3 Chechen company. The war in Chechnya is a black page in the history of Russia

Ilya Kramnik, military observer for RIA Novosti.

The second Chechen war in modern Russian history is officially over. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee of Russia, on behalf of President Dmitry Medvedev, lifted the counter-terrorism operation (CTO) regime that had been in effect for almost 10 years. This regime in Chechnya was introduced by decree of Boris Yeltsin on September 23, 1999.

The operation, which began in August 1999 with repelling the attack of militants Basayev and Khattab on Dagestan, naturally continued on the territory of Chechnya - where the gangs driven back from Dagestan territory retreated.

The second Chechen war could not help but begin. Events that took place in the region after the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements that ended the previous war in 1996 left no doubt that hostilities would break out again.

Yeltsin era

The nature of the first and second Chechen wars was very different. In 1994, the bet on the “Chechenization” of the conflict was lost - the opposition units were unable (and were unlikely to be able) to resist Dudayev’s formations. The entry of Russian troops into the territory of the republic, which were seriously constrained in their actions and were not very well prepared for the operation, aggravated the situation - the troops encountered fierce resistance, which led to significant losses during the fighting.

The assault on Grozny, which began on December 31, 1994, was especially costly for the Russian army. Disputes about the responsibility of certain individuals for losses during the assault are still ongoing. Experts place the main blame on the then Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev, who wanted to take the city as quickly as possible.

As a result, the Russian army got involved in multi-week battles in a city with dense buildings. The losses of the armed forces and troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs in the battles for Grozny in January-February 1995 amounted to more than 1,500 people killed and missing, and about 150 units of irretrievably lost armored vehicles.

As a result of two months of fighting, the Russian army cleared Grozny of gangs, which lost about 7,000 people and a large amount of equipment and weapons. It should be noted that the Chechen separatists received the equipment in the early 90s, seizing the warehouses of military units located on the territory of Chechnya with the connivance of first the authorities of the USSR and then the Russian Federation.

With the capture of Grozny, however, the war did not end. The fighting continued, capturing more and more of the territory of Chechnya, but it was not possible to suppress the gangs. On June 14, 1995, Basayev’s gang raided the city of Budennovsk, Stavropol Territory, where they seized the city hospital, taking patients and staff hostage. The militants managed to get to Budennovsk by road. The guilt of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was obvious, but, for the sake of objectivity, it should be noted that chaos and decay in those days were almost universal.

The bandits demanded to stop the fighting in Chechnya and begin negotiations with the Dudayev regime. Russian special forces began an operation to free the hostages. However, it was interrupted by an order from Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin, who entered into negotiations with Basayev by telephone. After an unsuccessful assault and negotiations, the Russian authorities agreed to give the terrorists the opportunity to leave unhindered if they released the captured hostages. Basayev's terrorist group returned to Chechnya. As a result of the terrorist attack, 129 people were killed and 415 were injured.

Responsibility for what happened was placed on the director of the Federal Grid Company, Sergei Stepashin, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Viktor Erin, who lost their posts.

Meanwhile, the war continued. Federal troops managed to take control of most of the territory of Chechnya, but the attacks by militants hiding in mountainous and wooded areas and enjoying the support of the population did not stop.

On January 9, 1996, a detachment of militants under the command of Raduev and Israpilov attacked Kizlyar and took a group of hostages in a local maternity hospital and hospital. The militants demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Chechnya and the North Caucasus. On January 10, 1996, the bandits left Kizlyar, taking with them hundreds of hostages, the number of which increased after they disarmed the Ministry of Internal Affairs checkpoint.

Soon, Raduev’s group was blocked in the village of Pervomaiskoye, which was stormed by Russian troops on January 15-18. As a result of the attack by Raduev's gang on Kizlyar and Pervomaiskoye, 78 military personnel, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and civilians of Dagestan were killed, several hundred people were injured of varying degrees of severity. Some of the militants, including the leaders, broke into the territory of Chechnya through gaps in the poorly organized cordon.

On April 21, 1996, the federal center managed to achieve a major success by eliminating Dzhokhar Dudayev, but his death did not lead to an end to the war. On August 6, 1996, gangs recaptured Grozny, blocking the positions of our troops. The prepared operation to destroy the militants was cancelled.

Finally, on August 14, a ceasefire agreement was signed, after which negotiations between representatives of Russia and Chechnya began on the development of “Principles for determining the foundations of relations between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic.” Negotiations end on August 31, 1996 with the signing of the Khasavyurt Agreements. On the Russian side, the document was signed by Alexander Lebed, then Secretary of the Security Council, and on the Chechen side by Aslan Maskhadov.

De facto, the Khasavyurt agreements and the subsequent “agreement on peace and principles of relations between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Chechnya,” signed in May 1997 by Yeltsin and Maskhadov, opened the way to the independence of Chechnya. The second article of the agreement directly provided for the construction of relations between the parties on the basis of the principles of international law and agreements of the parties.

Results of the first campaign

It is difficult to assess the effectiveness of the actions of Russian troops during the first Chechen war. On the one hand, the actions of the troops were seriously limited by numerous non-military considerations - the country's leadership and the Ministry of Defense regularly limited the use of heavy weapons and aircraft for political reasons. There was a severe lack of modern weapons, and the lessons learned from the Afghan conflict, which took place under similar conditions, were forgotten.

In addition, an information war was launched against the army - a number of media outlets and politicians carried out a targeted campaign to support the separatists. The causes and background of the war were kept silent, in particular, the genocide of the Russian-speaking population of Chechnya in the early 90s. Many were killed, others were driven from their homes and were forced to leave Chechnya. Meanwhile, human rights activists and the press paid close attention to any real and imagined sins of the federal forces, but kept silent on the topic of the misfortunes of the Russian residents of Chechnya.

