First Chechen War 1994-1996 The war in Chechnya is a black page in the history of Russia. The course of hostilities

First Chechen War
	Chechnya, also partially Ingushetia, Dagestan, Stavropol Territory
	Khasavyurt agreements, the withdrawal of federal troops from Chechnya.
Territorial changes:	The actual independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.
Opponents
Russian Armed Forces	Chechen separatists
Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia
Commanders
Boris Yeltsin Pavel Grachev Anatoly Kvashnin Anatoly Kulikov Victor Erin Anatoly Romanov Lev Rokhlin Gennady Troshev Vladimir Shamanov Ivan Babichev Konstantin Pulikovsky Bislan Gantamirov Said-Magomed Kakiev	Dzhokhar Dudayev † Aslan Maskhadov Ahmed Zakaev Zelimkhan Yandarbiev Shamil Basaev Ruslan Gelaev Salman Raduev Turpal-Ali Atgeriev Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov Vakha Arsanov Arbi Baraev Aslambek Abdulkhadzhiev Apti Batalov Aslanbek Ismailov Ruslan Alikhadzhiev Ruslan Khaykhoroev Khizir Khachukaev
Side forces
95,000 troops (February 1995)	3,000 (Republican Guard), 27,000 (regulars and militia)
Military casualties
About 5,500 dead and missing (according to official figures)	17,391 dead and captured (Russian data)

First Chechen War (Chechen conflict 1994-1996, First Chechen campaign, Restoration of constitutional order in the Chechen Republic) - hostilities between the Russian government forces (AF and the Ministry of Internal Affairs) and the unrecognized Chechen Republic of Ichkeria in Chechnya and some settlements in neighboring regions of the Russian North Caucasus in order to take control of the territory of Chechnya, on which the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria was proclaimed in 1991. Often referred to as the "first Chechen war", although officially the conflict was referred to as "measures to maintain constitutional order". The conflict and the events that preceded it were characterized big amount casualties among the population, military and law enforcement agencies, there were facts of genocide of the non-Chechen population in Chechnya.

Despite certain military successes of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, the results of this conflict were the defeat and withdrawal of federal troops, massive destruction and casualties, the de facto independence of Chechnya before the second Chechen conflict, and a wave of terror that swept through Russia.

Background to the conflict

With the beginning of "perestroika" in various republics of the Soviet Union, including Checheno-Ingushetia, various nationalist movements became more active. One such organization was the All-National Congress of the Chechen People, established in 1990, which set as its goal the secession of Chechnya from the USSR and the creation of an independent Chechen state. It was headed former general Soviet Air Force Dzhokhar Dudayev.

"Chechen revolution" of 1991

On June 8, 1991, at the II session of the OKCHN, Dudayev proclaimed the independence of the Chechen Republic Nokhchi-cho; Thus, a dual power developed in the republic.

During the "August coup" in Moscow, the leadership of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR supported the State Emergency Committee. In response to this, on September 6, 1991, Dudayev announced the dissolution of the republican state structures, accusing Russia of "colonial" policy. On the same day, Dudayev's guards stormed the building of the Supreme Council, the television center and the Radio House.

More than 40 deputies were beaten, and the chairman of the Grozny City Council, Vitaly Kutsenko, was thrown out of a window, as a result of which he died. Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR Ruslan Khasbulatov then sent them a telegram: "I was pleased to learn about the resignation of the Armed Forces of the Republic." After the collapse of the USSR, Dzhokhar Dudayev announced the final withdrawal of Chechnya from the Russian Federation.

On October 27, 1991, presidential and parliamentary elections were held in the republic under the control of separatists. Dzhokhar Dudayev became the President of the Republic. These elections were declared illegal by the Russian Federation.

On November 7, 1991, Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree declaring a state of emergency in Checheno-Ingushetia. After these actions of the Russian leadership, the situation in the republic deteriorated sharply - supporters of the separatists surrounded the buildings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the KGB, military camps, blocked railway and air hubs. In the end, the introduction of the state of emergency was thwarted and the withdrawal of Russian military units and units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs from the republic began, which finally ended by the summer of 1992. The separatists began to seize and loot military depots. Dudayev's forces got a lot of weapons: 2 rocket launchers of the ground forces, 4 tanks, 3 infantry fighting vehicles, 1 armored personnel carrier, 14 lightly armored tractors, 6 aircraft, 60 thousand automatic small arms weapons and a lot of ammunition. In June 1992, the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Pavel Grachev ordered that half of all weapons and ammunition available in the republic be transferred to the Dudaevites. According to him, this was a forced step, since a significant part of the “transferred” weapons had already been captured, and there was no way to take out the rest due to the lack of soldiers and echelons.

