How the second Chechen war began. The war in Chechnya is the most significant military conflict in the Russian Federation

Second Chechen War (officially called counter-terrorist operation (CTO)) - fighting on the territory of the Chechen Republic and the border regions of the North Caucasus. It began on September 30, 1999 (the date of the entry of Russian troops into Chechnya). The active phase of hostilities lasted from 1999 to 2000, then, as the Russian Armed Forces established control over the territory of Chechnya, it developed into a smoldering conflict.

Second Chechen war. Background

After the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements and the withdrawal of Russian troops in 1996, there was no peace and tranquility in Chechnya and the surrounding regions.

Chechen criminal structures made business with impunity on mass kidnappings, hostage-taking (including official Russian representatives, working in Chechnya), theft of oil from oil pipelines and oil wells, production and smuggling of drugs, issuance and distribution of counterfeit banknotes, terrorist attacks and attacks on neighboring Russian regions.

Camps were created on the territory of Chechnya to train militants - young people from Muslim regions of Russia. Mine demolition instructors and Islamic preachers were sent here from abroad. Numerous Arab mercenaries began to play a significant role in the life of Chechnya.

Their main goal was to destabilize the situation in the Russian regions neighboring Chechnya and spread the ideas of separatism to the North Caucasus republics (primarily Dagestan, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria).

At the beginning of March 1999, Gennady Shpigun, plenipotentiary representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Chechnya, was kidnapped by terrorists at the Grozny airport.

For the Russian leadership, this was evidence that the President of the Chechen Republic, Maskhadov, was unable to independently fight terrorism. The federal center took measures to strengthen the fight against Chechen gangs: self-defense units were armed and police units were strengthened throughout the perimeter of Chechnya, North Caucasus the best operatives of units to combat ethnic organized crime were sent, several were sent from the Stavropol region rocket launchers"Tochka-U", designed for delivering targeted strikes.

An economic blockade of Chechnya was introduced, which led to cash flow from Russia began to dry up sharply. Due to the tightening of the regime at the border, it has become increasingly difficult to smuggle drugs into Russia and take hostages. Gasoline produced in clandestine factories has become impossible to export outside Chechnya. The fight against Chechens was also intensified criminal groups, who actively financed militants in Chechnya.

In May-July 1999, the Chechen-Dagestan border turned into a militarized zone. As a result, the income of Chechen warlords fell sharply and they had problems purchasing weapons and paying mercenaries.

In April 1999, the commander in chief internal troops Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov, who successfully led a number of operations during the First Chechen War, was appointed.

In May 1999, Russian helicopters attacked missile strike on the positions of Khattab militants on the Terek River in response to an attempt by bandits to seize an outpost of internal troops on the Chechen-Dagestan border. After this, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vladimir Rushailo, announced the preparation of large-scale preventive strikes.

Meanwhile, Chechen gangs under the command of Shamil Basayev and Khattab were preparing for an armed invasion of Dagestan. From April to August 1999, conducting reconnaissance in force, they made more than 30 forays in Stavropol and Dagestan alone, as a result of which several dozen military personnel and employees were killed and injured law enforcement agencies and civilians. Realizing that the strongest groups of federal troops were concentrated in the Kizlyar and Khasavyurt directions, the militants decided to strike the mountainous part of Dagestan. When choosing this direction, the bandits proceeded from the fact that there were no troops there, and in as soon as possible It will not be possible to transfer forces to this inaccessible area.

In August 1999, the Second Chechen War began

In addition, the militants were counting on possible blow to the rear federal forces from the Kadar zone of Dagestan, controlled by local Wahhabis since August 1998. As researchers note, the destabilization of the situation in the North Caucasus was beneficial to many. First of all, Islamic fundamentalists seeking to spread their influence throughout the world, as well as Arab oil sheikhs and financial oligarchs of the Persian Gulf countries, who are not interested in starting to exploit the oil and gas fields of the Caspian Sea.

On August 7, 1999, a massive invasion of Dagestan by militants was carried out from the territory of Chechnya under the overall command of Shamil Basayev and the Arab mercenary Khattab. The core of the militant group consisted of foreign mercenaries and fighters of the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade, associated with Al-Qaeda.

The militants’ plan to have the population of Dagestan come over to their side failed; the Dagestanis offered desperate resistance to the invading bandits. The Russian authorities proposed that the Ichkerian leadership conduct a joint operation with federal forces against Islamists in Dagestan. It was also proposed to “resolve the issue of liquidating bases, storage and rest areas of illegal armed groups, which the Chechen leadership in every possible way denies.” Aslan Maskhadov verbally condemned the attacks on Dagestan and their organizers and instigators, but did not take real measures to counter them.

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 - explosions of residential buildings - were carried out in several Russian cities (Moscow, Volgodonsk and Buinaksk). 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 23, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree “On measures to increase the effectiveness of counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus region Russian Federation" The decree provided for the creation of a Joint Group of Forces in the North Caucasus to conduct a counter-terrorism operation

On September 23, Russian troops began massive bombing Grozny and its environs, on September 30 they entered the territory of Chechnya.

Second Chechen war. Character

Having broken the resistance of the militants by the force of the army and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (the command of the Russian troops successfully uses military tricks, such as, for example, luring militants to minefields, raids on the rear of gangs and many others), the Kremlin relied on the “Chechenization” of the conflict and luring side with some of the elite and former militants.

Thus, the former supporter of the separatists, Akhmat Kadyrov, became the head of the pro-Kremlin administration of Chechnya in 2000. The militants, on the contrary, relied on the internationalization of the conflict, involving armed groups of non-Chechen origin in their struggle.

By the beginning of 2005, after the destruction of Maskhadov, Khattab, Barayev, Abu al-Walid and many other field commanders, the intensity of sabotage terrorist activities militants has decreased significantly. During 2005-2008, not a single major terrorist attack was committed in Russia, and the only large-scale militant operation (Raid on Kabardino-Balkaria on October 13, 2005) ended in complete failure.

Second Chechen war. Chronology

1999. Aggravation of the situation on the border with Chechnya

June 18 - Chechnya attacked two outposts on the Dagestan-Chechen border, as well as an attack on a Cossack company in the Stavropol Territory. The Russian leadership is closing most of the checkpoints on the border with Chechnya.

June 22 - for the first time in the history of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, an attempt was made to commit a terrorist attack in its main building. The bomb was defused in time. According to one version, the terrorist attack was a response Chechen militants to the threats of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Rushailo, to carry out retaliatory actions in Chechnya.

June 23 - shelling from the Chechen side of the outpost near the village of Pervomaiskoye, Khasavyurt district
Dagestan.

June 30 - Rushailo stated that “we must respond to the blow with a more crushing blow; “on the border with Chechnya, the order was given to use preventive strikes against armed gangs.”

July 3 - Rushailo said that the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs “is beginning to strictly regulate the situation in the North Caucasus, where Chechnya acts as a criminal “think tank” controlled by foreign intelligence services, extremist organizations And criminal community" Deputy Prime Minister of the ChRI government Kazbek Makhashev stated in response: “We cannot be intimidated by threats, and Rushailo knows this well.”

July 5 - Rushailo stated that “early in the morning of July 5, a preemptive strike was launched against concentrations of 150-200 armed militants in Chechnya.”

July 7 - a group of militants from Chechnya attacked an outpost near the Grebensky Bridge in the Babayurt region of Dagestan. Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and Director of the FSB of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin said that “Russia will henceforth take not preventive, but only adequate actions in response to attacks in the areas bordering Chechnya.” He emphasized that “the Chechen authorities do not fully control the situation in the republic.”

July 16 - Commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation V. Ovchinnikov stated that “the issue of creating a buffer zone around Chechnya is being considered.”

July 23 - Chechen militants attacked an outpost on the territory of Dagestan protecting the Kopayevsky hydroelectric complex. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Dagestan stated that “this time the Chechens carried out reconnaissance in force, and large-scale actions by gangs will soon begin along the entire perimeter of the Dagestan-Chechen border.”

Second Chechen war. Attack on Dagestan

August 7 - September 14 - from the territory of the ChRI, detachments of field commanders Shamil Basayev and Khattab invaded the territory of Dagestan. Fierce fighting lasted more than a month. The official government of the Chechen Republic, unable to control the actions of various armed groups on the territory of Chechnya, dissociated itself from the actions of Shamil Basayev, but practical actions no action was taken against him. On August 12, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation I. Zubov reported that a letter was sent to the President of the ChRI Maskhadov “with a proposal to conduct a joint operation with federal troops against Islamists in Dagestan.”

August 13 - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that “strikes will be carried out on bases and concentrations of militants regardless of their location, including on the territory of Chechnya.”

August 16 - President of the ChRI Aslan Maskhadov introduced martial law in Chechnya for a period of 30 days, announced the partial mobilization of reservists and participants in the First Chechen War.

Second Chechen war. Aerial bombing of Chechnya

August 25 - Russian aviation strikes at militant bases in the Vedeno Gorge in Chechnya. In response to the official protest from the ChRI, the command of the federal forces declares that they “reserve the right to strike militant bases in the territory of any North Caucasus region, including Chechnya.”

September 6 - 18 - Russian aviation carries out numerous missile and bomb attacks on military camps and militant fortifications in Chechnya.

September 14 - V. Putin said that “the Khasavyurt agreements should be subjected to an impartial analysis”, as well as “a strict quarantine should be temporarily introduced” along the entire perimeter of Chechnya.

September 18 - Russian troops block the border of Chechnya from Dagestan, Stavropol Territory, North Ossetia and Ingushetia.

September 23 - Russian aircraft began bombing the capital of Chechnya and its environs. As a result, several electrical substations, a number of oil and gas complex factories, the Grozny mobile communications center, a television and radio broadcasting center, and an An-2 aircraft were destroyed. The press service of the Russian Air Force stated that “aircraft will continue to strike targets that gangs can use in their interests.”