The information war against Russia was also waged abroad. In many Western countries, as well as in Eastern European countries and some ex-Soviet republics, organizations arose with the goal of supporting the Chechen separatists. The intelligence services of Western countries also provided assistance to the gangs. A number of countries provided shelter, medical and financial assistance to the militants, and helped them with weapons and documents.

At the same time, it is obvious that one of the reasons for the failures were gross mistakes made by both the top leadership and the operational command, as well as the wave of army corruption, as a consequence of the deliberate and general disintegration of the army, when operational information could simply be sold. In addition, a number of successful operations by militants against Russian columns would have been impossible provided that Russian troops complied with the basic statutory requirements for organizing combat security, reconnaissance, coordination of actions, etc.

The Khasavyurt agreements did not guarantee a peaceful life for Chechnya. 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, the production and smuggling of drugs, the issuance and distribution of counterfeit banknotes, terrorist attacks and attacks on neighboring Russian regions. The authorities of Ichkeria even stole the money that Moscow continued to send to Chechen pensioners. A zone of instability arose around Chechnya, which gradually spread across Russian territory.

Second Chechen campaign

In Chechnya itself, in the summer of 1999, the gangs of Shamil Basayev and Khattab, the most prominent Arab mercenary on the territory of the republic, were preparing for the invasion of Dagestan. The bandits were counting on the weakness of the Russian government and the surrender of Dagestan. The attack was carried out on the mountainous part of this province, where there were almost no troops.

The fighting with the terrorists who invaded Dagestan on August 7 lasted more than a month. At this time, major terrorist attacks were carried out in several Russian cities - residential buildings were blown up in Moscow, Volgodonsk and Buinaksk. Many civilians died.

The second Chechen war was significantly different from the first. The bet on the weakness of the Russian government and army did not come true. The new Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has taken overall leadership of the new Chechen war.

The troops, taught by the bitter experience of 1994-96, behaved much more carefully, actively using various new tactics that made it possible to destroy large forces of militants with few losses. The militants’ individual “successes” cost them too much and could not change anything.

Like, for example, the battle at Height 776, when the bandits managed to escape from encirclement through the positions of the 6th company of the 104th parachute regiment of the Pskov Airborne Division. During this battle, 90 paratroopers, without air and artillery support due to bad weather, held back the onslaught of more than 2,000 militants for 24 hours. The bandits broke through the company's positions only when it was almost completely destroyed (only six out of 90 people remained alive). The militants' losses amounted to about 500 people. After this, the main type of action by militants becomes terrorist attacks - hostage-taking, explosions on roads and in public places.

Moscow actively exploited the split in Chechnya itself - many field commanders went over to the side of the federal forces. Within Russia itself, the new war also enjoyed significantly greater support than before. This time, in the highest echelons of power, there was no indecision that was one of the reasons for the success of gangs in the 90s. One by one, the most prominent militant leaders are being destroyed. A few leaders who escaped death fled abroad.

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

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

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

In this regard, the abolition of the anti-terrorist regime in Chechnya will only mean the successful completion for Russia of another, very important stage in the struggle for its territorial integrity.

Second Chechen Campaign.

“Only those who return blows become stronger.”

This was largely explained by the fact that the Wahhabi movement in Chechnya was acquiring greater and greater scope, and this “scope” was increasingly acquiring a “foreign flavor.” In Chechnya, the presence of radical forces was felt more and more, which caused persistent rejection even among the indigenous Chechens.

In Chechnya, there were rumors about detachments commanded by foreign mercenaries (in particular, there are persistent rumors that one of the prominent field commanders of Chechnya was a resident of Jordan). Also, in the Russian media of that time, very “deafly” (the Russian media during the period described were hostile towards the Russian army - let’s remember at least the then NTV) there were rumors that the well-known Osama Bin Laden “spitted” about 30,000,000 dollars to some influential people in Chechnya. (It is believed that these were certain Basayev and Hottab).

Some sources (again, the author cannot say with certainty that this is true) cold-bloodedly state that the same Osama Bin Laden personally (!!!) visited militant sabotage camps near a certain town of Serzhen-Yurt, shortly before the Wahhabi attack on Dagestan.

And there are absolutely wild rumors that a certain B.A. Berezovsky (completely unknown to modern “couch experts”), shortly before the Wahhabist invasion of Dagestan, sponsored militants with as much as 1 (one!!!) million dollars to “strengthen the friendship of peoples”).

The goal of the Wahhabis was the creation of a “Unified Islamic Caspian Republic”, which would allow them to “cover” the entire Caucasus, Transnistria, Georgia, etc. What was meant by “pr” was not specified, but we can conclude that the plans of the Wahhabis included the idea of ​​capturing “all of Russia by very Washington and London."

The Wahhabis began to implement their plans, but these plans encountered sharp opposition from the Russian Federation. And even the legendary B.A.B turned out to be powerless to counter the counter strike of the Russian Federation.

Thus began the Second Chechen War. And this war ended with the victory of Russia, which managed to take revenge for the defeat in the First Chechen War.

Militia from among local residents at a parade in memory of the fallen Dagestani soldiers and local residents during the invasion of Chechen militants. Agvali village. Tsumadinsky district. The Republic of Dagestan. RF. October 2000.

A Mi-24 combat helicopter is patrolling over the location of Russian troops. Chechen Republic, October 16, 1999.