The collapse of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR (1991-1992)

The victory of the separatists in Grozny led to the disintegration of the Chechen-Ingush ASSR. Malgobeksky, Nazranovsky and most of the Sunzhensky district of the former CHIASSR formed the Republic of Ingushetia as part of the Russian Federation. Legally, the Chechen-Ingush ASSR ceased to exist on December 10, 1992.

The exact border between Chechnya and Ingushetia has not been demarcated and has not been defined to date (2010). During the Ossetian-Ingush conflict in November 1992, Russian troops entered the Prigorodny district of North Ossetia. Relations between Russia and Chechnya deteriorated sharply. The Russian high command proposed at the same time to solve the "Chechen problem" by force, but then the entry of troops into the territory of Chechnya was prevented by the efforts of Yegor Gaidar.

Period of de facto independence (1991-1994)

As a result, Chechnya became de facto independent, but not legally recognized by any country, including Russia, a state. The republic had state symbols - a flag, emblem and anthem, authorities - the president, parliament, government, secular courts. It was supposed to create a small Armed Forces, as well as the introduction of their own state currency - nahara. In the constitution adopted on March 12, 1992, CRI was characterized as an "independent secular state", its government refused to sign a federal treaty with the Russian Federation.

In fact, state system CRI turned out to be extremely ineffective and in the period 1991-1994 it was rapidly criminalized.

In 1992-1993, over 600 premeditated murders were committed on the territory of Chechnya. During the period of 1993, at the Grozny branch of the North Caucasian Railway, 559 trains were subjected to an armed attack with complete or partial looting of about 4 thousand wagons and containers in the amount of 11.5 billion rubles. For 8 months in 1994, 120 armed attacks were carried out, as a result of which 1,156 wagons and 527 containers were looted. Losses amounted to more than 11 billion rubles. In 1992-1994, 26 railway workers were killed in armed attacks. The current situation forced the Russian government to take a decision to stop traffic on the territory of Chechnya from October 1994.

A special craft was the manufacture of false advice notes, on which more than 4 trillion rubles were received. Hostage-taking and the slave trade flourished in the republic - according to Rosinformtsentr, since 1992, 1,790 people have been kidnapped and illegally held in Chechnya.

Even after that, when Dudayev stopped paying taxes to the general budget and forbade employees of the Russian special services from entering the republic, the federal center continued to transfer money to Chechnya cash from the budget. In 1993, 11.5 billion rubles were allocated for Chechnya. Russian oil Until 1994, it continued to arrive in Chechnya, while it was not paid for and was resold abroad.

The period of Dudayev's rule is characterized by ethnic cleansing against the entire non-Chechen population. In 1991-1994, the non-Chechen (primarily Russian) population of Chechnya was subjected to murders, attacks and threats from Chechens. Many were forced to leave Chechnya, being expelled from their homes, leaving or selling apartments to Chechens at a low price. Only in 1992, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 250 Russians were killed in Grozny, 300 were missing. The morgues were filled with unidentified corpses. Widespread anti-Russian propaganda was kindled by the relevant literature, direct insults and appeals from government stands, desecration of Russian cemeteries.

Political crisis of 1993

In the spring of 1993, the contradictions between President Dudayev and the parliament sharply escalated in the CRI. On April 17, 1993, Dudayev announced the dissolution of the Parliament, the Constitutional Court and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. On June 4, armed Dudayevites under the command of Shamil Basayev seized the building of the Grozny City Council, in which meetings of the parliament and the constitutional court were held; thus, a coup d'état took place in CRI. The constitution, adopted last year, was amended, and Dudayev's regime of personal power was established in the republic, which lasted until August 1994, when legislative powers were returned to parliament.