September 27 - Chairman of the Russian Government V. Putin categorically rejected the possibility of a meeting between the President of Russia and the head of the ChRI. “There will be no meetings to let the militants lick their wounds,” he said.

Second Chechen war. Start of ground operation

September 30 - Vladimir Putin, in an interview with journalists, promised that there would be no new Chechen war. He also stated that " combat operations are already on their way, our troops have entered the territory of Chechnya several times, already two weeks ago they occupied commanding heights, liberated them, and so on.” As Putin said, “we need to be patient and do this work - completely clear the territory of terrorists. If this work is not done today, they will return and all the sacrifices made will be in vain.” On the same day, armored units of the Russian army from the Stavropol Territory and Dagestan entered the territory of the Naursky and Shelkovsky regions of Chechnya.

October 4 - at a meeting of the military council of the ChRI, it was decided to form three directions to repel attacks by federal forces. The western direction was headed by Ruslan Gelayev, the eastern direction by Shamil Basaev, and the central direction by Magomed Khambiev.

October 6 - in accordance with Maskhadov's decree, martial law began to apply in Chechnya. Maskhadov suggested that all religious figures in Chechnya declare a holy war on Russia - gazavat.

October 15 - troops of the Western group of General Vladimir Shamanov entered Chechnya from Ingushetia.

October 16 - Federal forces occupied a third of the territory of Chechnya north of the Terek River and began the second stage of the anti-terrorist operation, the main goal of which is the destruction of gangs in the remaining territory of Chechnya.

October 21 - Federal forces launched a missile attack on the central market of the city of Grozny, which killed 140 civilians.

November 11 - field commanders brothers Yamadayev and Mufti of Chechnya Akhmat Kadyrov surrendered Gudermes to federal forces

November 17 - the first major losses of federal forces since the beginning of the campaign. A reconnaissance group of the 31st separate detachment was lost near Vedeno airborne brigade(12 dead, 2 prisoners).

November 18 - according to the NTV television company, federal forces took control of the regional center of Achkhoy-Martan “without firing a single shot.”

November 25 - CRI President Maskhadov addressed the Russian soldiers fighting in the North Caucasus with an offer to surrender and go over to the side of the militants.

December 7 - Federal forces occupied Argun. By December 1999, federal forces controlled the entire flat part of Chechnya. The militants concentrated in the mountains (about 3,000 people) and in Grozny.

December 17 - a large landing of federal forces blocked the road connecting Chechnya with the village of Shatili (Georgia).

2000

January 9 - militant breakthrough in Shali and Argun. Control of federal forces over Shali was restored on January 11, over Argun - on January 13.

January 27 - during the battles for Grozny, field commander Isa Astamirov, deputy commander of the southwestern front of the militants, was killed.

February 9 - Federal troops blocked an important center of militant resistance - the village of Serzhen-Yurt, and in the Argun Gorge, so famous since the times of the Caucasian War, 380 military personnel landed and occupied one of the dominant heights. Federal troops blocked more than three thousand militants in the Argun Gorge, and then methodically treated them with volume-detonating ammunition.

February 29 - capture of Shatoy. Maskhadov, Khattab and Basayev again escaped the encirclement. First Deputy Commander of the joint group of federal forces, Colonel General Gennady Troshev, announced the end of a full-scale military operation in Chechnya.

February 28 - March 2 - Battle at Height 776 - breakthrough of militants (Khattab) through Ulus-Kert. Death of paratroopers of the 6th parachute company of the 104th regiment.

March 12 - in the village of Novogroznensky, terrorist Salman Raduev was captured by FSB officers and brought to Moscow, subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment and died in prison.

March 19 - in the area of ​​​​the village of Duba-Yurt, FSB officers detained the Chechen field commander Salautdin Temirbulatov, nicknamed Tractor Driver, who was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment.

March 20 - on the eve of the presidential elections, Vladimir Putin visited Chechnya. He arrived in Grozny on a Su-27UB fighter piloted by the head of the Lipetsk Aviation Center, Alexander Kharchevsky.

April 20 - First Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Colonel General Valery Manilov, announced the end of the military part of the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya and the transition to special operations.

July 2 - as a result of a series of terrorist attacks using truck bombs, more than 30 police officers and federal servicemen were killed.
The greatest losses were suffered by police officers Chelyabinsk region in Argun.

October 1 - during a military clash in the Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny, field commander Isa Munayev was killed.

2001

June 23-24 - in the village of Alkhan-Kala, a special joint detachment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB conducted a special operation to eliminate a detachment of militants of field commander Arbi Barayev. 16 militants were killed, including Barayev himself.

July 11 - in the village of Mayrtup, Shalinsky district of Chechnya, during a special operation of the FSB and the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Khattab's assistant Abu Umar was killed.

August 25 - in the city of Argun, during a special operation, FSB officers killed field commander Movsan Suleimenov, nephew of Arbi Barayev.

September 17 - attack by militants (300 people) on Gudermes, the attack was repulsed. As a result of application missile complex Tochka-U destroyed a group of more than 100 people. In Grozny, an Mi-8 helicopter with a General Staff commission on board was shot down (2 generals and 8 officers were killed).

November 3 - during a special operation, the influential field commander Shamil Iriskhanov, who was part of Basayev’s inner circle, was killed.

December 15 - in Argun, during a special operation, federal forces killed 20 militants.

2002

January 27 - an Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in the Shelkovsky district of Chechnya. Among the dead were the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Mikhail Rudchenko, and the commander of the group of internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Chechnya, Major General Nikolai Goridov.

April 18 - in his Address to the Federal Assembly, President Vladimir Putin announced the end of the military stage of the conflict in Chechnya.

May 9 - a terrorist attack occurred in Dagestan during the celebration of Victory Day. 43 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.

August 19 - Chechen militants using Igla MANPADS shot down a Russian military transport helicopter Mi-26 in the area of ​​the Khankala military base. Of the 152 people on board, 124 died.

October 23 - 26 - hostage taking in the theater center on Dubrovka in Moscow, 129 hostages died. All 44 terrorists were killed, including Movsar Barayev.

December 27 - explosion of the Government House in Grozny. As a result of the terrorist attack, more than 70 people were killed. Shamil Basayev took responsibility for the terrorist attack.

2003

May 12 - in the village of Znamenskoye of the Nadterechny district of Chechnya, three suicide bombers carried out a terrorist attack in the area of ​​​​the buildings of the administration of the Nadterechny district and the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. A KamAZ car loaded with explosives demolished the barrier in front of the building and exploded. 60 people were killed and more than 250 were injured.

August 1 - Bombing of a military hospital in Mozdok. A KamAZ army truck loaded with explosives rammed the gate and exploded near the building. There was one suicide bomber in the cockpit. The death toll was 50 people.

September 3 - terrorist attack on the Kislovodsk-Minvody train on the Podkumok-White Coal section, were blown up railway tracks using a landmine.

2003-2004 - Raid on Dagestan by a detachment of bandits under the command of Ruslan Gelayev.

2004

February 6 - terrorist attack in the Moscow metro, on the stretch between the Avtozavodskaya and Paveletskaya stations. 39 people were killed and 122 were injured.

February 28 - famous field commander Ruslan Gelayev was mortally wounded during a shootout with border guards.

April 16 - during the shelling of the Chechen mountains, the leader of foreign mercenaries in Chechnya, Abu al-Walid al-Ghamidi, was killed

May 9 - head of the Chechen administration Akhmat Kadyrov was killed as a result of a terrorist attack at the Victory Day parade in Grozny.

May 17 - as a result of an explosion in the suburbs of Grozny, the crew of an armored personnel carrier of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was killed and several people were injured

August 21 - 400 militants attacked Grozny. According to the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs, 44 people were killed and 36 were seriously injured.

August 31 - terrorist attack near the Rizhskaya metro station in Moscow. 10 people were killed and more than 50 people were injured.

September 1 - terrorist attack in Beslan, which killed over 350 people, including hostages, civilians and military personnel. Half of the dead are children.

2005

February 18 - as a result of a special operation in the Oktyabrsky district of Grozny, the forces of the PPS-2 detachment killed the “Emir of Grozny” Yunadi Turchaev, “ right hand» one of the terrorist leaders Doku Umarov.

March 8 - During a special operation by the FSB in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt, the President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Aslan Maskhadov, was eliminated.

May 15 - former vice-president of the Chechen Republic of Ichryssia Vakha Arsanov was killed in Grozny. Arsanov and his accomplices, while in a private house, fired at a police patrol and were destroyed by arriving reinforcements.

May 15 - in the Dubovsky forest of the Shelkovsky district, as a result of a special operation of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the “emir” of the Shelkovsky district of the Chechen Republic, Rasul Tambulatov (Volchek), was killed.

October 13 - Militants attack the city of Nalchik (Kabardino-Balkaria), as a result of which, according to Russian authorities, 12 civilians and 35 law enforcement officers were killed. According to various sources, from 40 to 124 militants were destroyed.

2006

January 3-4 - in the Karabudakhkent and Untsukul regions of Dagestan, large forces of federal and local security forces (up to 700 police officers and military personnel, tanks, armored personnel carriers, mortars and howitzers) are trying to eliminate a gang of 8 militants under the command of field commander O. Sheikhulayev. The operation involves special forces forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the FSB and a marine brigade of the Caspian Flotilla. According to official information, 5 militants were killed, the terrorists themselves admit the death of only 1. The losses of the federal forces amounted to 2 people killed, according to various estimates, another 10 to 15 were wounded.

January 31 - Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference that it is now possible to talk about the end of the counter-terrorism operation in Chechnya.

February 9-11 - in the village of Tukuy-Mekteb in the Stavropol Territory, 12 so-called militants were killed during a special operation. "Nogai battalion Armed Forces CRI", federal forces lost 7 people killed. During the operation, the federal side actively uses helicopters and tanks.

July 4 - in Chechnya, a military convoy was attacked near the village of Avtury, Shalinsky district. Representatives of the federal forces report 6 military personnel killed, militants - more than 20.