The crew of the BMP-2 near the road to Grozny. Samashki village. Chechen Republic. Russian Federation. December 1999.

Chechen militant with a Borz submachine gun, 1995.

And about. President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin among the fighters of the Russian federal forces in the North Caucasus. Chechen Republic. December 31, 1999.

Russian soldiers during a break between battles. Grozny. Chechen Republic. Russian Federation. January 2000.

After the assault on the village of Komsomolskoye. Chechen Republic. Russian Federation. year 2000.

Soldiers of the 101st Special Operational Brigade of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The inscription on the BMP - “Even if she is wrong - she is my Motherland!” Grozny. Chechen Republic. February 9, 2000

Handing over weapons to illegal armed groups. S. Zandag. Chechen Republic. August 16, 1995.

(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 Caucasian 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 at 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 were parts of the elite and former members of the Chechen armed forces. 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 have been recorded (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 made by the State Council of the People's Assembly and the Government of the Republic. The official authorities of Dagestan qualified the incursions of militants as: “an open armed aggression of extremist forces against the Republic of Dagestan, an open encroachment on the territorial integrity and the foundations of its constitutional system, the life and safety of its inhabitants.”
• August 4 - Up to 500 militants driven back 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 land mine 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 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. In certain territories, the CTO regime was repeatedly temporarily introduced.

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)
• Evgeny 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 is a 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 Baraeva” (the view from the militants)
• Igor Rasteryaev- “Song about Yura Prishchepny” (2011)
• Nikolay Anisimov- The rooks have arrived (2010)

Second Chechen war

(officially called the counter-terrorism operation (CTO)— combat operations on the territory of Chechnya 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, which actually continues to this day. From 0 o'clock on April 16, 2009, the CTO regime was cancelled.

1. 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 (including official Russian representatives working in Chechnya), theft of oil from oil pipelines and oil wells, drug production and smuggling, issuance and distribution of counterfeit banknotes, terrorist attacks and attacks on neighboring Russian regions. On the territory of Chechnya, camps were created 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 Caucasian 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.

“Tochka-U”

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 at 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 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 the same days - September 4-16 - a series of terrorist attacks were carried out in several cities of Russia (Moscow, Volgodonsk and Buinaksk) - explosions of residential buildings.

Explosion of No. 6 on Kashirskoye Highway in Moscow 09/13/1999

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.

2. 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, 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.

3. Chronology

3.1. 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 of Chechen militants to threats from the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Rushailo, to carry out acts of retaliation in Chechnya
• June 23 - shelling from the side of Chechnya at the outpost near the village of Pervomaiskoye, Khasavyurt district of Dagestan.
• June 30 - Rushailo said: “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 the 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.”

Attack on Dagestan

Militant invasion of Dagestan, also known as Dagestan War(actually considered the beginning Second Chechen campaign), - armed clashes that accompanied the entry of forces based in the territory Chechnya detachments "Islamic Peacekeeping Brigade" under the command Shamilya Basayeva And Khattaba to the territory Dagestan August 7 - September 14, 1999 Initially, militant groups entered Botlikhsky(operation "ImamGhazi-Muhammad » - August 7-23), and then on Novolaksky district Dagestan(operation "ImamGamzat-bek » - September 5-14).

According to Russian military sources, the number of bandits ranged from 1,500 to 2,000 militants. Most of the militants were processed in terrorist center "Caucasus" and in the camp of the Urus-Martan jamaat. Some residents Dagestan supported gangs.

The leader of the gang was the famous Chechen terrorist, Emir Congress of the Peoples of Ichkeria and Dagestan, division general of the Armed Forces of ChRI Shamil Basayev, and his closest assistant was the head of the terrorist center “Caucasus”, Colonel of the Armed Forces of the ChRI Khattab. Russian sources reported that bandit groups also participated in the invasion of Dagestan Vahi Arsanova , Ruslana Gelayeva , Arbi Barayeva And Hunkara Israpilova, however, independent sources confirm the participation of only Barayev’s bandit group “ IPON ».

The religious leader of the invasion was Bagautdin Kebedov, which since autumn 1998 lived on the territory of Ichkeria. Political leadership was taken over by the so-called. "Islamic Shura of Dagestan", which included Sirazhudin Ramazanov, Magomed Tagaev, Nadirshakh Khachilayev , Adallo Aliyev, Akhmad Sardali, Magomed Kuramagomedov and others

Bagautdin Kebedov

• 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 Ichkeria 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 Chechen Republic of Ingushetia 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 4 - 16 - explosions of residential buildings in Buinaksk, Moscow and Volgodonsk
• 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 - 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.

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 underway, 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.

M. Khambiev

• October 6 - in accordance with Maskhadov’s decree, martial law began to apply in Chechnya. Maskhadov proposed 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.

V. Shamanov

• 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 was the destruction of gangs in the remaining territory of Chechnya.
• October 18 - Russian troops crossed the Terek.
• 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 16 - federal forces took control of the settlement of Novy Shatoy.
• November 17 - the first major losses of federal forces since the beginning of the campaign. A reconnaissance group of the 31st separate airborne brigade was lost near Vedeno (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 - President of the ChRI 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 8 - federal forces began the assault on Urus-Martan
• December 14 - federal forces occupied Khankala
• December 17 - a large landing of federal forces blocked the road connecting Chechnya with the village of Shatili (Georgia).
• December 26, 1999 - February 6, 2000 - siege of Grozny

3.2. 2000

• January 5 - federal forces took control of the regional center of Nozhai-Yurt.
• 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 11 - federal forces took control of the regional center of Vedeno
• January 27 - during the battles for Grozny, field commander Isa Astamirov, deputy commander of the southwestern front of the militants, was killed.
• February 4 - 7-8 a.m. the bombing of the peaceful village (with a population of 25,000 people including refugees) of Katyr-Yurt began.
  From February 4 to February 11, the bombing of a small village lasted. About 450 people died, about a thousand were injured. Many cases have been won and even more are pending before the European Court.
• February 5 - During the breakthrough from Grozny, besieged by federal troops, the famous field commander Khunker Israpilov died in the minefields.
• 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 10 - federal forces took control of the regional center Itum-Kale and the village of Serzhen-Yurt
• February 21 - 33 Russian servicemen, mainly from the GRU special forces unit, were killed in a battle in the Kharsenoy area.
• 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.