Formation of the anti-Dudaev opposition (1993-1994)

After the coup d'état on June 4, 1993, in the northern regions of Chechnya, not controlled by the separatist government in Grozny, an armed anti-Dudaev opposition was formed, which began an armed struggle against Dudayev's regime. The first opposition organization was the National Salvation Committee (KNS), which held several armed actions, but was soon defeated and disintegrated. It was replaced by the Provisional Council of the Chechen Republic (VSChR), which proclaimed itself the only legitimate authority on the territory of Chechnya. The VChR was recognized as such by the Russian authorities, who provided it with all kinds of support (including weapons and volunteers).

Beginning of the civil war (1994)

Since the summer of 1994, hostilities have unfolded in Chechnya between government troops loyal to Dudayev and the forces of the opposition Provisional Council. Troops loyal to Dudayev carried out offensive operations in the Nadterechny and Urus-Martan regions controlled by opposition troops. They were accompanied by significant losses on both sides, tanks, artillery and mortars were used.

The forces of the parties were approximately equal, and none of them could win the fight.

Only in Urus-Martan in October 1994, the Dudaevites lost 27 people killed, according to the opposition. The operation was planned by the Chief of the General Staff Armed Forces CRI A. Maskhadov. The commander of the opposition detachment in Urus-Martan B. Gantamirov lost from 5 to 34 people killed, according to various sources. In Argun in September 1994, a detachment of the opposition field commander R. Labazanov lost 27 people killed. The opposition, in turn, on September 12 and October 15, 1994, carried out offensive actions in Grozny, but every time they retreated without achieving decisive success, although they did not suffer heavy losses.

On November 26, the oppositionists unsuccessfully stormed Grozny for the third time. At the same time, a number of Russian servicemen who “fought on the side of the opposition” under a contract with the Federal Counterintelligence Service were captured by Dudayev’s supporters.

The course of the war

The entry of troops (December 1994)

Even before the announcement of any decision by the Russian authorities, on December 1, Russian aircraft attacked the Kalinovskaya and Khankala airfields and disabled all the aircraft at the disposal of the separatists. On December 11, 1994, President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin signed Decree No. 2169 "On Measures to Ensure Law, Law and Order and Public Security on the Territory of the Chechen Republic."

On the same day, units of the United Group of Forces (OGV), which consisted of parts of the Ministry of Defense and the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, entered the territory of Chechnya. The troops were divided into three groups and entered from three different sides - from the west (from North Ossetia through Ingushetia), the northwest (from the Mozdok region of North Ossetia, directly bordering Chechnya) and the east (from the territory of Dagestan).

The eastern group was blocked in the Khasavyurt district of Dagestan by local residents - Akkin Chechens. The Western group was also blocked by local residents and came under fire near the village of Barsuki, however, using force, they nevertheless broke through into Chechnya. The Mozdok grouping advanced most successfully, already on December 12 approaching the village of Dolinsky, located 10 km from Grozny.

Near Dolinskoye, Russian troops came under fire from the Chechen Grad rocket artillery installation and then entered the battle for this settlement.

The new offensive of the units of the OGV began on December 19. The Vladikavkaz (Western) group blockaded Grozny with western direction bypassing the Sunzha Range. On December 20, the Mozdok (northwestern) group occupied Dolinsky and blocked Grozny from the northwest. The Kizlyar (eastern) group blocked Grozny from the east, and the paratroopers of the 104th Airborne Division blocked the city from the side of the Argun Gorge. At the same time, the southern part of Grozny was not blocked.

Thus, on initial stage military operations, in the first weeks of the war, Russian troops were able to occupy the northern regions of Chechnya practically without resistance.

Assault on Grozny (December 1994 - March 1995)

Despite the fact that Grozny was still not blocked from the south side, on December 31, 1994, the assault on the city began. About 250 units of armored vehicles, extremely vulnerable in street battles, entered the city. The Russian troops were poorly trained, there was no interaction and coordination between the various units, and many soldiers had no combat experience. The troops did not even have maps of the city and normal communications.

The western grouping of troops was stopped, the eastern one also retreated and did not take any action until January 2, 1995. In the northern direction, the 131st separate Maykop motorized rifle brigade and the 81st Petrakuvsky motorized rifle regiment, under the command of General Pulikovsky, reached the railway station and the Presidential Palace. There they were surrounded and defeated - the losses of the Maykop brigade amounted to 85 people killed and 72 missing, 20 tanks were destroyed, the brigade commander Colonel Savin died, more than 100 servicemen were captured.

