The first Chechen war 1994 1996 summary. Chechen War: causes and results

On September 30, 1999, the first units of the Russian army entered the territory of Chechnya. The Second Chechen War or - officially - the counter-terrorism operation - lasted almost ten years, from 1999 to 2009. Its beginning was preceded by the attack of militants Shamil Basayev and Khattab on Dagestan and a series of terrorist attacks in Buinaksk, Volgodonsk and Moscow, which occurred from September 4 to 16, 1999.

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Russia was shocked by a series of monstrous terrorist attacks in 1999. On the night of September 4, a house in the military town of Buynaksk (Dagestan) was blown up. 64 people were killed and 146 were injured. This terrible crime in itself could not shake up the country; similar precedents in the North Caucasus have become a common occurrence in recent years. But subsequent events showed that now residents of not a single Russian city, including the capital, can feel completely safe. The next explosions occurred in Moscow. On the night of September 9-10 and September 13 (at 5 a.m.), two apartment buildings located on the street were blown up along with the sleeping residents. Guryanov (109 people were killed, more than 200 were injured) and on Kashirskoye Highway (more than 124 people were killed). Another explosion occurred in the center of Volgodonsk (Rostov region), where 17 people were killed and 310 were injured. According to the official version, the terrorist attacks were carried out by terrorists who were trained in Khattab's sabotage camps on the territory of Chechnya.

These events dramatically changed the mood in society. The average person, faced with an unprecedented threat, was ready to support any forceful action against the breakaway republic. Unfortunately, few people paid attention to the fact that the terrorist attacks themselves became an indicator of the biggest failure of the Russian special services, who were unable to prevent them. In addition, it is difficult to completely exclude the version of involvement of the FSB in the explosions, especially after the mysterious events in Ryazan. Here on the evening of September 22, 1999, bags with hexogen and a detonator were discovered in the basement of one of the houses. On September 24, local security officers detained two suspects, and it turned out that they were active FSB officers from Moscow. Lubyanka urgently announced “conducted anti-terrorism exercises,” and subsequent attempts to independently investigate these events were suppressed by the authorities.

Regardless of who was behind the mass murder of Russian citizens, the Kremlin took full advantage of the events that took place. Now it was no longer about protecting Russian territory proper in the North Caucasus, or even about the blockade of Chechnya, reinforced by the bombing that had already begun. The Russian leadership, with some delay, began to implement the plan prepared back in March 1999 for the next invasion of the “rebel republic.”

On October 1, 1999, federal forces entered the territory of the republic. The northern regions (Naursky, Shelkovsky and Nadterechny) were occupied almost without a fight. The Russian leadership decided not to stop at the Terek (as originally planned), but to continue the offensive across the flat part of Chechnya. At this stage, in order to avoid major losses (which could bring down the ratings of Yeltsin’s “successor”), the main emphasis was placed on the use of heavy weapons, which allowed the federal forces to avoid contact battles. In addition to this, the Russian command used negotiation tactics with local elders and field commanders. The former were forced to force the Chechen detachments to leave populated areas, threatening, otherwise, massive air and artillery strikes. The latter were offered to go over to the side of Russia and jointly fight the Wahhabis. In some places this tactic was successful. On November 12, the commander of the Vostok group, General G. Troshev, occupied Gudermes, the second largest city of the republic, without a fight; local field commanders, the Yamadayev brothers (two of the three) went over to the side of the federal forces. And the commander of the “West” group, V. Shamanov, preferred forceful methods of resolving problems that arose. Thus, the village of Bamut was completely destroyed as a result of the November assault, but Russian units occupied the regional center of Achkhoy-Martan without a fight.

The “carrot and stick” method used by the federal group worked flawlessly for another reason. In the flat part of the republic, the defense capabilities of the Chechen army were extremely limited. Sh. Basayev was well aware of the advantage of the Russian side in firepower. In this regard, he defended the option of the Chechen army withdrawing to the southern mountainous regions of the republic. Here, federal forces, deprived of the support of armored vehicles and limited in the use of aviation, would inevitably face the prospect of contact battles, which the Russian command stubbornly tried to avoid. The opponent of this plan was Chechen President A. Maskhadov. While continuing to call on the Kremlin for peaceful negotiations, he did not want to surrender the capital of the republic without a fight. Being an idealist, A. Maskhadov believed that large one-time losses during the assault on Grozny would force the Russian leadership to begin peace negotiations.