The battle in the Argun Gorge during the second Chechen War, when an entire company of Pskov paratroopers died

Argun Gorge

Before the fight

Today in Russia there is another tragic date...

Today in Russia there is another tragic date - February 29 In 2000, in Chechnya, at height 776 (in the Argun Gorge), the 6th company of the 104th regiment of the 76th Pskov Airborne Division died in a fierce battle with Chechen militants. Of the ninety paratroopers who took the battle against superior terrorist forces, 84 were killed, including 13 officers. They did not flinch, did not retreat, and fulfilled their military duty to the end, stopping the advance of the gang.

Then, in February 2000, the military phase - an important stage - of the second Chechen war was ending. After the fall of Grozny and Shatoy (the last large settlements in Chechnya remaining in the hands of militants), according to the federal command, the defeated militants should have divided into small detachments and dispersed to mountain bases. However, the militants concentrated. Most of their commanders, including Sh.Basayev and Khattab, proposed to break through in a north-eastern direction, towards the Dagestan border. One of the most obvious routes of retreat was the Argun Gorge. In total, in the area of ​​the village of Ulus-Kert, then, according to various sources, from 1.5 to 2.5 thousand well-trained militants were concentrated.

On the part of the federal troops, to cover this direction, among other units, the 6th company was sent - a combined detachment of paratroopers under the command of Guard Lieutenant Colonel M. Evtyukhin, who was given the task of occupying a line four kilometers southeast of Ulus-Kert, with the goal to prevent a possible breakthrough of militants in the direction of Vedeno.

The 6th company gained a foothold on the dominant height 776. But the militants went ahead. The battle near Ulus-Kert began on February 29, 2000 and continued throughout the next day. Although the paratroopers received no help other than the breakthrough of 10 scouts of the 4th company and fire support from artillery units, they fought to the death. The gunners “worked” on the heights all night. On the morning of March 1, hand-to-hand fighting ensued, and at a critical moment, Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin called in artillery fire: “On yourself!” On March 2, the remaining militants were scattered by an air and artillery raid.

The soldiers of the 1st company of the 1st battalion also tried to help their comrades. But while crossing the Abazulgol River, they were ambushed and were forced to gain a foothold on the bank. Only on the morning of March 2 did they manage to break through, but it was too late - the 6th company died, only 6 soldiers remained alive. According to federal forces, militant losses ranged from 400 to 700 people. The remaining militants managed to break out of the Argun Gorge. They went to the mountains and disappeared. Later, some field commanders were killed.

The death of the paratroopers, left without help and cut off from reinforcements, raised a large number of questions from the public and the relatives of the victims about the authorities and military command. According to many military analysts and media representatives, the death of the 6th company was caused by a number of mistakes and miscalculations of the Russian command.

August 2, 2000, on the day of the 70th anniversary of the Airborne Forces, President of the Russian Federation V.Putin came to the Pskov division and personally apologized to the relatives of the victims for “gross miscalculations that have to be paid for with the lives of Russian soldiers,” admitting the Kremlin’s guilt. But even years later, neither the president nor the military prosecutor’s office explained who exactly made these gross miscalculations, paid for with the lives of soldiers.

Subsequently, all the dead paratroopers were forever included in the lists of the 104th Guards Regiment. By decree of the President of the Russian Federation, 22 paratroopers were awarded the title of Heroes of Russia (21 posthumously), and 68 were awarded the Order of Courage (63 posthumously). All of them are guys from 47 republics, territories and regions of Russia and neighboring republics.

The films “I Have the Honor”, ​​“Breakthrough”, “Russian Sacrifice”, the musical “Warriors of the Spirit”, the books “Company”, “Breakthrough”, “Step into Immortality”, songs are dedicated to the memory of the Pskov paratroopers. The streets of their native cities were named in their honor, and memorial plaques were installed in educational institutions where the hero-paratroopers studied. Monuments were erected to them in Moscow and Pskov.

However, the anniversary of this fight is not usually celebrated at the official level. Commemorative events in the last days of February - early March are carried out, as a rule, by public organizations and relatives.