July 9 - the website of Chechen militants "Caucasus Center" announced the creation of the Ural and Volga fronts as part of the Armed Forces of the ChRI.

July 10 - in Ingushetia, one of the terrorist leaders Shamil Basayev was killed as a result of a special operation (according to other sources, he died due to careless handling of explosives).

July 12 - on the border of Chechnya and Dagestan, the police of both republics destroy a relatively large but poorly armed gang consisting of 15
militants. 13 bandits were destroyed, 2 more were detained.

August 23 - Chechen militants attacked a military convoy on the Grozny - Shatoy highway, not far from the entrance to the Argun Gorge. The column consisted of a Ural vehicle and two escort armored personnel carriers. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic, four federal servicemen were wounded as a result.

November 26 - the leader of foreign mercenaries in Chechnya, Abu Hafs al-Urdani, was killed in Khasavyurt. Along with him, 4 more militants were killed.

2007

April 4 - in the vicinity of the village of Agish-batoy, Vedeno district of Chechnya, one of the most influential militant leaders, commander of the Eastern Front of the Chechen Republic of Ingushetia, Suleiman Ilmurzaev (call sign “Khairulla”), involved in the murder of Chechen President Akhmat Kadyrov, was killed.

June 13 - in the Vedeno district on the Verkhnie Kurchali - Belgata highway, militants shot at a convoy of police cars.

July 23 - battle near the village of Tazen-Kale, Vedensky district, between the Vostok battalion of Sulim Yamadayev and a detachment of Chechen militants led by Doku Umarov. The death of 6 militants was reported.

September 18 - as a result of a counter-terrorist operation in the village of New Sulak, “Amir Rabbani” - Rappani Khalilov - was killed.

2008

January - during special operations in Makhachkala and the Tabasaran region of Dagestan, at least 9 militants were killed, 6 of them were part of the group of field commander I. Mallochiev. There were no casualties on the part of the security forces in these clashes.

May 5 - a military vehicle was blown up by a landmine in the village of Tashkola, a suburb of Grozny. 5 policemen were killed, 2 were injured.

June 19 - Sheikh Said Buryatsky, one of the most famous preachers in Russia and the CIS countries, announced his joining the underground.

September 2008 - major leaders of the illegal armed formations of Dagestan Ilgar Mallochiev and A. Gudayev were killed, a total of up to 10 militants.

December 18 - battle in the city of Argun, 2 policemen were killed and 6 were wounded. One person was killed from the militants in Argun.

December 23-25 ​​- special operation of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the village of Verkhny Alkun in Ingushetia. Field commander Vakha Dzhenaraliev, who fought against federal troops in Chechnya and Ingushetia since 1999, was killed, his deputy Khamkhoev, and a total of 12 militants. 4 illegal armed formation bases have been liquidated.

2009

March 21-22 - a major special operation by security forces in Dagestan. As a result of heavy fighting using helicopters and armored vehicles, the forces of the local Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB Directorate, with the support of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, eliminated 12 militants in the Untsukulsky district of the republic. The losses of the federal troops amount to 5 people killed; in the summer of 2009, two servicemen of the special forces of the VV were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia for their participation in these hostilities. At the same time, in Makhachkala, the police destroy 4 more armed extremists in battle.

Second Chechen war. The situation after the abolition of the CTO regime

June 22, 2009 - assassination attempt on the President of Ingushetia Yunus-bek Yevkurov. The next day, the security forces eliminated 3 militants, and among them was a certain field commander A-M. Aliyev, who was allegedly involved in the assassination attempt President of U-B. Evkurova.

July 4, 2009 - A detachment of the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs, sent to help the Ingush security forces, was ambushed by militants on the main street of the village of Arshty. As a result of shelling from grenade launchers and small arms Nine policemen were killed and ten were injured of varying degrees of severity.

July 5-8, 2009 - over four days in Chechnya, three helicopters of federal troops were damaged by shelling from the ground.

July 11 - during special operations in Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan, local and federal security forces eliminate 16 militants without a single loss on their part.

July 26, 2009 - Assassination attempt on Ramzan Kadyrov. Suicide bomber Rustam Mukhadiev set off an explosion near a concert hall in Grozny. 6 people died, including 4 high-ranking officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

August 17, 2009 - a suicide bomber in a GAZelle car loaded with explosives rammed the building of the Nazran City Department of Internal Affairs. According to official data, 25 policemen were killed and more than 260 were injured.

October 1 - during a special operation in the mountains of Southern Chechnya, half of the gang of field commander M. Temiraliev was destroyed - 8 militants were killed. Among them was the oldest member of the illegal armed group in Chechnya, a veteran of both Chechen wars, the 52-year-old emir of the village of Azamat-Yurt A. Pashayev. The operation was carried out by forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Chechnya, they had no losses. At the same time, 3 militants were killed in Nalchik.

October 12 - during a special operation in Ingushetia, federal forces killed 7 militants, losing 3 killed on their side. IAF bases with weapons and ammunition were destroyed.

November 13 - a major special operation by Chechen and federal security forces near the village. Shalazhi in the Urus-Martan region of Chechnya. A large gang of militants was discovered, after which the security forces called for air support. The helicopter strike killed, according to various estimates, from 10 to 20 bandits. The militants themselves admitted the death of 9 fighters for their part; Chechen President R. Kadyrov initially claimed the death of approximately 10 militants, then about 20.

It is hardly possible to establish the exact damage to the illegal armed groups, since many of the bodies of the killed militants were badly damaged. We managed to identify only 3 of them right off the bat. Moreover, among those killed was I. Uspakhadzhiev, a major field commander, the closest associate of the leader of the illegal armed formation D. Umarov. Therefore, Kadyrov Jr. again expressed the idea of ​​the possible death of Umarov himself.

November 24 - during a skirmish with a detachment of militants in Ingushetia, federal forces eliminate 3 militants, and a CTO regime was temporarily declared in the area.

December 9 - during a special operation in Karachay-Cherkessia, special forces destroyed a group of 3 militants. Among them was the field commander R. Khubiev - this bandit trained in Ingushetia, prepared a series of terrorist attacks in Karachay-Cherkessia, and committed murders of police officers. The special forces lost 1 officer killed in battle.

December 18 - in the mountains of the Vedeno region of Chechnya, federal forces liquidated the field commander A. Izrailov, nicknamed “Savab” - one of the major bandit leaders of the mountainous part of Chechnya, whose BF operated in the Nozhai-Yurtovsky and Vedeno regions of the republic. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov considered the liquidation of Izrailov a great success.

Second Chechen war. Aggravation of the situation in the North Caucasus

Despite the official cancellation of the counter-terrorism operation, the situation in the region has not become calmer; on the contrary, the militants have become more active.
Incidents of terrorist attacks have become more frequent. A major terrorist attack occurred on January 6 in Dagestan, a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb near the city traffic police building. As a result, 5 policemen died on the spot. There are opinions that the militants are financed by Al-Qaeda. Some analysts believe that the escalation could develop into a “third Chechen war.”

Human losses in the Second Chechen War

The second Chechen war, which began in 1999, was accompanied by large casualties among military personnel of the federal group of troops, Chechen activists armed forces and civilians of the republic. Despite the fact that the cessation of the counter-terrorist operation in Chechnya was officially announced after the capture of Shatoy on February 29, 2000, military operations continued after this date, leading to new casualties.

Explanation for this photo:

Photo: March 1995. Mass graves on the outskirts of the city cemetery in Grozny. Since February 1995, in the group at the GUOSH of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Staropromyslovsky district, pozh.part building), there was a group of experienced operational workers and an expert pathologist from all over Russia. Number of people: 10-12 people. The main burden was borne by the second group of specialists, which arrived in Grozny on March 13 - more than 600 remains were processed (the first group exhumed only 6 corpses). There was plenty of work, but the command made a decision - not to go into the basements of houses and to work on the holes in the cemetery.

The pits were trenches dug by an excavator from 3 to 10 m long. 2.5-3 m wide. This was probably done by local residents, because there were plenty of dead people on the streets of the city and they were already beginning to decompose. At first they laid them in stacks and evenly, sprinkling them with lime, but then for some reason they began to simply lay them down (possibly dump them) at random. As the hole was filled, soil was poured on top of about a half-meter layer.

Lying nearby large number stretcher An eyewitness and a member of the group described this to me in detail and showed photographs of this place. The group's task is to get people out of the trench, put them in a row and describe them in detail, filling out an identification card for each person. The card is filled out according to the form - clothing, height, skin color, moles and other distinctive features...

After 20-30 people had worked, the corpses were buried under plates with numbers. These numbers are linked to identification cards and should have been transferred to the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs. Of the total number of corpses, there was not a single child. The rest range in age from 15 to 80 years. Men and women are about the same. All civilian population. There were also people dressed in camouflage, but clearly not federal forces. There were a large number with tubes from different places in the body, presumably brought from medical care sites in the basements.

While working, the group was repeatedly fired upon from small arms from the side. We had to post information boards at a distance asking people not to shoot at them, because... their work is needed by both opposing sides. Civilians constantly came, in groups and individually, to see their wanted people. Whoever was there, including militants... They came and looked. They found their own extremely rarely.

Local townspeople, 4-5 people, also worked with the exhumation group as volunteer assistants. Their eldest named Zina, a Chechen about 50 years old, brought pickles to feed the working people. There was also “Chol’s mother” - (60-65 years old) a cheerful Armenian, a drama theater actress, a swearer and a connoisseur of a lot of jokes. She married a Chechen exile in Tashkent and came to Grozny with him. There was also a Chechen there, the former director of the museum - a large man with a mustache. They all helped voluntarily. When they were offered money or food, they refused. But their friend found a way to thank them for their dedication and literally forced them to take food - canned food, etc. They had families.

Their fate is now unknown, but they remain in memory as kind and extremely decent people. Here's the story...

Second Chechen war. Losses of federal forces

According to official data, from October 1, 1999 to December 23, 2002, the total losses of federal forces (all law enforcement agencies) in Chechnya amounted to 4,572 people killed and 15,549 wounded. Thus, their number does not include losses during the fighting in Dagestan (August-September 1999), which numbered approximately 280 people. After December 2002, in most cases, only statistics on losses of the Ministry of Defense were published, although there were also losses of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation.