The eastern group under the command of General Rokhlin was also surrounded and bogged down in battles with separatist units, but nevertheless, Rokhlin did not give the order to retreat.

On January 7, 1995, the Northeast and North groups were united under the command of General Rokhlin, and Ivan Babichev became the commander of the West group.

The Russian troops changed tactics - now, instead of the massive use of armored vehicles, they used maneuverable air assault groups supported by artillery and aircraft. Fierce street fighting ensued in Grozny.

Two groups moved to the Presidential Palace and by January 9 occupied the building of the Oil Institute and the Grozny airport. By January 19, these groups met in the center of Grozny and captured the Presidential Palace, but detachments of Chechen separatists retreated across the Sunzha River and took up defensive positions on Minutka Square. Despite the successful offensive, Russian troops controlled only about a third of the city at that time.

By the beginning of February, the strength of the OGV had been increased to 70,000 people. General Anatoly Kulikov became the new commander of the OGV.

Only on February 3, 1995, the South grouping was formed and the implementation of the plan to blockade Grozny from the south began. By February 9, Russian units reached the border of the Rostov-Baku federal highway.

On February 13, in the village of Sleptsovskaya (Ingushetia), negotiations were held between the commander of the United Forces Anatoly Kulikov and the head General Staff Armed Forces of the CRI Aslan Maskhadov on the conclusion of a temporary truce - the parties exchanged lists of prisoners of war, and both sides were given the opportunity to take the dead and wounded from the streets of the city. The truce, however, was violated by both sides.

In the 20th of February, street fighting continued in the city (especially in its southern part), but the Chechen detachments, deprived of support, gradually retreated from the city.

Finally, on March 6, 1995, a detachment of militants from the Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev retreated from Chernorechye, the last district of Grozny controlled by the separatists, and the city finally came under the control of Russian troops.

A pro-Russian administration of Chechnya was formed in Grozny, headed by Salambek Khadzhiev and Umar Avturkhanov.

As a result of the assault on Grozny, the city was actually destroyed and turned into ruins.

Establishing control over the flat regions of Chechnya (March - April 1995)

After the assault on Grozny, the main task of the Russian troops was to establish control over the flat regions of the rebellious republic.

The Russian side began to conduct active negotiations with the population, persuading local residents to expel the militants from their settlements. At the same time, Russian units occupied the dominant heights above the villages and cities. Thanks to this, on March 15-23, Argun was taken, on March 30 and 31, the cities of Shali and Gudermes were taken without a fight, respectively. However, the militant groups were not destroyed and freely left the settlements.

Despite this, local battles were going on in the western regions of Chechnya. March 10 began fighting for the village of Bamut. On April 7-8, the combined detachment of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, consisting of the Sofrino brigade internal troops and supported by detachments of SOBR and OMON entered the village of Samashki (Achkhoy-Martan district of Chechnya) and entered into battle with militant forces. It was alleged that the village was defended by more than 300 people (the so-called "Abkhazian battalion" of Shamil Basayev). The losses of the militants amounted to more than 100 people, the Russians - 13-16 people dead, 50-52 wounded. During the battle for Samashki, many civilians were killed, and this operation caused a great resonance in Russian society and increased anti-Russian sentiment in Chechnya.

On April 15-16, the decisive assault on Bamut began - Russian troops managed to enter the village and gain a foothold on the outskirts. Then, however, the Russian troops were forced to leave the village, since now the militants occupied the dominant heights above the village, using the old missile silos of the Strategic Missile Forces, designed to conduct nuclear war and invulnerable to Russian aviation. A series of battles for this village continued until June 1995, then the fighting was suspended after the terrorist attack in Budyonnovsk and resumed in February 1996.

By April 1995, almost the entire flat territory of Chechnya was occupied by Russian troops, and the separatists focused on sabotage and partisan operations.

Establishing control over the mountainous regions of Chechnya (May - June 1995)

From April 28 to May 11, 1995, the Russian side announced the suspension of hostilities on its part.

The offensive resumed only on May 12. The blows of the Russian troops fell on the villages of Chiri-Yurt, which covered the entrance to the Argun Gorge and Serzhen-Yurt, located at the entrance to the Vedeno Gorge. Despite a significant superiority in manpower and equipment, Russian troops were bogged down in the enemy's defense - it took General Shamanov a week of shelling and bombing to take Chiri-Yurt.