Paratroopers of the 6th company of the 104th regiment of the 76th Pskov Guards Airborne Division died heroically in the Argun Gorge on February 29 and March 1, 2000:

Guard Captain Romanov Viktor Viktorovich
Guard Senior Lieutenant Panov Andrey Alexandrovich
Guard Senior Lieutenant Alexey Vladimirovich Vorobyov
Guard Lieutenant Ermakov Oleg Viktorovich
Guard Lieutenant Kozhemyakin Dmitry Sergeevich
Guard Major Dostavalov Alexander Vasilievich
Guard Lieutenant Colonel Evtyukhin Mark Nikolaevich
Guard Private Shevchenko Denis Petrovich
Guard Private Zinkevich Denis Nikolaevich
Guard Sergeant Dmitry Viktorovich Grigoriev
Guard Private Arkhipov Vladimir Vladimirovich
Guard Private Shikov Sergei Alexandrovich
Guard junior sergeant Vladimir Aleksandrovich Shvetsov
Guard Private Travin Mikhail Vitalievich
Guard Private Islentyev Vladimir Anatolyevich
Guard Private Ivanov Dmitry Ivanovich
Guard Senior Lieutenant Kolgatin Alexander Mikhailovich,
Guards Private Vorobyov Alexey Nikolaevich,
Guard Senior Lieutenant Sherstyannikov Andrey Nikolaevich
Guard Private Alexey Alexandrovich Khrabrov
Guard Captain Sokolov Roman Vladimirovich,
Guard Private Nishchenko Alexey Sergeevich
Guard Lieutenant Ryazantsev Alexander Nikolaevich,
Guard Corporal Lebedev Alexander Vladislavovich
Guard Senior Lieutenant Petrov Dmitry Vladimirovich
Guard Private Karoteev Alexander Vladimirovich
Guard senior sergeant Medvedev Sergey Yurievich
Guard Private Mikhailov Sergey Anatolyevich,
Guard Private Shukaev Alexey Borisovich,
Guard Private Trubenok Alexander Leonidovich
Guard Private Alexey Anatolyevich Nekrasov
Guard Private Kiryanov Alexey Valerievich
Guard Senior Sergeant Siraev Rustam Flaridovich,
Guard Private Savin Valentin Ivanovich,
Guard Private Grudinsky Stanislav Igorevich,
Guard Junior Sergeant Khvorostukhin Igor Sergeevich,
Guard junior sergeant Konstantin Valerievich Krivushev,
Guard Private Piskunov Roman Sergeevich,
Guard Private Batretdinov Dmitry Mansurovich,
Guard Private Timoshinin Konstantin Viktorovich,
Guard junior sergeant Lyashkov Yuri Nikolaevich,
Guard Private Zaytsev Andrey Yurievich,
Guard Private Sudakov Roman Valerievich,
Guard Private Ivanov Yaroslav Sergeevich
Guard Private Chugunov Vadim Vladimirovich
Guard Private Erdyakov Roman Sergeevich,
Guard Private Pakhomov Roman Alexandrovich
Guard junior sergeant Sergei Valerievich Zhukov.
Guard Private Alexandrov Vladimir Andreevich.
Guard junior sergeant Shchemlev Dmitry Sergeevich,
Guard Sergeant Kuptsov Vladimir Ivanovich,
Guard junior sergeant Vladislav Anatolyevich Dukhin,
Guard junior sergeant Alexey Yurievich Vasiliev,
Guard Junior Sergeant Khamatov Evgeniy Kamitovich,
Guard Private Shalaev Nikolai Vasilievich,
Guard Private Lebedev Viktor Nikolaevich,
Guard Private Zagoraev Mikhail Vyacheslavovich.
Guard junior sergeant Denis Sergeevich Strebin,
Guard Private Timashev Denis Vladimirovich,
Guard Junior Sergeant Pavlov Ivan Gennadievich
Guard Private Tregubov Denis Alexandrovich,
Guard junior sergeant Kozlov Sergey Olegovich,
Guard Private Vasilev Sergei Vladimirovich,
Guard Private Ambetov Nikolai Kamitovich,
Guard Corporal Sokovanov Vasily Nikolaevich,
Guard junior sergeant Ivanov Sergey Alekseevich,
Guard Private Izyumov Vladimir Nikolaevich,
Guard Senior Sergeant Aranson Andrey Vladimirovich.
Guard Private of the Story Alexey Vasilievich,
Guard Junior Sergeant Eliseev Vladimir Sergeevich
Guard Corporal Gerdt Alexander Alexandrovich,
Guard Private Kuatbaev Galim Mukhambetovich,
Guard Private Biryukov Vladimir Ivanovich,
Guard Private Isaev Alexander Dmitrievich,
Guard junior sergeant Afanasyev Roman Sergeevich,
Guard Private Belykh Denis Igorevich,
Guard junior sergeant Sergey Mikhailovich Bakulin,
Guard Junior Sergeant Evdokimov Mikhail Vladimirovich,
Guard Sergeant Isakov Evgeniy Valerievich,
Guards Private Kenzhiev Amangeldy Amantaevich,
Guard Private Popov Igor Mikhailovich,
Guard Sergeant Komyagin Alexander Valerievich

• March 2 - tragic death of the Sergiev Posad riot police as a result of “friendly fire” *
• March 5 - 20 - Battle for the village of Komsomolskoye

The Battle for the village of Komsomolskoye (2000) is an episode of the Second Chechen War, when federal forces (commander - Colonel General Mikhail Labunets) surrounded a large formation of Chechen militants (retreating from the fallen Grozny in February 2000), under the command of field commander R. Gelayev) in his native village of Komsomolskoye (Saadi-Kotar) (Urus-Martan district) and carried out an operation to block and destroy him. During the fighting in the village, at least 552 people died, of which about 350 died while trying to escape from the encirclement. In addition, more than 70 were captured (mostly wounded and shell-shocked). The federal side also suffered losses. According to unconfirmed reports, more than 50 servicemen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Defense were killed and more than 300 were wounded. Commander Seifulla's detachment (about 300 people) responded to Gelayev's calls for help, but on the way to the village they were destroyed by air fire and artillery. Gelayev and several groups of militants still managed to break through the encirclement and retreat to Georgian territory (to the Pankisi Gorge). During the assault on the village, Buratino launchers were used.