The losses of military personnel of the Ministry of Defense by September 2008 amounted to 3,684 people killed. It is also known that by August 2003, 1,055 internal troops were killed, and the FSB, as of 2002, lost 202 people killed.

According to estimates by the Union of Committees of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia, official data on human losses in the second Chechen war are underestimated by at least two times (about the same as what happened during the first Chechen campaign).

Second Chechen war. Losses of Chechen fighters

According to the federal side, as of December 31, 2000, militant losses amounted to more than 10,800 people, and according to another source, at the beginning of 2001 - more than 15,000 people. In July 2002, 13,517 militants were reported killed.

The militant command estimated the losses suffered from September 1999 to mid-April 2000 (the period of the most intense fighting) at 1,300 dead and 1,500 wounded. In an interview given in 2005 to journalist Andrei Babitsky, Shamil Basayev stated that 3,600 were killed by militants during the period 1999-2005.

- 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; al-Khattab group's attack on military base in Buinaksk; 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. For this purpose, before introducing infantry into battle, artillery preparation continued and aerial bombing. 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 vary widely regarding 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 Chechen resistance then shifts to the mountainous regions, and they turn to guerrilla warfare. Russian federal authorities are beginning to regain 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 the 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 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)

22 years ago, on December 11, 1994, the First Chechen War began. With the release of the decree of the President of Russia "On measures to ensure legality, law and order and public safety on the territory of the Chechen Republic" Russian forces regular army entered the territory of Chechnya. The document from the "Caucasian Knot" presents a chronicle of events leading up to the start of the war and describes the course of hostilities up to the "New Year's" assault on Grozny on December 31, 1994.

The first Chechen war lasted from December 1994 to August 1996. According to the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 1994-1995 In Chechnya, a total of about 26 thousand people died, including 2 thousand people - Russian military personnel, 10-15 thousand - militants, and the rest of the losses were civilians. According to General A. Lebed's estimates, the number of deaths among civilians alone amounted to 70-80 thousand people and among federal troops - 6-7 thousand people.

Chechnya's exit from Moscow's control

The turn of the 1980-1990s. in the post-Soviet space was marked by a “parade of sovereignties” - Soviet republics different levels(both the USSR and the ASSR) one after another adopted declarations of state sovereignty. On June 12, 1990, the first Republican Congress of People's Deputies adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the RSFSR. On August 6, Boris Yeltsin uttered his famous phrase in Ufa: “Take as much sovereignty as you can swallow.”

On November 23-25, 1990, the Chechen National Congress was held in Grozny, which elected the Executive Committee (later transformed into the Executive Committee of the All-National Congress of the Chechen People (OCCHN). Major General Dzhokhar Dudayev became its chairman. The Congress adopted a declaration on the formation of the Chechen Republic of Nokhchi-Cho A few days later, on November 27, 1990, the Supreme Council of the Republic adopted the Declaration of State Sovereignty. Later, in July 1991, the second congress of the OKCHN announced the withdrawal of the Chechen Republic of Nokhchi-Cho from the USSR and the RSFSR.

During the August 1991 putsch, the Chechen-Ingush Republican Committee of the CPSU, the Supreme Council and the government of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic supported the State Emergency Committee. In turn, OKCHN, which was in opposition, opposed the State Emergency Committee and demanded the resignation of the government and secession from the USSR and the RSFSR. Ultimately, a political split occurred in the republic between supporters of the OKCHN (Dzhokhar Dudayev) and the Supreme Council (Zavgaev).

On November 1, 1991, the elected President of Chechnya, D. Dudayev, issued a decree “On declaring the sovereignty of the Chechen Republic.” In response to this, on November 8, 1991, B.N. Yeltsin signed a decree introducing a state of emergency in Checheno-Ingushetia, but practical measures for its implementation failed - two planes with special forces landing at the airfield in Khankala were blocked by supporters of independence. On November 10, 1991, the OKCHN executive committee called for breaking off relations with Russia.

Already in November 1991, supporters of D. Dudayev began seizing military camps, weapons and property of the Armed Forces and internal troops on the territory of the Chechen Republic. On November 27, 1991, D. Dudayev issued a decree on the nationalization of weapons and equipment military units located on the territory of the republic. By June 8, 1992, all federal troops left the territory of Chechnya, leaving behind a large amount of equipment, weapons and ammunition.

In the fall of 1992, the situation in the region sharply worsened again, this time in connection with the Ossetian-Ingush conflict in the Prigorodny region. Dzhokhar Dudayev declared the neutrality of Chechnya, but during the escalation of the conflict, Russian troops entered the administrative border of Chechnya. November 10, 1992 Dudayev introduced state of emergency, the creation of a mobilization system and self-defense forces of the Chechen Republic began.

In February 1993, disagreements between the Chechen parliament and D. Dudayev intensified. The emerging disagreements ultimately led to the dissolution of parliament and the consolidation of opposition politicians Chechnya around Umar Avturkhanov, who became the head of the Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic. The contradictions between the structures of Dudayev and Avturkhanov escalated into an assault on Grozny by the Chechen opposition.

At dawn on November 26, 1994 Large forces of Dudayev’s opponents entered Grozny . The tanks reached the city center without any problems, where they were soon shot down from grenade launchers. Many tankers died, dozens were captured. It turned out that they were all Russian military personnel, recruited Federal service counterintelligence. Read more about these events and the fate of the prisoners in the information of the "Caucasian Knot" "November assault on Grozny (1994)".

After an unsuccessful assault, the Russian Security Council decided on a military operation against Chechnya. B.N. Yeltsin put forward an ultimatum: either the bloodshed in Chechnya stops, or Russia will be forced to “take extreme measures.”

Preparing for war

Active military operations on the territory of Chechnya have been carried out since the end of September 1994. In particular, opposition forces carried out targeted bombing of military targets on the territory of the republic. The armed formations that opposed Dudayev were armed attack helicopters Mi-24 and Su-24 attack aircraft, which had no identification marks. According to some reports, Mozdok became the base for the deployment of aviation. However, the press service of the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, the headquarters of the North Caucasus Military District, the Air Force command and the command Army Aviation The ground forces categorically denied that the helicopters and attack aircraft bombing Chechnya belonged to the Russian army.

On November 30, 1994, Russian President B.N. Yeltsin signed secret decree No. 2137c “On measures to restore constitutional legality and order on the territory of the Chechen Republic,” which provided for “disarmament and liquidation of armed formations on the territory of the Chechen Republic.”

According to the text of the decree, from December 1, it was prescribed, in particular, “to implement measures to restore constitutional legality and order in the Chechen Republic,” to begin disarmament and liquidation of armed groups, and to organize negotiations to resolve the armed conflict on the territory of the Chechen Republic by peaceful means.

On November 30, 1994, P. Grachev stated that “an operation has begun to forcefully transfer Russian army officers fighting against Dudayev on the side of the opposition to the central regions of Russia.” On the same day, in a telephone conversation between the Russian Minister of Defense and Dudayev, an agreement was reached on the “immunity of Russian citizens captured in Chechnya.”

On December 8, 1994, a closed meeting was held State Duma Russian Federation regarding the Chechen events. At the meeting, a resolution was adopted “On the situation in the Chechen Republic and measures for its political settlement,” according to which the activities of the executive branch in resolving the conflict were recognized as unsatisfactory. A group of deputies sent a telegram to B.N. Yeltsin, in which they warned him of responsibility for the bloodshed in Chechnya and demanded a public explanation of their position.

On December 9, 1994, the President of the Russian Federation issued 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.” By this decree, the president instructed the Russian government to “use all means available to the state to ensure state security, legality, the rights and freedoms of citizens, protect public order, fight crime, and disarm all illegal armed groups.” On the same day, the government of the Russian Federation adopted Resolution No. 1360 “On ensuring state security and territorial integrity of the Russian Federation, legality, rights and freedoms of citizens, disarmament of illegal armed groups on the territory of the Chechen Republic and adjacent regions of the North Caucasus,” which entrusted a number of ministries and departments with duties to introduce and maintain a special regime similar to an emergency on the territory of Chechnya, without formally declaring a state of emergency or martial law.

The documents adopted on December 9 provided for the use of troops of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the concentration of which continued on the administrative borders of Chechnya. Meanwhile, negotiations between the Russian and Chechen sides were supposed to begin on December 12 in Vladikavkaz.

Beginning of a full-scale military campaign

On December 11, 1994, Boris Yeltsin signed decree No. 2169 “On measures to ensure legality, law and order and social activities on the territory of the Chechen Republic", repealing decree No. 2137c. On the same day, the president made an appeal to the citizens of Russia, in which, in particular, he stated: "Our goal is to find a political solution to the problems of one of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation - Chechen Republic - to protect its citizens from armed extremism."

On the day the decree was signed, units of the troops of the Ministry of Defense and Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation entered the territory of Chechnya. The troops advanced in three columns from three directions: Mozdok (from the north through areas of Chechnya controlled by the anti-Dudaev opposition), Vladikavkaz (from the west from North Ossetia through Ingushetia) and Kizlyar (from the east, from the territory of Dagestan).

Troops moving from the north passed unhindered through Chechnya to settlements located approximately 10 km north of Grozny, where they first encountered armed resistance. Here, near the village of Dolinsky, on December 12, Russian troops were fired from a Grad launcher by a detachment of field commander Vakha Arsanov. As a result of the shelling, 6 Russian soldiers were killed and 12 wounded, and more than 10 armored vehicles were burned. The Grad installation was destroyed by return fire.

On the line Dolinsky - the village of Pervomaiskaya, Russian troops stopped and installed fortifications. Mutual shelling began. During December 1994, as a result of shelling of populated areas by Russian troops, numerous casualties occurred among civilians.