Under these conditions, the Russian command decided to change the direction of the strike - instead of Shatoi to Vedeno. The militant units were pinned down in the Argun Gorge and on June 3 Vedeno was taken by Russian troops, and on June 12 the regional centers of Shatoi and Nozhai-Yurt were taken.

Also, as in the plains, the separatist forces were not defeated and they were able to leave the abandoned settlements. Therefore, even during the "truce", the militants were able to transfer a significant part of their forces to the northern regions - on May 14, the city of Grozny was shelled by them more than 14 times.

Terrorist act in Budyonnovsk (14 - 19 June 1995)

June 14, 1995 group Chechen fighters numbering 195 people, led by field commander Shamil Basaev, drove trucks into the territory of the Stavropol Territory (Russian Federation) and stopped in the city of Budyonnovsk.

The building of the GOVD became the first object of attack, then the terrorists occupied the city hospital and drove the captured civilians into it. In total, about 2,000 hostages were in the hands of the terrorists. Basayev put forward demands on the Russian authorities - a cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Russian troops from Chechnya, negotiations with Dudayev through the mediation of UN representatives in exchange for the release of the hostages.

Under these conditions, the authorities decided to storm the hospital building. Because of the leak of information, the terrorists had time to prepare to repel the assault, which lasted four hours; as a result, the special forces recaptured all the corps (except the main one), releasing 95 hostages. Spetsnaz losses amounted to three people killed. On the same day, an unsuccessful second assault attempt was made.

After the failure of military actions to free the hostages, negotiations began between the then Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Viktor Chernomyrdin and field commander Shamil Basayev. The terrorists were provided with buses, on which they, along with 120 hostages, arrived in the Chechen village of Zandak, where the hostages were released.

The total losses of the Russian side, according to official figures, amounted to 143 people (of which 46 were employees of law enforcement agencies) and 415 wounded, the losses of terrorists - 19 killed and 20 wounded.

The situation in the republic in June - December 1995

After the terrorist attack in Budyonnovsk, from June 19 to June 22, the first round of negotiations between the Russian and Chechen sides took place in Grozny, at which it was possible to achieve a moratorium on hostilities for an indefinite period.

From June 27 to June 30, the second stage of negotiations took place there, at which an agreement was reached on the exchange of prisoners "all for all", the disarmament of the CRI detachments, the withdrawal of Russian troops and the holding of free elections.

Despite all the agreements concluded, the ceasefire regime was violated by both sides. Chechen detachments returned to their villages, but not as members of illegal armed groups, but as "self-defense units". There were local battles throughout Chechnya. For some time, the emerging tensions could be resolved through negotiations. So, on August 18-19, Russian troops blocked Achkhoy-Martan; the situation was resolved at the talks in Grozny.

On August 21, a detachment of militants of the field commander Alaudi Khamzatov captured Argun, but after a heavy shelling undertaken by Russian troops, they left the city, into which Russian armored vehicles were then introduced.

In September, Achkhoy-Martan and Sernovodsk were blocked by Russian troops, since militants were in these settlements. The Chechen side refused to leave their positions, because, according to them, these were "self-defense units" that had the right to stay in accordance with the agreements reached earlier.

On October 6, 1995, an assassination attempt was made against the commander of the United Group of Forces (OGV), General Romanov, as a result of which he was in a coma. In turn, "retaliation strikes" were inflicted on Chechen villages.

On October 8, an unsuccessful attempt was made to eliminate Dudayev - an air strike was launched on the village of Roshni-Chu.

The Russian leadership decided before the elections to replace the leaders of the pro-Russian administration of the republic Salambek Khadzhiev and Umar Avturkhanov with the former head of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic Dokka Zavgaev.

On December 10-12, the city of Gudermes, occupied by Russian troops without resistance, was captured by detachments of Salman Raduev, Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov and Sultan Geliskhanov. On December 14-20, there were battles for this city, it took Russian troops about a week of “cleansing operations” to finally take Gudermes under their control.

On December 14-17, elections were held in Chechnya, which were held with a large number of violations, but nevertheless recognized as valid. Supporters of the separatists announced in advance the boycott and non-recognition of the elections. Dokku Zavgaev won the elections, having received over 90% of the votes; at the same time, all military personnel of the UGV participated in the elections.