In the first half of December, federal forces occupied almost the entire flat part of the republic. Chechen troops concentrated in the mountainous regions, but a fairly large garrison continued to hold Grozny, which was captured by Russian troops in early 2000 during stubborn and bloody battles. This ended the active phase of the war. In subsequent years, Russian special forces, together with local loyal forces, were engaged in clearing the territories of Chechnya and Dagestan from the remaining gangs of formations.

The problem of the status of the Chechen Republic by 2003–2004. leaves the current political agenda: the republic returns to the political and legal space of Russia, takes its position as a subject of the Russian Federation, with elected authorities and a procedurally approved republican Constitution. Doubts about the legal validity of these procedures are unlikely to seriously change their results, which depend decisively on the ability of the federal and republican authorities to ensure the irreversibility of Chechnya's transition to the problems and concerns of peaceful life. Two serious threats remain within the framework of such a transition: (a) indiscriminate violence on the part of federal forces, again tying the sympathies of the Chechen population to the cells/practices of terrorist resistance and thereby increasing the dangerous “occupation effect” - the effect of alienation between [Russia] and [ Chechens] as “parties to the conflict”; and (b) the establishment in the republic of a closed authoritarian regime, legitimized and protected by federal authorities and alienated from broad layers/territorial or teip groups of the Chechen population. These two threats are capable of cultivating the soil in Chechnya for the return of mass illusions and actions related to the separation of the republic from Russia.

The head of the republic becomes the Mufti of Chechnya, who defected to Russia, Akhmat Kadyrov, who died on May 9, 2004 as a result of a terrorist attack. His successor was his son, Ramzan Kadyrov.

Gradually, with the cessation of foreign funding and the death of underground leaders, the militants' activity decreased. The federal center has sent and continues to send large amounts of money to help and restore peaceful life in Chechnya. Units of the Ministry of Defense and Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs are permanently stationed in Chechnya to maintain order in the republic. It is not yet clear whether the Ministry of Internal Affairs troops will remain in Chechnya after the CTO is abolished.

Assessing the current situation, we can say that the fight against separatism in Chechnya has successfully ended. However, the victory cannot be called final. The North Caucasus is a rather restless region, in which various forces, both local and supported from abroad, are operating, seeking to fan the flames of a new conflict, so the final stabilization of the situation in the region is still far away.

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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 attacks 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 August 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. 2,178 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".

The article briefly talks about the first Chechen war (1994-1996), which was waged by Russia on the territory of Chechnya. The conflict led to heavy losses among Russian military personnel, as well as among the Chechen civilian population.

The course of the first Chechen war
Results of the first Chechen war

Causes of the first Chechen war

As a result of the events of 1991 and the secession of republics from the USSR, similar processes began in the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The nationalist movement in the republic was led by former Soviet general D. Dudayev. In 1991, he proclaimed the creation of the independent Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (CRI). A coup d'etat took place, as a result of which representatives of the previous government were overthrown. The nationalists took over the main government institutions. Boris Yeltsin's introduction of a state of emergency in the republic could no longer change anything. The withdrawal of Russian troops begins.
CRI was an unrecognized republic not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Power relied on military force and criminal structures. The sources of income for the new government were the slave trade, robberies, and trade in drugs and oil from the Russian pipeline passing through the territory of Chechnya.
In 1993, D. Dudayev carried out another coup d'etat, dispersing parliament and the constitutional court. The constitution adopted after this established the regime of personal power of D. Dudayev.
On the territory of the CRI, opposition to the government arises in the form of the Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic. The council enjoys the support of the Russian government, it is provided with material assistance, and Russian special forces are sent to provide support. Military clashes between Dudayev’s detachments and representatives of the opposition take place.