Another convoy of Russian troops moving from Dagestan was stopped on December 11 even before crossing the border with Chechnya, in the Khasavyurt region, where mainly Akkin Chechens live. Crowds of local residents blocked the columns of troops, while separate groups The military personnel were captured and then transported to Grozny.

A column of Russian troops moving from the west through Ingushetia was blocked by local residents and fired upon near the village of Varsuki (Ingushetia). Three armored personnel carriers and four cars were damaged. As a result of the return fire, the first civilian casualties occurred. The Ingush village of Gazi-Yurt was shelled from helicopters. Using force, Russian troops passed through the territory of Ingushetia. On December 12, this column of federal troops was fired upon from the village of Assinovskaya in Chechnya. There were killed and wounded among the Russian military personnel; in response, fire was also opened on the village, which led to the death of local residents. Near the village of Novy Sharoy, a crowd of residents of nearby villages blocked the road. Further advance of Russian troops would lead to the need to shoot at unarmed people, and then to clashes with a militia detachment organized in each of the villages. These units were armed with machine guns, machine guns and grenade launchers. In the area located south of the village of Bamut, regular armed formations of the ChRI, which had heavy weapons, were based.

As a result, in the west of Chechnya, federal forces consolidated along the line of the conditional border of the Chechen Republic in front of the villages of Samashki - Davydenko - New Sharoy - Achkhoy-Martan - Bamut.

On December 15, 1994, against the backdrop of the first setbacks in Chechnya, Russian Defense Minister P. Grachev removed from command and control a group of senior officers who refused to send troops into Chechnya and expressed a desire “before the start of a major military operation that could entail great sacrifices among the civilian population" to receive a written order from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. The leadership of the operation was entrusted to the commander of the North Caucasus Military District, Colonel General A. Mityukhin.

On December 16, 1994, the Federation Council adopted a resolution in which it invited the President of the Russian Federation to immediately stop hostilities and the deployment of troops and enter into negotiations. On the same day, Chairman of the Russian Government V.S. Chernomyrdin announced his readiness to personally meet with Dzhokhar Dudayev, subject to the disarmament of his forces.

On December 17, 1994, Yeltsin sent a telegram to D. Dudayev, in which the latter was ordered to appear in Mozdok to the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in Chechnya, Minister of Nationalities and Regional Policy N.D. Egorov and FSB Director S.V. Stepashin and sign a document about the surrender of weapons and a ceasefire. The text of the telegram, in particular, read verbatim: “I suggest you immediately meet with my authorized representatives Egorov and Stepashin in Mozdok.” At the same time, the President of the Russian Federation issued decree No. 2200 “On the restoration of federal territorial executive authorities on the territory of the Chechen Republic.”

Siege and assault of Grozny

Starting from December 18, Grozny was bombed and bombed multiple times. Bombs and rockets fell mainly on areas where residential buildings were located and there were obviously no military installations. As a result, there were large casualties among the civilian population. Despite the Russian President's announcement on December 27 that the bombing of the city had ceased, aircraft continued to strike Grozny.

In the second half of December, Russian federal troops attacked Grozny from the north and west, leaving the southwestern, southern and southeastern directions practically unblocked. The remaining open corridors connecting Grozny and numerous villages of Chechnya with the outside world allowed the civilian population to leave the zone of shelling, bombing and fighting.

On the night of December 23, federal troops attempted to cut off Grozny from Argun and gained a foothold in the area of ​​the airport in Khankala, southeast of Grozny.

On December 26, bombing of populated areas in rural areas began: in the next three days alone, about 40 villages were hit.

On December 26, it was announced for the second time about the creation of a government of national revival of the Chechen Republic headed by S. Khadzhiev and the readiness of the new government to discuss the issue of creating a confederation with Russia and enter into negotiations with it, without putting forward demands for the withdrawal of troops.

On the same day, at a meeting of the Russian Security Council, a decision was made to send troops to Grozny. Before this, no specific plans were developed to capture the capital of Chechnya.

On December 27, B.N. Yeltsin made a televised address to the citizens of Russia, in which he explained the need for a forceful solution to the Chechen problem. B.N. Yeltsin stated that N.D. Egorov, A.V. Kvashnin and S.V. Stepashin were entrusted with conducting negotiations with the Chechen side. On December 28, Sergei Stepashin clarified that this is not about negotiations, but about presenting an ultimatum.

On December 31, 1994, the assault on Grozny by Russian army units began. It was planned that four groups would launch “powerful concentric attacks” and unite in the city center. For a variety of reasons, the troops immediately suffered heavy losses. Advancing from the northwestern direction under the command of General K.B. Pulikovsky, the 131st (Maikop) separate motorized rifle brigade and the 81st (Samara) motorized rifle regiment were almost completely destroyed. More than 100 military personnel were captured.

As stated by deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation L.A. Ponomarev, G.P. Yakunin and V.L. Sheinis stated that “a large-scale military action was unleashed in Grozny and its environs. On December 31, after fierce bombing and artillery shelling, about 250 units of armored vehicles. Dozens of them broke into the city center. The armored columns were cut into pieces by the defenders of Grozny and their crews were systematically killed, captured or scattered throughout the city.

The head of the Russian government press service admitted that Russian army During the New Year's offensive on Grozny, it suffered losses in manpower and equipment.

On January 2, 1995, the press service of the Russian government reported that the center of the Chechen capital was “completely controlled by federal troops” and the “presidential palace” was blocked.

The war in Chechnya lasted until August 31, 1996. It was accompanied by terrorist attacks outside Chechnya ( Budennovsk, Kizlyar ). The actual result of the campaign was the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements on August 31, 1996. The agreement was signed by the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Alexander Lebed and the chief of staff of the Chechen militants Aslan Maskhadov . As a result of the Khasavyurt agreements, decisions were made on “deferred status” (the issue of the status of Chechnya was supposed to be resolved before December 31, 2001). Chechnya has become de facto independent state .

Notes

1. Chechnya: ancient turmoil // Izvestia, 11/27/1995.
2. How many died in Chechnya // Arguments and Facts, 1996.
3. The assault that never happened // Radio Liberty, 10/17/2014.
4. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation "On measures to restore constitutional legality and order on the territory of the Chechen Republic."
5. Chronicle of an armed conflict // Human Rights Center "Memorial".
6. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation "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."
7. Chronicle of an armed conflict // Human Rights Center "Memorial".
8. Chronicle of an armed conflict // Human Rights Center "Memorial".
9. 1994: War in Chechnya // Obshchaya Gazeta, 12/18.04.2001.
10. Chronicle of an armed conflict // Human Rights Center "Memorial".
11. Grozny: bloody snow New Year's Eve// Independent military review, 10.12.2004.
12. Chronicle of an armed conflict // Human Rights Center "Memorial".
13. Signing of the Khasavyurt agreements in 1996 // RIA Novosti, 08/31/2011.

The Second Chechen War lasted from 1999 to 2009. During this time, federal forces were able to repel the attack of militants on Dagestan, clear Chechnya itself of terrorists, and also create the foundation for lasting peace in the Caucasus.

Feat of the Pskov paratroopers

The death of most of the 6th company of the 104th Guards Airborne Regiment of the Pskov Division became one of the most tragic episodes of the Second Chechen campaign. In February 2000, Russian troops destroyed large terrorist formations near the village of Shatoy, but two groups were able to escape from the encirclement. Later they united into one powerful detachment of more than 2.5 thousand people. The militants were commanded by experienced field commanders who fought in the First Chechen War: Shamil Basayev, Khattab,Idrisand Abu al-Walid.

They stood in the way of the breaking banditsRussian paratroopers. There were only 90 of them. The collision occurred at height 776 inShatoiskyarea.Despite the unequal forces, the paratroopers did not retreat, but took the fight to an embittered and heavily armed enemy. The Russian military was able to pin down the terrorist forces for 17 hours, but almost all of them died on the battlefield. The last survivors ensured the withdrawal of six fighters, causing fire on themselves.84 people died, including 13 officers.

Forever on the list

On the last day of August 1999, during the liberation of the villageKaramakhiMedical service sergeant Irina Yanina died in the Buynaksky district of Dagestan. That day she provided assistance to wounded soldiers and officers. Risking her own life, Yanina was able to save 15 soldiers, and then drove an armored personnel carrier three times to the line of fire, from where another 28 bleeding soldiers were taken out.But during the fourth raid, the militants went on the attack. Sergeantmedical servicesshe was not at a loss and fought back against the terrorists. While others loaded the wounded, she covered her comrades with a machine gun in her hands. However, when the armored personnel carrier headed back, it was hit by two grenades and the vehicle caught fire. Yanina helped the wounded get out, but she herself didn’t have time.

In October 1999, by presidential decree, she was awarded the title of Hero of Russia posthumously. Yanina became the only woman to be awarded highest rank for participation in hostilities in the Caucasus. She is forever included in the military personnel of her unit.

The tragedy of the Armavir special forces

On September 11, 1999, while carrying out a combat mission at an altitude of 715.3, most of the personnel of the 15th detachment of internal troops "Vyatich" - Armavir special forces - were killed. On September 10, a group of 94 people secretly approached the height and secured it. Soon the militants discovered the special forces and began to fire at them, and then went on the attack. Our military defended itself heroically, but the forces were not equal - 500 thugs opposed them."Vyatich" received an order to retreat down the slope, but the unexpected happened: during the descent, federal aviation began to strike the detachment. According to the official version, due to the fact that the special forces' batteries in their communications equipment were dead, they were unable to report to headquarters that the descent was hampered by clashes with terrorists. The authorities believed that the fighters had already gone down, and only the militants remained on the slope.The first rocket salvo killed nine special forces soldiers and wounded 23. The terrorists finished off those who managed to leave the slope below. As a result, the detachment lost 80 people, 14 soldiers were able to miraculously escape and make their way to their own.