Terrorist act in Kizlyar (January 9-18, 1996)

On January 9, 1996, a detachment of 256 militants under the command of field commanders Salman Raduev, Turpal-Ali Atgeriev and Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov raided the city of Kizlyar (Republic of Dagestan, Russian Federation). Initially, the goal of the militants was a Russian helicopter base and an armory. The terrorists destroyed two Mi-8 transport helicopters and took several hostages from among the soldiers guarding the base. Russian military and law enforcement agencies began to pull up to the city, so the terrorists seized the hospital and maternity hospital, having driven about 3,000 more civilians there. This time, the Russian authorities did not give the order to storm the hospital, so as not to increase anti-Russian sentiment in Dagestan. During the negotiations, it was possible to agree on providing the militants with buses to the border with Chechnya in exchange for the release of the hostages, who were supposed to be dropped off at the very border. On January 10, a convoy with militants and hostages moved to the border. When it became clear that the terrorists would leave for Chechnya, the bus convoy was stopped by warning shots. Taking advantage of the confusion of the Russian leadership, the militants captured the village of Pervomaiskoye, disarming the police checkpoint located there. Negotiations were held from January 11 to 14, and an unsuccessful assault on the village took place on January 15-18. In parallel with the assault on Pervomaisky, on January 16, in the Turkish port of Trabzon, a group of terrorists seized the Avrazia passenger ship with threats to shoot the Russian hostages if the assault was not stopped. After two days of negotiations, the terrorists surrendered to the Turkish authorities.

The loss of the Russian side, according to official figures, amounted to 78 people dead and several hundred wounded.

Attack of militants on Grozny (March 6-8, 1996)

On March 6, 1996, several detachments of militants attacked Grozny, which was controlled by Russian troops, from various directions. The militants captured the Staropromyslovsky district of the city, blocked and fired at Russian checkpoints and checkpoints. Despite the fact that Grozny remained under the control of the Russian armed forces, the separatists, when withdrawing, took with them stocks of food, medicine and ammunition. The loss of the Russian side, according to official figures, amounted to 70 people killed and 259 wounded.

Battle near the village of Yaryshmardy (April 16, 1996)

On April 16, 1996, a column of the 245th motorized rifle regiment of the Russian Armed Forces, moving to Shatoi, was ambushed in the Argun Gorge near the village of Yaryshmardy. The operation was led by field commander Khattab. The militants knocked out the head and trailing column of the car, so the column was blocked and suffered significant losses.

Liquidation of Dzhokhar Dudayev (April 21, 1996)

From the very beginning of the Chechen campaign, Russian special services have repeatedly tried to eliminate the President of the CRI, Dzhokhar Dudayev. Attempts to send assassins ended in failure. It was possible to find out that Dudayev often talks on the satellite phone of the Inmarsat system.

On April 21, 1996, the Russian AWACS A-50 aircraft, on which equipment was installed for the bearing of a satellite phone signal, received an order to take off. At the same time, Dudayev's motorcade left for the area of ​​the village of Gekhi-Chu. Unfolding his phone, Dudayev contacted Konstantin Borov. At that moment, the signal from the phone was intercepted and two Su-25 attack aircraft took off. When the aircraft reached the target, two missiles were fired at the cortege, one of which hit the target directly.

By a closed decree of Boris Yeltsin, several military pilots were awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Negotiations with separatists (May-July 1996)

Despite some successes of the Russian Armed Forces (successful liquidation of Dudayev, the final capture of the settlements of Goiskoye, Stary Achkhoy, Bamut, Shali), the war began to take on a protracted character. In the context of the forthcoming presidential elections, the Russian leadership decided once again to negotiate with the separatists.

On May 27-28, a meeting of the Russian and Ichkerian (headed by Zelimkhan Yandarbiev) delegations took place in Moscow, at which it was possible to agree on a truce from June 1, 1996 and an exchange of prisoners. Immediately after the end of the negotiations in Moscow, Boris Yeltsin flew to Grozny, where he congratulated the Russian military on their victory over the "rebellious Dudayev regime" and announced the abolition of military duty.

On June 10, in Nazran (Republic of Ingushetia), during the next round of negotiations, an agreement was reached on the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of Chechnya (with the exception of two brigades), the disarmament of separatist detachments, and the holding of free democratic elections. The question of the status of the republic was temporarily postponed.