According to the commander of the federal troops during the hostilities, Gennady Troshev, “the operation in Komsomolskoye practically ended the active phase of hostilities in Chechnya.”

• March 12 - in the village of Novogroznensky, terrorist Salman Raduev was captured by FSB officers and brought to Moscow; he was 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.
• March 29 - death of the Perm riot police near the village of Dzhanei-Vedeno. More than 40 people died.
• 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.
• May 19 - Deputy Minister of Sharia Security of the ChRI Abu Movsaev was killed.
• May 21 - in the city of Shali, security officers detained (in his own house) one of Aslan Maskhadov's closest accomplices - field commander Ruslan Alikhadzhiev.
• June 11 - by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, Akhmat Kadyrov was appointed head of the administration of Chechnya
• July 2 - as a result of a series of terrorist attacks using bombed trucks, more than 30 police officers and federal servicemen were killed. The greatest losses were suffered by employees of the Chelyabinsk Regional Department of Internal Affairs in Argun.
• October 1 - during a military clash in the Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny, field commander Isa Munayev was killed.
• 3.3. 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 by FSB officers, field commander Movsan Suleimenov, nephew of Arbi Barayev, was killed.
• September 17 - attack by militants (300 people) 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. 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, federal forces killed 20 militants during a special operation.

3.4. 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 14 - in Vedeno, an MTL-B was blown up, in which there were sappers, cover machine gunners, and an FSB officer. The explosion occurred as a result of false information among the population about the poisoning of a water source by militants. 6 servicemen were killed, 4 were injured. Among the dead is an FSB officer
• 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 147 people on board, 127 died.
• September 23 - Raid on Ingushetia (2002)
• October 23 - 26 - hostage taking in the theater center on Dubrovka in Moscow, 129 hostages died. All 44 terrorists were killed, including Movsar Barayev.

October 23, 2002 At 21:15, armed people in camouflage burst into the building of the Theater Center on Dubrovka. At that time, the musical “Nord-Ost” was playing at the cultural center; there were more than 700 people in the hall. The terrorists declared all people - spectators and theater workers - hostages and began to mine the building.

At 10 pm it became known that the theater building was captured by a detachment of Chechen militants led by Movsar Barayev, among the terrorists there were female suicide bombers, hung with explosives.

Movsar Baraev

At 19:00 the next day, the Qatari TV channel Al-Jazeera showed an appeal from the militants of Movsar Barayev, recorded a few days before the capture of the Palace of Culture: the terrorists declare themselves suicide bombers and demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. From seven in the evening until midnight, unsuccessful attempts continued to persuade the militants to accept food and water for the hostages.

State Duma deputy from Chechnya Aslambek Aslakhanov, Joseph Kobzon, British journalist Mark Franchetti, and two Red Cross doctors took part in the negotiations. On October 25, at 1 a.m., terrorists allowed Leonid Roshal, head of the emergency surgery and trauma department of the Center for Disaster Medicine, into the building. He brought medicines to the hostages and provided them with first aid.

In the morning, a spontaneous rally arose at the cordon near the recreation center. Relatives and friends of the hostages demanded that all the terrorists' demands be fulfilled. At 15:00 in the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB. Following the meeting, FSB Director Nikolai Patrushev said that the authorities were ready to save the lives of the terrorists if they freed all the hostages.

On October 26, at 5:30 a.m., three explosions and several bursts of machine gun fire were heard near the Palace of Culture building. At about six o'clock the special forces began the assault, during which nerve gas was used. At half past seven in the morning, an official representative of the FSB reported that the Theater Center was under the control of the special services, Movsar Barayev and most of the terrorists had been killed. The number of neutralized terrorists in the building of the Theater Center on Dubrovka was 50 people - 18 women and 32 men.

On November 7, 2002, the Moscow prosecutor's office published a list of citizens who died as a result of the actions of terrorists who seized the Dubrovka Theater Center. This mournful list included 128 people: 120 Russians and 8 citizens from countries near and far abroad.

• 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.

3.5. 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.
• 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 50 people.
• September 3 - terrorist attack on the Kislovodsk-Minvody train on the Podkumok-Bely Ugol section, the railway tracks were blown up using a landmine.
• December 5 - suicide bombing on an electric train in Essentuki.
• December 9 - suicide bombing near the National Hotel (Moscow).
• 2003-2004 - Raid on Dagestan by a detachment under the command of Ruslan Gelayev.

3.6. 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.
• 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
• June 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, 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.

On September 1, 2004, a group of armed masked people drove up to the building of School No. 1 in Beslan in several cars and took 1,128 people hostage—children and their parents—right from the school line, driving them into the school gym.

The terrorists were armed with at least 20 Kalashnikov assault rifles of various modifications, including those with under-barrel grenade launchers; 2 Kalashnikov light machine guns (RPK - 74); 2 modernized Kalashnikov machine guns (PKM); 1 Kalashnikov tank machine gun (PKT); 2 hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers (RPG-7v) and “Mukha” grenade launchers; explosive devices: two improvised explosive devices of similar design, made using explosives - plasticite and hexogen, ready-made destructive elements - metal balls, electric detonators, with a damage radius of at least 200 m, at least six improvised explosive devices made on the basis of anti-personnel fragmentation weapons OZM-72 all-round mines of industrial production with homemade modifications, as well as the so-called “suicide belts” - homemade explosive devices.