Village massacreTukhchar

On September 5, 1999, the terrorists of Khattab and Basayev dealt with captured Russian soldiers in cold blood in the villageTukhcharNovolaksky district of Dagestan. The settlement was attacked by 200 terrorists; the small garrison was unable to provide serious resistance. The militants found wounded soldiers hiding among local residents and led them to height 444.3.The terrorists executed six soldiers in accordance with the principle of blood feud; they cut their throats, avenging their militant relatives who died during the attack on the village.

"Gardens of the Righteous"

HeadedBasayev terrorist organization "Riyadus Salihiin"("Gardens of the Righteous") was one of the most dangerous enemies of the Russian special services. The main direction of its activity is the training of suicide bombers.

Most of the terrorist attacks committed in Russia before 2006 were attributed to this group. Among them are the seizure of the theater center on Dubrovka in October 2002 (130 dead, 700 injured), the attack on a school in Beslan in September 2004 (333 dead, 783 injured), the explosion at the Government House in Grozny in 2002 (70 dead , 600 wounded), the explosion of the Kislovodsk-Mineralnye Vody train (50 dead and 200 wounded) and other major terrorist acts.

	Chechnya, then the entire North Caucasus
	Invasion of militants in Dagestan, explosions of residential buildings
	Victory of the federal troops: 1 - Restoration of the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation 2 - Actual liquidation of the ChRI 3 - Militants switched to insurgency
Opponents
Russian Federation	Islamic State Dagestan
	Caucasus Emirate
	Foreign fighters
	Al Qaeda
Commanders
Boris Yeltsin	Aslan Maskhadov †
Vladimir Putin	Abdul-Halim Saidulaev †
	Doku Umarov (wanted)
Victor Kazantsev	Ruslan Gelayev †
Gennady Troshev	Shamil Basaev †
Vladimir Shamanov	Vakha Arsanov †
Alexander Baranov	Arbi Baraev †
Valentin Korabelnikov	Movsar Baraev †
Anatoly Kvashnin	Abdul-Malik Mezhidov †
Vladimir Moltenskoy	Suleiman Elmurzaev †
Akhmad Kadyrov †	Hunkar-Pasha Israpilov †
Ramzan Kadyrov	Salman Raduev †
Dzhabrail Yamadayev †	Rappani Khalilov †
Sulim Yamadayev †	Aslambek Abdulkhadzhiev †
Said-Magomed Kakiev	Aslanbek Ismailov †
	Vakha Dzhenaraliev†
	Akhmed Evloev
	Khattab †
	Abu al-Walid †
	Abu Hafs al-Urdani †
Strengths of the parties
80,000 military personnel	22,000 fighters
More than 6,000 dead	More than 20,000 killed

(officially called counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus (WHO) - a common name for military operations on the territory of Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus. It began on September 30, 1999 (the date of entry of the Russian Armed Forces into Chechnya). The active phase of hostilities lasted from 1999 to 2000, then, as the Russian Armed Forces established control over the territory of Chechnya, it developed into a smoldering conflict, which actually continues to this day. From 0 o'clock on April 16, 2009, the CTO regime was cancelled.

Background

After the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements and the withdrawal of Russian troops in 1996, there was no peace and tranquility in Chechnya and the surrounding regions.

Chechen criminal structures made a business out of mass kidnappings with impunity. Hostage-taking for ransom regularly occurred - both of official Russian representatives and foreign citizens working in Chechnya - journalists, humanitarian workers, religious missionaries and even people coming to the funerals of relatives. In particular, in the Nadterechny region in November 1997, two Ukrainian citizens who came to attend their mother’s funeral were captured; in 1998, in the neighboring republics of the North Caucasus, Turkish builders and businessmen were regularly kidnapped and taken to Chechnya; in January 1998, in Vladikavkaz / North Ossetia / French citizen and representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Vincent Costel was kidnapped. He was released in Chechnya 11 months later; on October 3, 1998, four employees of the British company Granger Telecom were kidnapped in Grozny, and in December they were brutally murdered and beheaded). The bandits profited from the theft of oil from oil pipelines and oil wells, the production and smuggling of drugs, the issuance and distribution of counterfeit banknotes, terrorist attacks and attacks on neighboring Russian regions. Camps were created on the territory of Chechnya to train militants - young people from Muslim regions of Russia. Mine demolition instructors and Islamic preachers were sent here from abroad. Numerous Arab volunteers began to play a significant role in the life of Chechnya. Their main goal was to destabilize the situation in the Russian regions neighboring Chechnya and spread the ideas of separatism to the North Caucasus republics (primarily Dagestan, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria).

At the beginning of March 1999, Gennady Shpigun, plenipotentiary representative of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in Chechnya, was kidnapped by terrorists at the Grozny airport. For the Russian leadership, this was evidence that the President of the Chechen Republic, Maskhadov, was unable to independently fight terrorism. The federal center took measures to strengthen the fight against Chechen gangs: self-defense units were armed and police units were strengthened throughout the entire perimeter of Chechnya, the best operatives of units fighting ethnic organized crime were sent to the North Caucasus, several Tochka-U missile launchers were deployed from the Stavropol region ", intended for delivering targeted strikes. An economic blockade of Chechnya was introduced, which led to the fact that the cash flow from Russia began to dry up sharply. Due to the tightening of the regime at the border, it has become increasingly difficult to smuggle drugs into Russia and take hostages. Gasoline produced in clandestine factories has become impossible to export outside Chechnya. The fight against Chechen criminal groups that actively financed militants in Chechnya was also intensified. In May-July 1999, the Chechen-Dagestan border turned into a militarized zone. As a result, the income of Chechen warlords fell sharply and they had problems purchasing weapons and paying mercenaries. In April 1999, Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov, who successfully led a number of operations during the First Chechen War, was appointed commander-in-chief of the internal troops. In May 1999, Russian helicopters launched a missile attack on the positions of Khattab militants on the Terek River in response to an attempt by gangs to seize an outpost of internal troops on the Chechen-Dagestan border. After this, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Vladimir Rushailo, announced the preparation of large-scale preventive strikes.

Meanwhile, Chechen gangs under the command of Shamil Basayev and Khattab were preparing for an armed invasion of Dagestan. From April to August 1999, conducting reconnaissance in force, they made more than 30 forays in Stavropol and Dagestan alone, as a result of which several dozen military personnel, law enforcement officers and civilians were killed and injured. Realizing that the strongest groups of federal troops were concentrated in the Kizlyar and Khasavyurt directions, the militants decided to strike the mountainous part of Dagestan. When choosing this direction, the bandits proceeded from the fact that there were no troops there, and it would not be possible to transfer forces to this inaccessible area in the shortest possible time. In addition, the militants were counting on a possible attack in the rear of federal forces from the Kadar zone of Dagestan, controlled by local Wahhabis since August 1998.

As researchers note, the destabilization of the situation in the North Caucasus was beneficial to many. First of all, Islamic fundamentalists seeking to spread their influence throughout the world, as well as Arab oil sheikhs and financial oligarchs of the Persian Gulf countries, who are not interested in starting to exploit the oil and gas fields of the Caspian Sea.

On August 7, 1999, a massive invasion of Dagestan by militants was carried out from the territory of Chechnya under the overall command of Shamil Basayev and the Arab field commander Khattab. The core of the militant group consisted of foreign mercenaries and fighters of the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade, associated with Al-Qaeda. The militants’ plan to have the population of Dagestan come over to their side failed; the Dagestanis offered desperate resistance to the invading bandits. The Russian authorities proposed that the Ichkerian leadership conduct a joint operation with federal forces against Islamists in Dagestan. It was also proposed to “resolve the issue of liquidating bases, storage and rest areas of illegal armed groups, which the Chechen leadership in every possible way denies.” Aslan Maskhadov verbally condemned the attacks on Dagestan and their organizers and instigators, but did not take real measures to counter them.

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 - explosions of residential buildings - were carried out in several Russian cities (Moscow, Volgodonsk and Buinaksk).

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, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree “On measures to increase the effectiveness of counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation.” The decree provided for the creation of a Joint Group of Forces in the North Caucasus to conduct a counter-terrorism operation.

On September 23, Russian troops began massive bombing of Grozny and its environs, and on September 30 they entered the territory of Chechnya.

Character

Having broken the resistance of militants using army units and internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (the command of Russian troops successfully uses military tricks, such as luring militants to minefields, raids behind enemy lines and many others), the Kremlin relied on the “Chechenization” of the conflict and luring on their side, parts of the elite and former members Chechen armed formations. Thus, in 2000, the former supporter of the separatists, the chief mufti of Chechnya, Akhmat Kadyrov, became the head of the pro-Kremlin administration of Chechnya in 2000. The militants, on the contrary, relied on the internationalization of the conflict, involving armed groups of non-Chechen origin in their struggle. 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. During 2005-2008, not a single major terrorist attack was committed in Russia, and the only large-scale militant operation (Raid on Kabardino-Balkaria on October 13, 2005) ended in complete failure. However, since 2010, several major terrorist attacks, Terrorist attack in Vladikavkaz (2010), Terrorist attack at Domodedovo airport).

KGB General Philip Bobkov in 2005 gave the following characterization of the actions of the Chechen resistance: “These operations are not much different from the military operations of the Israelis before the creation of their state in Palestine, and then Palestinian extremists in Israel or now Albanian armed forces in Kosovo.”

