these same days - September 4-16 - a series of terrorist attacks were carried out in several cities of Russia (Moscow, Volgodonsk and Buinaksk) - explosions of residential buildings.
Considering Maskhadov’s inability to control the situation in Chechnya, the Russian leadership decided to conduct a military operation to destroy the militants on the territory of Chechnya. On September 18, the borders of Chechnya were blocked by Russian troops. On September 23, the President of the Russian Federation issued a Decree “On measures to increase the effectiveness of counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation,” providing for the creation of a Joint Group of Troops (Forces) in the North Caucasus to conduct counter-terrorism operations.
On September 23, Russian aircraft began bombing the capital of Chechnya and its environs. On September 30, a ground operation began - armored units of the Russian army from the Stavropol Territory and Dagestan entered the territory of the Naur and Shelkovsky regions of the republic.
In December 1999, the entire flat part of the territory of the Chechen Republic was liberated. The militants concentrated in the mountains (about 3,000 people) and settled in Grozny. On February 6, 2000, Grozny was taken under the control of federal forces. To fight in the mountainous regions of Chechnya, in addition to the eastern and western groups operating in the mountains, a new group “Center” was created.
On February 25-27, 2000, units of the “West” blocked Kharsenoy, and the group “East” closed the militants in the area of Ulus-Kert, Dachu-Borzoi, and Yaryshmardy. On March 2, Ulus-Kert was liberated.
The last large-scale operation was the liquidation of Ruslan Gelayev’s group in the area of the village. Komsomolskoye, which ended on March 14, 2000. After this, the militants switched to sabotage and terrorist methods of warfare, and federal forces countered the terrorists with the actions of special forces and operations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
During the CTO in Chechnya in 2002, hostages were taken in Moscow at the Theater Center on Dubrovka. In 2004, hostages were taken at school number 1 in the city of Beslan in North Ossetia.
By the beginning of 2005, after the destruction of Maskhadov, Khattab, Barayev, Abu al-Walid and many other field commanders, the intensity of sabotage and terrorist activities of the militants decreased significantly. The only large-scale operation of the militants (the raid on Kabardino-Balkaria on October 13, 2005) ended in failure.
From midnight on April 16, 2009, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) of Russia, on behalf of President Dmitry Medvedev, abolished the CTO regime on the territory of the Chechen Republic.
The material was prepared based on information from open sources
- a military conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, which took place mainly on the territory of Chechnya from 1999 to 2002.In Russia, political figures expressed dissatisfaction with the results of the Khasavyurt agreements, believing that the Chechen problem was not resolved, but was only postponed. Under these conditions, a new military campaign was only a matter of time. In addition, between 1996 and 1999, the terrorist activities of the Chechens against civilians on Russian territory continued. At least 8 large-scale terrorist attacks were carried out at this time, of which the most resonant was the explosion of a residential building in Kaspiysk (Dagestan), which killed 69 people; attack by al-Khattab's group on a military base in Buynaksk; and an explosion at a market in the city of Vladikavkaz (North Ossetia) that killed 64 people.
The next phase of the conflict begins in September 1999. This is another escalation of the conflict and is called the Second Chechen War. There are different assessments regarding its completion or incompleteness. Most sources close to the Russian government consider the war to be complete and Chechnya to have entered a peaceful phase of post-conflict development. An alternative view is that stability in Chechnya is a relative concept and is maintained only by the Russian army units stationed there. It’s hard to call this state of things post-conflict. In any case, the phase of active hostilities is over. What is now taking place in Chechnya can be called a post-conflict settlement, but it is very complex, tense and unpredictable.
At the beginning of the Second Chechen War, the Russian leadership made it clear in every possible way that they had learned the lessons of the world war. This mainly concerned the information support of the war and its tactics. There were more Russian troops, including more experienced units, and they tried to avoid casualties among personnel. To achieve this, artillery preparation and aerial bombardment continued before the introduction of infantry into battle. This slowed down the pace of the operation, but the Russians did not need to rush. Slowly moving deeper into the territory of Chechnya, they first tried to establish control over its northern part (up to the Terek River) and thus form a buffer zone. However, later, in October, Russian troops crossed the Terek River and began preparations for the assault on Grozny. The operation to capture the Chechen capital lasted about three months and cost Russian troops serious losses. Sources differ significantly on the exact number, but on average daily losses can be estimated at approximately 40-50 soldiers. Prolonged shelling almost razed Grozny to the ground. Finally, the capital was taken, some of the Chechen troops left the city, others died. The center of resistance of the Chechens then shifts to the mountainous regions, and they turn to guerrilla warfare. Russian federal authorities are beginning to restore control over the republic.
In the course of this restoration, the main stages were the approval by a referendum of the new Constitution of Chechnya and the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections. Chechnya demanded the restoration of law and order, since since 2000, terrorist attacks have constantly continued in the country. As a result of one of them, in 2004, the President of Chechnya, a protege of Moscow, Akhmat Kadyrov, was killed. Under strong administrative pressure, the new Constitution came into force; The pro-Russian Alu Alkhanov became president, and the son of the murdered Akhmat Kadyrov, Ramzan, became the head of government.