The terrorists demanded that the authorities release militants previously detained on suspicion of participation in the attack on Ingushetia on June 21-22, 2004, and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya. They also demanded that the President of Ingushetia Murat Zyazikov, the President of North Ossetia Alexander Dzasokhov and the children's doctor Leonid Roshal, who took part in the negotiations during the terrorist attack on Dubrovka in October 2002, appear at the negotiations with them. At the same time, the terrorists threatened to blow up the school building in the event of an assault and kill 50 hostages for each eliminated terrorist. The prosecutor of Beslan and the mufti of North Ossetia volunteered to act as negotiators, but the terrorists did not allow them into the school building.

On the first day, the terrorists shot 12 (according to other sources - 14) men who were among the hostages.

On the night of September 2, negotiations between the terrorists and Dr. Roshal took place. Representatives of the special services told the terrorists that they were ready to provide them with the opportunity to safely travel to Ingushetia and Chechnya. In addition, it was proposed to replace child hostages with adults. There was no response to these offers; the terrorists also refused to accept food and medicine for those taken hostage.

On September 2, the former President of Ingushetia, Ruslan Aushev, visited the seized school. At his request, the militants released a group of hostages of 26 people (mothers with infants). Then, at headquarters, Aushev and Alexander Dzasokhov contacted Akhmed Zakayev by phone with a request that he contact Aslan Maskhadov and ask him to fly to Beslan and enter into negotiations with the terrorists. The latter expressed agreement in principle, however, stating that his relationship with Maskhadov was one-sided. On September 3 at 12-00, Zakayev informs Dzasokhov of Maskhadov’s consent (subject to security guarantees being provided to Maskhadov) to come to Beslan (no guarantees were provided). Zakayev informed Dzasokhov about his conversation with Maskhadov and his and Maskhadov’s readiness to immediately arrive in Beslan and release the hostages “on any conditions,” however, demanding security guarantees. Dzasokhov replied that “our conversation is an invitation to talk about this.” Zakaev expressed his readiness to fly out immediately, but Dzasokhov asked him to call back in an hour and a half (according to other sources, two) hours, which he needed to resolve technical issues regarding the arrival of Zakaev and Maskhadov. However, Zakayev did not call back, because an hour after the conversation, explosions were heard at the school and the assault began.

At 12:40, the operational headquarters managed to negotiate with the terrorists to evacuate the bodies of the killed hostages from the school. At 12:55, emergency workers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations arrive at the school to pick up the bodies of those killed. At 13:03-13:05 two explosions were heard in the school building, hostages began to run out of the school. After which special forces of the Russian army and the FSB launched an assault. As a result of the assault, both the terrorists and the attackers suffered losses (10 special forces soldiers were killed). Casualties among hostages: 331 dead, about 500 wounded.

3.7. 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 Ichryssia, 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.

3.8. 2006

• January 3-5 - in the Untsukulsky district of Dagestan, federal and local security forces are trying to eliminate a gang of 8 militants under the command of field commander O. Sheikhulayev. According to official information, 5 militants were killed, the terrorists themselves admit the death of only 1. The losses of the federal forces were 1 killed, 10 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 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 servicemen 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 7 - Seven riot policemen from Mordovia were killed in Chechnya.
• 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.

3.9. 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, Vedeno 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.

3.10. 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.
• 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 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, 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.

3.11. 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 (two servicemen of the special forces of the VV were later 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.
• April 15 is the last day of the counter-terrorist operation regime
• 4. 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 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, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia. In certain territories, the CTO regime was repeatedly temporarily introduced.

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.

The war with Chechnya remains today the largest conflict in Russian history. This campaign brought many sad consequences for both sides: a huge number of killed and wounded, destroyed houses, crippled destinies.

This confrontation showed the inability of the Russian command to act effectively in local conflicts.

History of the Chechen War

In the early 90s, the USSR was slowly but surely moving towards its collapse. At this time, with the advent of glasnost, protest sentiments began to gain strength throughout the Soviet Union. In order to keep the country united, USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev is trying to federalize the state.

at the end of this year the Chechen-Ingush Republic adopted its declaration of independence

A year later, when it was clear that it was impossible to save a single country, Dzhokhar Dudayev was elected president of Chechnya, who on November 1 declared the sovereignty of Ichkeria.

Planes with special forces were sent there to restore order. But the special forces were surrounded. As a result of negotiations, the special forces soldiers managed to leave the territory of the republic. From that moment on, relations between Grozny and Moscow began to deteriorate more and more.

The situation escalated in 1993, when bloody clashes broke out between Dudayev’s supporters and the head of the Provisional Council, Avturkhanov. As a result, Grozny was stormed by Avturkhanov's allies. The tanks easily reached the center of Grozny, but the assault failed. They were controlled by Russian tank crews.

by this year all federal troops had been withdrawn from Chechnya

To stop the bloodshed, Yeltsin put forward an ultimatum: if the bloodshed in Chechnya does not stop, Russia will be forced to intervene militarily.

First Chechen war 1994 - 1996

On November 30, 1994, B. Yeltsin signed a decree designed to restore law and order in Chechnya and restore constitutional legality.

According to this document, the disarmament and destruction of Chechen military formations was envisaged. On December 11 of this year, Yeltsin spoke to Russians, claiming that the goal of Russian troops was to protect Chechens from extremism. On the same day the army entered Ichkeria. This is how the Chechen war began.

The beginning of the war in Chechnya

The army moved from three directions:

• northwestern group;
• Western group;
• eastern group.

At first, the advance of troops from the northwestern direction proceeded easily without resistance. The first clash since the beginning of the war happened only 10 km before Grozny on December 12.

Government troops were fired at from mortars by Vakha Arsanov's detachment. Russian losses were: 18 people, 6 of them killed, 10 pieces of equipment were lost. The Chechen detachment was destroyed by return fire.