Chronology

1999

Aggravation of the situation on the border with Chechnya

Attack on Dagestan

• August 1 - Armed detachments from the villages of Echeda, Gakko, Gigatl and Agvali in the Tsumadinsky region of Dagestan, as well as the Chechens supporting them, announced that Sharia rule was being introduced in the region.
• August 2 - In the area of ​​​​the village of Echeda in the high-mountainous Tsumadinsky region of Dagestan, a military clash occurred between police officers and Wahhabis. Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Dagestan Magomed Omarov flew to the scene of the incident. As a result of the incident, 1 riot policeman and several Wahhabis were killed. According to the local police department, the incident was provoked by Chechnya.
• August 3 - As a result of shootouts in the Tsumadinsky region of Dagestan with Islamic extremists who broke through from Chechnya, two more Dagestan police officers and one serviceman of the Russian internal troops were killed. Thus, the losses of the Dagestan police reached four people killed, in addition, two policemen were wounded and three more were missing. Meanwhile, one of the leaders of the Congress of the Peoples of Ichkeria and Dagestan, Shamil Basayev, announced the creation of an Islamic Shura, which has its own armed units in Dagestan, which established control over several settlements in the Tsumadinsky region. The Dagestan leadership is asking the federal authorities for weapons for self-defense units that are planned to be created on the border of Chechnya and Dagestan. This decision was adopted by the State Council of the People's Assembly and the Government of the Republic. The official authorities of Dagestan qualified the attacks of militants as: “an open armed aggression of extremist forces against the Republic of Dagestan, an open encroachment on territorial integrity and the foundations of its constitutional system, the life and safety of its inhabitants.”
• August 4 - Up to 500 militants driven away from the regional center of Agvali dug in at previously prepared positions in one of the mountain villages, but did not put forward any demands and did not enter into negotiations. Presumably they have three employees of the Tsumadinsky regional department of internal affairs who disappeared on August 3. The security ministers and ministries of Chechnya have been transferred to round-the-clock operation. This was done in accordance with the decree of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov. True, the Chechen authorities deny the connection of these measures with the fighting in Dagestan. At 12.10 Moscow time, on one of the roads in the Botlikh district of Dagestan, five armed people opened fire on a police squad who tried to stop a Niva car for inspection. In the shootout, two bandits were killed and a car was damaged. There were no casualties among the security forces. Two Russian attack aircraft launched a powerful missile and bomb attack on the village of Kenkhi, where a large detachment of militants was prepared to be sent to Dagestan. A regrouping of the forces of the internal troops of the Operational Group in the North Caucasus has begun to block the border with Chechnya. It is planned to deploy additional units of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in the Tsumadinsky and Botlikhsky regions of Dagestan.
• August 5 - In the morning, the redeployment of units of the 102nd brigade of internal troops began to the Tsumadinsky district according to the plan for blocking the administrative Dagestan-Chechen border. This decision was made by the commander of the internal troops, Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov, during a trip to the sites of recent military operations. Meanwhile, sources in the Russian special services said that a rebellion was being prepared in Dagestan. According to the plan, a group of 600 militants was transferred to Dagestan through the village of Kenkhi. According to the same plan, the city of Makhachkala will be divided into zones of responsibility of field commanders, as well as the taking of hostages in the most crowded places, after which the official authorities of Dagestan will be asked to resign. However, the official authorities of Makhachkala deny this information.
• August 7 - September 14 - from the territory of the ChRI, detachments of field commanders Shamil Basayev and Khattab invaded the territory of Dagestan. Fierce fighting continued for more than a month. The official government of the ChRI, unable to control the actions of various armed groups on the territory of Chechnya, dissociated itself from the actions of Shamil Basayev, but did not take practical action against him.
• August 12 - Deputy Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation I. Zubov reported that a letter was sent to the President of the Chechen Republic of Igor Maskhadov with a proposal to conduct a joint operation with federal troops against Islamists in Dagestan.
• August 13 - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that “strikes will be carried out on bases and concentrations of militants regardless of their location, including on the territory of Chechnya.”
• August 16 - CRI President Aslan Maskhadov introduced martial law in Chechnya for a period of 30 days, announced the partial mobilization of reservists and participants in the First Chechen War.

Aerial bombing of Chechnya

• August 25 - Russian aircraft strike militant bases in the Vedeno Gorge in Chechnya. In response to the official protest from the ChRI, the command of the federal forces declares that they “reserve the right to strike militant bases in the territory of any North Caucasus region, including Chechnya.”
• September 6 - 18 - Russian aviation carries out numerous missile and bomb attacks on military camps and militant fortifications in Chechnya.
• September 11 - Maskhadov announced general mobilization in Chechnya.
• September 14 - Putin said that “the Khasavyurt agreements should be subjected to an impartial analysis”, as well as “a strict quarantine should be temporarily introduced” along the entire perimeter of Chechnya.
• September 18 - Russian troops block the border of Chechnya from Dagestan, Stavropol Territory, North Ossetia and Ingushetia.
• September 23 - Russian aircraft began bombing the capital of Chechnya and its environs. As a result, several electrical substations, a number of oil and gas complex factories, the Grozny mobile communications center, a television and radio broadcasting center, and an An-2 aircraft were destroyed. The press service of the Russian Air Force stated that “aircraft will continue to strike targets that gangs can use in their interests.”
• September 27 - Chairman of the Russian Government V. Putin categorically rejected the possibility of a meeting between the Presidents of Russia and the ChRI. “There will be no meetings to let the militants lick their wounds,” he said.

Start of ground operation

2000

2001

• January 23 - Vladimir Putin decided to reduce and partially withdraw troops from Chechnya.
• June 23-24 - in the village of Alkhan-Kala, a special joint detachment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB conducted a special operation to eliminate a detachment of militants of field commander Arbi Barayev. 16 militants were killed, including Barayev himself.
• June 25-26 - militant attack on Khankala
• July 11 - in the village of Mayrtup, Shalinsky district of Chechnya, during a special operation of the FSB and the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Khattab's assistant Abu Umar was killed.
• August 25 - in the city of Argun, during a special operation, FSB officers killed field commander Movsan Suleimenov, nephew of Arbi Barayev.
• September 17 - an Mi-8 helicopter with a General Staff commission on board was shot down in Grozny (2 generals and 8 officers were killed).
• September 17-18 - militant attack on Gudermes: the attack was repulsed, as a result of the use of the Tochka-U missile system, a group of more than 100 people was destroyed.
• November 3 - during a special operation, the influential field commander Shamil Iriskhanov, who was part of Basayev’s inner circle, was killed.
• December 15 - in Argun, during a special operation, federal forces killed 20 militants.

2002

• January 27 - an Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in the Shelkovsky district of Chechnya. Among the dead were the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Mikhail Rudchenko, and the commander of the group of internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Chechnya, Major General Nikolai Goridov.
• March 20 - as a result of a special operation by the FSB, terrorist Khattab was killed by poisoning.
• April 18 - in his Address to the Federal Assembly, President Vladimir Putin announced the end of the military stage of the conflict in Chechnya.
• May 9 - a terrorist attack occurred in Kaspiysk during the celebration of Victory Day. 43 people were killed and more than 100 were injured.
• August 19 - Chechen separatists using Igla MANPADS shot down a Russian military transport helicopter Mi-26 in the area of ​​the Khankala military base. Of the 147 people on board, 127 died.
• August 25 - the famous field commander Aslambek Abdulkhadzhiev was killed in Shali.
• September 23 - Raid on Ingushetia (2002)
• October 10 - an explosion occurred in the building of the Zavodsky district police department in Grozny. The explosive device was planted in the office of the head of the department. 25 policemen were killed, about 20 were wounded.
• October 23 - 26 - hostage taking in the theater center on Dubrovka in Moscow, 129 hostages died. All 44 terrorists were killed, including Movsar Barayev.
• December 27 - explosion of the Government House in Grozny. As a result of the terrorist attack, more than 70 people were killed. Shamil Basayev took responsibility for the terrorist attack.

2003

• May 12 - in the village of Znamenskoye of the Nadterechny district of Chechnya, three suicide bombers carried out a terrorist attack in the area of ​​​​the buildings of the administration of the Nadterechny district and the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation. A KamAZ car loaded with explosives demolished the barrier in front of the building and exploded. 60 people were killed and more than 250 were injured.
• May 14 - in the village of Ilshan-Yurt, Gudermes region, a suicide bomber blew herself up in a crowd celebrating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, where Akhmat Kadyrov was present. 18 people were killed and 145 people were injured.
• June 5 - a suicide bomber blew herself up next to a passenger bus carrying airbase employees en route to a military base in Mozdok. 16 people died on the spot. Four more died from their wounds later.
• July 5 - terrorist attack in Moscow at the Wings rock festival. 16 people were killed and 57 were injured.
• August 1 - Bombing of a military hospital in Mozdok. A KamAZ army truck loaded with explosives rammed the gate and exploded near the building. There was one suicide bomber in the cockpit. The death toll was 52 people.
• September 3 - terrorist attack on the Kislovodsk-Minvody train on the Podkumok-White Coal section; railway tracks were blown up using a landmine: 5 people were killed and 20 were injured.
• November 23 - three kilometers east of Serzhen-Yurt, GRU special forces destroyed a gang of mercenaries from Germany, Turkey and Algeria, numbering about 20 people.
• December 5 - suicide bombing on the Kislovodsk-Minvody train in Essentuki: 41 people were killed, 212 were injured.
• December 9 - suicide bombing near the National Hotel (Moscow).
• December 15, 2003 - February 28, 2004 - Raid on Dagestan by a detachment under the command of Ruslan Gelayev.

2004

• February 6 - terrorist attack in the Moscow metro, on the stretch between the Avtozavodskaya and Paveletskaya stations. 39 people were killed and 122 were injured.
• February 28 - famous field commander Ruslan Gelayev was mortally wounded during a shootout with border guards
• April 16 - during the shelling of the Chechen mountains, the leader of foreign mercenaries in Chechnya, Abu al-Walid al-Ghamidi, was killed
• May 9 - in Grozny at the Dynamo stadium, where the parade in honor of Victory Day was taking place, at 10:32 a powerful explosion occurred on the newly renovated VIP stand. At that moment, there were the President of Chechnya Akhmat Kadyrov, the Chairman of the State Council of the Chechen Republic Kh. Isaev, the commander of the United Group of Forces in the North Caucasus General V. Baranov, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Chechnya Alu Alkhanov and the military commandant of the republic G. Fomenko. 2 people died directly in the explosion, 4 more died in hospitals: Akhmat Kadyrov, Kh. Isaev, Reuters journalist A. Khasanov, a child (whose name was not reported) and two Kadyrov security officers. In total, 63 people were injured from the explosion in Grozny, including 5 children.
• June 21 - 22 - Raid on Ingushetia
• July 12 - 13 - a large detachment of militants captured the village of Avtury, Shali district
• August 21 - 400 militants attacked Grozny. According to the Chechen Ministry of Internal Affairs, 44 people were killed and 36 were seriously injured.
• August 24 - explosions of two Russian passenger airliners, killing 89 people.
• August 31 - terrorist attack near the Rizhskaya metro station in Moscow. 10 people were killed and more than 50 people were injured.
• September 1 - 3 - terrorist attack in Beslan, which killed 334 people, 186 of whom were children.
• October 7 - in a battle north of the village of Niki-Khit, Kurchaloevsky district, a demolition instructor, African-American Khalil Rudvan, was killed.