During the most active phase of the Second Chechen War, in 1999-2002, according to various estimates, from 9,000 to 11,000 military personnel of the Russian army died. In 2003, losses were at the level of 3,000 people. Losses among the civilian Chechen population are estimated at 15,000-24,000 people.
Chronology of main events
March 1999 - the kidnapping of a representative of the Russian government, Major General Gennady Spion, in Grozny, which became the reason for preparing the Russian army for the next military campaign in Chechnya. General Spy was killed by Chechens in 2000.
August 1999 - escalation of the conflict in Dagestan, in which Chechen militants under the leadership of Shamil Basayev intervene. In response, Russian aircraft carry out a series of bombing attacks on the southeast of Chechnya and Grozny.
September 1999 - a series of explosions in residential buildings in Buinaksk (Dagestan), Moscow and Volgodonsk, which killed 293 people. Shamil Basayev denied his involvement in all these incidents. But rumors appeared about the involvement of Russian special services in them. However, they remain unconfirmed.
September 29, 1999 - Russia issued an ultimatum to Chechnya demanding the extradition of the organizers of the explosions.
September 30, 1999 - the beginning of the offensive operation of Russian troops in Chechnya. Second Chechen war.
November 1999 - the beginning of the long siege of Grozny.
January 2000 - Russian troops established control over the center of Grozny.
March 2000 - Chechens switch to guerrilla warfare, which continues.
May 2000 - Vladimir Putin introduces direct presidential rule in Chechnya.
Notes
8.12.2006, 12:29 New evidence of al-Qaeda’s support for Chechen militants
10-07-2003 14:37 “IZVESTIA”: Alex Alexiev: “In the USA and Russia there is one enemy - Saudi Wahhabism”
Address by Amir Supyan. Spring 1430 hours (2009)
The Second Chechen War also had an official name - the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, or CTO for short. But the common name is more known and widespread. The war affected almost the entire territory of Chechnya and the adjacent regions of the North Caucasus. It began on September 30, 1999 with the deployment of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The most active phase can be called the years of the second Chechen war from 1999 to 2000. This was the peak of attacks. In subsequent years, the second Chechen war took on the character of local skirmishes between separatists and Russian soldiers. The year 2009 was marked by the official abolition of the CTO regime.
The second Chechen war brought a lot of destruction. Photographs taken by journalists demonstrate this perfectly.
Background
The first and second Chechen wars have a small time gap. After the Khasavyurt Agreement was signed in 1996 and Russian troops were withdrawn from the republic, the authorities expected calm to return. However, peace was never established in Chechnya.
Criminal structures have significantly intensified their activities. They made an impressive business from such a criminal act as kidnapping for ransom. Their victims included both Russian journalists and official representatives, and members of foreign public, political and religious organizations. The bandits did not hesitate to kidnap people who came to Chechnya for the funerals of loved ones. Thus, in 1997, two citizens of Ukraine were captured who arrived in the republic in connection with the death of their mother. Businessmen and workers from Turkey were regularly captured. Terrorists profited from oil theft, drug trafficking, and the production and distribution of counterfeit money. They committed outrages and kept the civilian population in fear.
In March 1999, the authorized representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for Chechen affairs, G. Shpigun, was captured at the Grozny airport. This blatant case showed the complete inconsistency of the President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Maskhadov. The federal center decided to strengthen control over the republic. Elite operational units were sent to the North Caucasus, the purpose of which was to fight gangs. From the side of the Stavropol Territory, a number of missile launchers were deployed, intended for delivering targeted ground strikes. An economic blockade was also introduced. The flow of cash injections from Russia has sharply decreased. In addition, it has become increasingly difficult for bandits to smuggle drugs abroad and take hostages. There was nowhere to sell the gasoline produced in underground factories. In mid-1999, the border between Chechnya and Dagestan turned into a militarized zone.
The gangs did not abandon their attempts to unofficially seize power. Groups led by Khattab and Basayev made forays into the territory of Stavropol and Dagestan. As a result, dozens of military personnel and police officers were killed.
On September 23, 1999, Russian President Boris Yeltsin officially signed a decree on the creation of the United Group of Forces. Its goal was to conduct a counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus. Thus began the second Chechen war.
Nature of the conflict
The Russian Federation acted very skillfully. With the help of tactical techniques (luring the enemy into a minefield, surprise raids on small settlements), significant results were achieved. After the active phase of the war had passed, the main goal of the command was to establish a truce and attract the former leaders of the gangs to their side. The militants, on the contrary, relied on giving the conflict an international character, calling on representatives of radical Islam from all over the world to participate in it.
By 2005, terrorist activity had decreased significantly. Between 2005 and 2008, there were no major attacks on civilians or clashes with official troops. However, in 2010, a number of tragic terrorist acts occurred (explosions in the Moscow metro, at Domodedovo airport).