The course of the first Chechen war

Even before the official declaration of hostilities in early December 1991, Russian aviation launched a massive attack on Chechen airfields, destroying all enemy aircraft. B. Yeltsin signs a decree on the start of hostilities. The Russian army begins an invasion of Chechnya. During the first weeks, all northern Chechen regions came under Russian control, and Grozny was practically surrounded.
From the end of December 1994 to March 1995. Grozny was stormed. Despite the significant superiority in numbers and weapons, the Russian army suffered heavy losses, and the assault took a long time. In the conditions of street fighting, the heavy equipment of the Russian army did not pose a serious threat; the militants easily destroyed tanks with grenade launchers. The soldiers for the most part were untrained, there were no maps of the city, and there was no established communication between the units. Already during the assault, the Russian command changes tactics. With the support of artillery and aviation, the offensive is carried out by small air assault groups. The widespread use of artillery and bombing turns Grozny into ruins. In March, the last groups of militants leave it. Pro-Russian authorities are being created in the city.
After a series of battles, the Russian army captures key regions and cities of Chechnya. However, retreating in time, the militants do not suffer serious losses. The war takes on a partisan character. Militants carry out terrorist attacks and surprise attacks on Russian army positions throughout Chechnya. In response, airstrikes are carried out, during which civilians often die. This causes hatred towards Russian forces, the population provides assistance to the militants. The situation was complicated by terrorist attacks in Budennovsk (1995) and Kizlyar (1996), during which many civilians and soldiers died, and the militants suffered virtually no losses.
In April 1996, D. Dudayev was killed as a result of an airstrike, but this no longer affected the course of the war.
On the eve of the presidential elections, Boris Yeltsin, for political purposes, decided to agree to a truce in a war that was unpopular among the people. In June 1996, an agreement was signed on a truce, disarmament of the separatists and the withdrawal of Russian troops, but neither side fulfilled the terms of the agreement.
Immediately after winning the elections, Boris Yeltsin announced the resumption of hostilities. In August, militants storm Grozny. Despite superior forces, Russian troops were unable to hold the city. A number of other settlements were captured by the separatists.
The fall of Grozny led to the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements. The Russian army was withdrawing from Chechnya, the question of the status of the republic was postponed for five years.

Results of the first Chechen war

The Chechen war was supposed to put an end to illegal power on the territory of the republic. In general, successful military operations at the first stage of the war, the capture of Grozny did not lead to victory. Moreover, significant losses among Russian troops made the war extremely unpopular in Russia. The widespread use of aviation and artillery was accompanied by casualties among civilians, as a result of which the war acquired a protracted, partisan character. Russian troops held only large centers and were constantly attacked.
The goal of the war was not achieved. After the withdrawal of Russian troops, power was again in the hands of criminal and nationalist groups.

Background

Nature of the conflict

Second Chechen War: Beginning

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.

The period from August 9 to August 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.

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.

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

Second Chechen War: results

Cinema and books about war

The Chechen war began
Chechen war causes
Chechen war results

About the Chechen war in brief

Сhechenskaya voyna (1994-1996) (1999 - 2001)

The Chechen war, in short, became the most terrible and cruel event for Russia after the collapse of the USSR. Opinions about her are still ambiguous. Some historians and analysts support the authorities’ decision to send troops into the territory of the Republic of Ichkeria, while others say that this difficult conflict could have been prevented and terrible losses could have been avoided. Be that as it may, speaking briefly about the Chechen war, first of all it is necessary to find out the reasons for its outbreak. It should be remembered that this war is divided into two stages.

What is the background to the conflict?

Its origins go back to the 19th century, during the Caucasian War. Back in the 16th century, Russian Cossack settlements began to appear in the Caucasus. Despite the periodic raids of the mountaineers, the settlers and indigenous people of the Caucasus lived relatively peacefully until the first campaigns of Russian troops in this region. In the middle of the 19th century, the territory of modern Chechnya became part of the Russian Empire.

Immediately after the collapse of the USSR, in September 1991, an armed coup took place in the republic, led by Dzhokhar Dudayev. As a result, the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria arose, which immediately declared its independence from the RSFSR. This event occurred on November 1, 1991. Dudayev introduced martial law in the country and refused to negotiate with the Kremlin until the independence of Ichkeria was officially recognized by it. The forces of the republic also captured military bases of Russian troops on its territory.

In the republic itself, the social and economic situation was getting worse. The republic gradually turned into a criminal state.
In 1993, an opposition formed in Ichkeria that tried to overthrow the Dudayev regime. In 1994, a civil war began in the republic.

The Russian army began military operations against the separatists on December 11, 1994. It is not entirely correct to talk about the introduction of troops into the territory of the republic, since its self-proclamation was not recognized by anyone, and officially it remained the territory of the Russian Federation. Thus began the most massive and brutal war in the history of modern Russia. It is very difficult to estimate the number of people affected by it, since sources give different figures. According to the official version, the number of military deaths on the Russian side is more than 4 thousand people.

August 31, 1996 first Chechen war ended with the signing of the Khasavyurt Agreement. But the end of the conflict did not bring any peace and tranquility. Kidnappings and murders of people, terrorist attacks on Russian territory led to the second stage of the military confrontation.
Second Chechen War began in 1999 and lasted until April 16, 2009. In fact, it was actively carried out by the Russian armed forces until 2000. Then, as control over the republic was established, local authorities began to engage in further destruction of gangs.

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