2005

• February 18 - as a result of a special operation in the Oktyabrsky district of Grozny, the forces of the PPS-2 detachment killed the “Emir of Grozny” Yunadi Turchaev, the “right hand” of one of the terrorist leaders Doku Umarov.
• March 8 - During a special operation by the FSB in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt, the President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Aslan Maskhadov, was eliminated.
• May 15 - former vice-president of the Chechen Republic of Ichryssia Vakha Arsanov was killed in Grozny. Arsanov and his accomplices, while in a private house, fired at a police patrol and were destroyed by arriving reinforcements.
• May 15 - in the Dubovsky forest of the Shelkovsky district, as a result of a special operation of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the “emir” of the Shelkovsky district of the Chechen Republic, Rasul Tambulatov (Volchek), was killed.
• June 4 - Cleanup in the village of Borozdinovskaya
• October 13 - Militants attack the city of Nalchik (Kabardino-Balkaria), as a result of which, according to Russian authorities, 12 civilians and 35 law enforcement officers were killed. According to various sources, from 40 to 124 militants were destroyed.

2006

• January 31 - Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference that it is now possible to talk about the end of the counter-terrorism operation in Chechnya.
• February 9-11 - in the village of Tukuy-Mekteb in the Stavropol Territory, 12 so-called militants were killed during a special operation. “Nogai battalion of the Armed Forces of the ChRI”, federal forces lost 7 people killed. During the operation, the federal side actively uses helicopters and tanks.
• March 28 - in Chechnya, the former head of the state security department of the ChRI Sultan Gelikhanov voluntarily surrendered to the authorities.
• June 16 - “ChRI President” Abdul-Halim Sadulaev was killed in Argun
• July 4 - in Chechnya, a military convoy was attacked near the village of Avtury, Shalinsky district. Representatives of the federal forces report 6 military personnel killed, bandits - more than 20.
• July 9 - the website of Chechen militants "Caucasus Center" announced the creation of the Ural and Volga fronts as part of the Armed Forces of the ChRI.
• July 10 - in Ingushetia, one of the terrorist leaders Shamil Basayev was killed as a result of a special operation (according to other sources, he died due to careless handling of explosives).
• July 12 - on the border of Chechnya and Dagestan, the police of both republics destroy a relatively large but poorly armed gang consisting of 15 militants. 13 bandits were destroyed, 2 more were detained.
• August 23 - Chechen militants attacked a military convoy on the Grozny - Shatoy highway, not far from the entrance to the Argun Gorge. The column consisted of a Ural vehicle and two escort armored personnel carriers. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Chechen Republic, four federal servicemen were wounded as a result.
• November 7 - in the area of ​​the village of Dai, Shatoi district, a gang of S.-E. Dadaev killed seven riot policemen from Mordovia.
• November 26 - the leader of foreign mercenaries in Chechnya, Abu Hafs al-Urdani, was killed in Khasavyurt. Along with him, 4 more militants were killed.

2007

• April 4 - in the vicinity of the village of Agish-batoy, Vedeno district of Chechnya, one of the most influential militant leaders, commander of the Eastern Front ChRIS Suleiman Ilmurzaev (call sign “Khairulla”), involved in the murder of Chechen President Akhmat Kadyrov, was killed.
• June 13 - in the Vedeno district on the Verkhnie Kurchali - Belgata highway, militants shot at a convoy of police cars.
• July 23 - battle near the village of Tazen-Kale, Vedensky district, between the Vostok battalion of Sulim Yamadayev and a detachment of Chechen militants led by Doku Umarov. The death of 6 militants was reported.
• September 18 - as a result of a counter-terrorist operation in the village of New Sulak, “Amir Rabbani” - Rappani Khalilov - was killed.
• October 7 - Doku Umarov announced the abolition of the ChRI and its transformation into the “vilayat of Nokhchiycho of the Caucasus Emirate”

2008

• January - during special operations in Makhachkala and the Tabasaran region of Dagestan, at least 9 militants were killed, 6 of them were part of the group of field commander I. Mallochiev. There were no casualties on the part of the security forces in these clashes. At the same time, during the clashes in Grozny, the Chechen police killed 5 militants, among them was the field commander U. Techiev, the “emir” of the capital of Chechnya.
• March 19 - an armed attack by militants was carried out on the village of Alkhazurovo. As a result, seven people died, five law enforcement officers and two civilians.
• May 5 - a military vehicle was blown up by a landmine in the village of Tashkola, a suburb of Grozny. 5 policemen were killed, 2 were injured.
• June 13 - night attack by militants in the village of Benoy-Vedeno
• September 2008 - major leaders of the illegal armed formations of Dagestan Ilgar Mallochiev and A. Gudayev were killed, a total of up to 10 militants.
• December 18 - battle in the city of Argun, 2 policemen were killed and 6 were wounded. One person was killed by militants in Argun.
• December 23-25 ​​- special operation of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the village of Verkhny Alkun in Ingushetia. Field commander Vakha Dzhenaraliev, who fought against federal troops in Chechnya and Ingushetia since 1999, and his deputy Khamkhoev were killed, a total of 12 militants were killed. 4 illegal armed formation bases have been liquidated.
• June 19 - Said Buryatsky announced his joining the underground.

2009

• April 15 is the last day of the counter-terrorist operation regime.

Aggravation of the situation in the North Caucasus in 2009

Despite the official cancellation of the counter-terrorism operation on April 16, 2009, the situation in the region has not become calmer, quite the contrary. Militants waging guerrilla warfare have become more active, and incidents of terrorist acts have become more frequent. Beginning in the fall of 2009, a number of major special operations were carried out to eliminate gangs and militant leaders. In response, a series of terrorist attacks were carried out, including, for the first time in for a long time, in Moscow.

Military clashes, terrorist attacks and police operations are actively taking place not only on the territory of Chechnya, but also on the territory of Ingushetia, Dagestan, and Kabardino-Balkaria. On certain territories The CTO regime was temporarily introduced several times.

Starting from May 15, 2009, Russian security forces intensified operations against militant groups in the mountainous regions of Ingushetia, Chechnya and Dagestan, which caused a retaliatory intensification of terrorist activities by militants. At the end of July 2010, there were all signs of an escalation of the conflict and its spread to nearby regions.

Command

Heads of the Regional Operational Headquarters for the counter-terrorism operation in the North Caucasus (2001-2006)

The Regional Operational Headquarters (ROH) was created by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of January 22, 2001 No. 61 “On measures to combat terrorism in the territory of the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation.”

• German Ugryumov (January - May 2001)
• Anatoly Ezhkov (June 2001 - July 2003)
• Yuri Maltsev (July 2003 - September 2004)
• Arkady Edelev (September 2004 - August 2006)

In 2006, on the basis of ROSH, the Operational Headquarters of the Chechen Republic was created to conduct a counter-terrorism operation.

Commanders of the Joint Group of Troops (Forces) for conducting counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation (since 1999)

The united group was formed by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of September 23, 1999 No. 1255c “On measures to increase the effectiveness of counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus region of the Russian Federation.”

• Victor Kazantsev (September 1999 - February 2000)
• Gennady Troshev (acting February - March 2000, commander April - June 2000)
• Alexander Baranov (acting March 2000)
• Alexander Baranov (acting July - September 2000, commander September 2000 - October 2001, September 2003 - May 2004)
• Vladimir Moltenskoy (acting May - August 2001, commander October 2001 - September 2002)
• Sergei Makarov (acting July - August 2002, commander October 2002 - September 2003)
• Mikhail Pankov (acting May 2004)
• Vyacheslav Dadonov (acting June 2004 - July 2005)
• Evgeniy Lazebin (July 2005 - June 2006)
• Evgeny Baryaev (June - December 2006)
• Yakov Nedobitko (December 2006 - January 2008)
• Nikolay Sivak (January 2008 - August 2011)
• Sergey Melikov (since September 2011)

Conflict in literature, cinema, music

Books

• Alexander Karasev. Traitor. Ufa: Vagant, 2011, 256 p. ISBN 978-5-9635-0344-7.
• Alexander Karasev. Chechen stories. M.: Literary Russia, 2008, 320 p. ISBN 978-5-7809-0114-3.
• Zherebtsova, Polina Viktorovna. Diary of Polina Zherebtsova. Detective Press, 2011, 576 pp. ISBN 978-5-89935-101-3
• Vyacheslav Mironov. "I was in that war."

Films and TV series

• War - feature film.
• Alexandra - feature film.
• Forced March - feature film.
• Caucasian Roulette is a feature film.
• A man's work (8-episode film).
• Storm Gates (4-episode film).
• Special forces (TV series).
• I have the honor (TV series).
• Lethal force-3 “Strength limit” (1st - 4th series)
• Mistrust - documentary film.
• Alive (film, 2006) - feature film
• Breakthrough (film, 2006) - feature film

Songs and music

Songs dedicated to the Second Chechen War:

• "Lube"- “After the War” (2000), “Soldier” (2000), Let’s get... (2002)
• Yuri Shevchuk- Star (2006), Smoke (2009)
• Timur Gordeev- Tell me, major, we're going home.
• Timur Mutsuraev- “Hava Barayeva” (the view from the militants)
• Igor Rasteryaev- “Song about Yura Prishchepny” (2011)
• Nikolay Anisimov- The rooks have arrived (2010)