Second Chechen War: Beginning
On June 18, the ChRI carried out two attacks at once on the border in the direction of Dagestan, as well as on a company of Cossacks in the Stavropol region. After this, most of the checkpoints into Chechnya from Russia were closed.
On June 22, 1999, an attempt was made to blow up the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of our country. This fact was noted for the first time in the entire history of the existence of this ministry. The bomb was discovered and promptly defused.
On June 30, the Russian leadership gave permission to use military weapons against gangs on the border with CRI.
Attack on the Republic of Dagestan
On August 1, 1999, the armed detachments of the Khasavyurt region, as well as the citizens of Chechnya supporting them, announced that they were introducing Sharia rule in their region.
On August 2, militants from the ChRI provoked a fierce clash between Wahhabis and riot police. As a result, several people died on both sides.
On August 3, a shootout occurred between police officers and Wahhabis in the Tsumadinsky district of the river. Dagestan. There were some losses. Shamil Basayev, one of the leaders of the Chechen opposition, announces the creation of an Islamic shura, which had its own troops. They established control over several regions in Dagestan. Local authorities of the republic are asking the center to issue military weapons to protect civilians from terrorists.
The next day, the separatists were driven back from the regional center of Agvali. More than 500 people dug in in positions that had been prepared in advance. They made no demands and did not enter into negotiations. It became known that they were holding three policemen.
At noon on August 4, on the road in the Botlikh district, a group of armed militants opened fire on a squad of Ministry of Internal Affairs officers who were trying to stop a car for an inspection. As a result, two terrorists were killed, and there were no casualties among the security forces. The village of Kekhni was hit by two powerful missile and bomb attacks by Russian attack aircraft. It was there, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, that a detachment of militants stopped.
On August 5, it becomes known that a major terrorist attack is being prepared on the territory of Dagestan. 600 militants were going to penetrate into the center of the republic through the village of Kekhni. They wanted to seize Makhachkala and sabotage the government. However, representatives of the center of Dagestan denied this information.
The period from August 9 to 25 was remembered for the battle for the Donkey Ear height. The militants fought with paratroopers from Stavropol and Novorossiysk.
Between September 7 and September 14, large groups led by Basayev and Khattab invaded from Chechnya. The devastating battles continued for about a month.
Air bombing of Chechnya
On August 25, Russian armed forces attacked terrorist bases in the Vedeno Gorge. More than a hundred militants were killed from the air.
In the period from September 6 to 18, Russian aviation continues its massive bombing of separatist concentration areas. Despite the protest of the Chechen authorities, the security forces say that they will act as necessary in the fight against terrorists.
On September 23, the forces of central aviation bombed Grozny and its environs. As a result, power plants, oil plants, a mobile communications center, and radio and television buildings were destroyed.
On September 27, V.V. Putin rejected the possibility of a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Chechnya.
Ground operation
Since September 6, Chechnya has been under martial law. Maskhadov calls on his citizens to declare gazavat to Russia.
On October 8, in the village of Mekenskaya, militant Akhmed Ibragimov shot 34 people of Russian nationality. Three of them were children. At the village meeting, Ibragimov was beaten to death with sticks. The mullah forbade his body to be buried.
The next day they occupied a third of the CRI territory and moved on to the second phase of hostilities. The main goal is the destruction of gangs.
On November 25, the President of Chechnya appealed to Russian soldiers to surrender and be taken prisoner.
In December 1999, Russian military forces liberated almost all of Chechnya from militants. About 3,000 terrorists dispersed across the mountains and also hid in Grozny.
Until February 6, 2000, the siege of the capital of Chechnya continued. After the capture of Grozny, massive fighting came to an end.
Situation in 2009
Despite the fact that the counter-terrorism operation was officially stopped, the situation in Chechnya did not become calmer, but on the contrary, it worsened. Incidents of explosions have become more frequent, and militants have become more active again. In the fall of 2009, a number of operations were carried out aimed at destroying gangs. The militants respond with major terrorist attacks, including in Moscow. By mid-2010, there was an escalation of the conflict.
Second Chechen War: results
Any military action causes damage to both property and people. Despite the compelling reasons for the second Chechen war, the pain from the death of loved ones cannot be relieved or forgotten. According to statistics, 3,684 people were lost on the Russian side. 2178 representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation were killed. The FSB lost 202 of its employees. More than 15,000 terrorists were killed. The number of civilians killed during the war is not precisely established. According to official data, it is about 1000 people.
Cinema and books about war
The fighting did not leave artists, writers, and directors indifferent. The photographs are dedicated to such an event as the second Chechen war. There are regular exhibitions where you can see works reflecting the destruction left behind by the fighting.
The second Chechen war still causes a lot of controversy. The film "Purgatory", based on real events, perfectly reflects the horror of that period. The most famous books were written by A. Karasev. These are "Chechen Stories" and "Traitor".