Russian troops took a position on the line Dolinsky - the village of Pervomaiskaya, from here they exchanged fire throughout December.

As a result, many civilians died.

From the east, the military convoy was stopped at the border by local residents. Things immediately became difficult for the troops from the western direction. They were fired upon near the village of Varsuki. After this, unarmed people were fired on more than once so that the troops could advance.

A number of senior Russian army officers were suspended amid poor results. General Mityukhin was assigned to lead the operation. On December 17, Yeltsin demanded Dudayev’s surrender and disarmament of his troops, and ordered him to arrive in Mozdok to surrender.

And on the 18th, the bombing of Grozny began, which continued almost until the storming of the city.

Storm of Grozny

4 groups of troops took part in the hostilities:

• "West", Commander General Petruk;
• "Northeast", Commander General Rokhlin;
• "North", Commander Pulikovsky;
• "East", Commander General Staskov.

The plan to storm the capital of Chechnya was adopted on December 26. He envisioned an assault on the city from 4 directions. The ultimate goal of this operation was to capture the presidential palace by surrounding it with government troops from all sides. On the side of the government forces there were:

• 15 thousand people;
• 200 tanks;
• 500 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers.

According to various sources, the armed forces of the ChRI had at their disposal:

• 12-15 thousand people;
• 42 tanks;
• 64 armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.

The eastern group of troops, led by General Staskov, was supposed to enter the capital from the Khankala airport, and, having captured a large area of ​​the city, divert significant resistance forces to itself.

Having been ambushed on the approaches to the city, the Russian formations were forced to return, failing in their assigned task.

Just like in the eastern group, things were going badly in other directions. Only the troops under the command of General Rokhlin managed to resist with dignity. Having fought through the battles to the city hospital and the canning army, they were surrounded, but did not retreat, but took up a competent defense, which saved many lives.

Things were especially tragic in the northern direction. In the battles for the railway station, the 131st brigade from Maykop and the 8th motorized rifle regiment were ambushed. The biggest losses that day occurred there.

The Western group was sent to storm the presidential palace. Initially, the advance went without resistance, but near the city market the troops were ambushed and forced to go on the defensive.

by March of this year we managed to take Grozny

As a result, the first assault on the formidable one failed, as did the second after it. After changing tactics from the assault to the “Stalingrad” method, Grozny was captured by March 1995, defeating the detachment of the militant Shamil Basayev.

Battles of the First Chechen War

After the capture of Grozny, government armed forces were sent to establish control over the entire territory of Chechnya. The entry involved not only weapons, but also negotiations with civilians. Argun, Shali, and Gudermes were taken almost without a fight.

Fierce fighting also continued, with resistance especially strong in the mountainous areas. It took Russian troops a week to capture the village of Chiri-Yurt in May 1995. By June 12, Nozhai-Yurt and Shatoy were taken.

As a result, they managed to “bargain” for a peace agreement from Russia, which was repeatedly violated by both sides. On December 10-12, the battle for Gudermes took place, which was then cleared of bandits for another two weeks.

On April 21, 1996, something that the Russian command had been striving for for a long time happened. Having caught a satellite signal from Dzhokhar Dudayev’s phone, an air strike was carried out, as a result of which the president of the unrecognized Ichkeria was killed.

Results of the First Chechen War

The results of the first Chechen war were:

• peace agreement between Russia and Ichkeria signed on August 31, 1996;
• Russia withdrew its troops from Chechnya;
• the status of the republic was to remain uncertain.

The losses of the Russian army were:

• more than 4 thousand killed;
• 1.2 thousand missing;
• about 20 thousand wounded.

Heroes of the First Chechen War

175 people who participated in this campaign received the title of Hero of Russia. Viktor Ponomarev was the first to receive this title for his exploits during the assault on Grozny. General Rokhlin, who was awarded this rank, refused to accept the award.

Second Chechen War 1999-2009

The Chechen campaign continued in 1999. The main prerequisites are:

• lack of fight against separatists who committed terrorist attacks, caused destruction and committed other crimes in neighboring regions of the Russian Federation;
• The Russian government tried to influence the leadership of Ichkeria, however, President Aslan Maskhadov only verbally condemned the chaos that was happening.

In this regard, the Russian government decided to conduct a counter-terrorism operation.

Start of hostilities

On August 7, 1999, the troops of Khattab and Shamil Basayev invaded the territory of the mountainous regions of Dagestan. The group consisted mainly of foreign mercenaries. They planned to win over the locals, but their plan failed.

For more than a month, federal forces fought with the terrorists before they left for the territory of Chechnya. For this reason, with Yeltsin’s decree, massive bombing of Grozny began on September 23.

During this campaign, the sharply increased skill of the military was clearly noticeable.

On December 26, the assault on Grozny began, which lasted until February 6, 2000. The liberation of the city from terrorists was announced by the acting. President V. Putin. From that moment on, the war turned into a struggle with partisans, which ended in 2009.

Results of the Second Chechen War

Based on the results of the second Chechen campaign:

• peace was established in the country;
• people of pro-Kremlin ideology came to power;
• the region began to recover;
• Chechnya has turned into one of the calmest regions of Russia.

Over the 10 years of war, the real losses of the Russian army amounted to 7.3 thousand people, the terrorists lost more than 16 thousand people.

Many veterans of this war remember it in a sharply negative context. After all, the organization, especially the first campaign of 1994-1996. I didn't leave the best memories. This is eloquently evidenced by various documentary videos filmed in those years. One of the best films about the first Chechen war:

The end of the civil war stabilized the situation in the country as a whole, bringing peace to families on both sides.