The agreements concluded in Moscow and Nazran were violated by both sides, in particular, the Russian side was in no hurry to withdraw its troops, and the Chechen field commander Ruslan Khaykhoroev took responsibility for the explosion of a regular bus in Nalchik.

On July 3, 1996, the current President of the Russian Federation, Boris Yeltsin, was re-elected to the presidency. The new Secretary of the Security Council Alexander Lebed announced the resumption of hostilities against the militants.

On July 9, after the Russian ultimatum, hostilities resumed - aircraft attacked militant bases in the mountainous Shatoisky, Vedensky and Nozhai-Yurtovsky regions.

Operation Jihad (August 6-22, 1996)

On August 6, 1996, detachments of Chechen separatists numbering from 850 to 2,000 people again attacked Grozny. The separatists did not set out to capture the city; they blocked administrative buildings in the city center, and also fired at roadblocks and checkpoints. The Russian garrison under the command of General Pulikovsky, despite a significant superiority in manpower and equipment, could not hold the city.

Simultaneously with the storming of Grozny, the separatists also captured the cities of Gudermes (taken by them without a fight) and Argun (Russian troops held only the building of the commandant's office).

According to Oleg Lukin, it was the defeat of Russian troops in Grozny that led to the signing of the Khasavyurt ceasefire agreements.

Khasavyurt agreements (August 31, 1996)

On August 31, 1996, representatives of Russia (Chairman of the Security Council Alexander Lebed) and Ichkeria (Aslan Maskhadov) signed ceasefire agreements in the city of Khasavyurt (Republic of Dagestan). Russian troops were completely withdrawn from Chechnya, and the decision on the status of the republic was postponed until December 31, 2001.

Peacekeeping initiatives and activities of humanitarian organizations

On December 15, 1994, the "Mission of the Commissioner for Human Rights in the North Caucasus" began to operate in the conflict zone, which included deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation and a representative of "Memorial" (later called the "Mission public organizations under the direction of S. A. Kovalev”). The Kovalev Mission did not have official powers, but acted with the support of several human rights public organizations, the work of the Mission was coordinated by the Memorial Human Rights Center.

On December 31, 1994, on the eve of the storming of Grozny by Russian troops, Sergei Kovalev, as part of a group of State Duma deputies and journalists, negotiated with Chechen fighters and parliamentarians in the presidential palace in Grozny. When the assault began and Russian tanks and armored personnel carriers began to burn on the square in front of the palace, civilians took refuge in the basement of the presidential palace, soon wounded and captured Russian soldiers began to appear there. Correspondent Danila Galperovich recalled that Kovalev, being at the headquarters of Dzhokhar Dudayev among the militants, “almost all the time was in the basement room equipped with army radio stations,” offering Russian tankers “a way out of the city without firing if they indicate the route.” According to journalist Galina Kovalskaya, who was there, after they were shown burning Russian tanks in the city center,

According to the Institute of Human Rights headed by Kovalev, this episode, as well as Kovalev's entire human rights and anti-war position, became the reason for a negative reaction from the military leadership, government officials, as well as numerous supporters of the "state" approach to human rights. In January 1995, the State Duma adopted a draft resolution in which his work in Chechnya was recognized as unsatisfactory: as Kommersant wrote, "because of his "one-sided position" aimed at justifying illegal armed groups."

In March 1995, the State Duma removed Kovalev from the post of Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia, according to Kommersant, "for his statements against the war in Chechnya."

Representatives of various non-governmental organizations, deputies, and journalists traveled to the conflict zone as part of the Kovalev Mission. The mission was engaged in collecting information about what was happening in the Chechen war, was engaged in the search for missing persons and prisoners, and facilitated the release of Russian servicemen who were captured by Chechen fighters. For example, the Kommersant newspaper reported that during the siege of the village of Bamut by Russian troops, Khaikharoev, who commanded militant detachments, promised to execute five prisoners after each shelling of the village by Russian troops, but under the influence of Sergei Kovalev, who participated in negotiations with field commanders , Khaykharoev abandoned these intentions.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched a massive relief program since the beginning of the conflict, providing more than 250,000 internally displaced people with food parcels, blankets, soap, warm clothes and plastic covers in the first months. In February 1995, out of the 120,000 inhabitants remaining in Grozny, 70,000 thousand were completely dependent on ICRC assistance.

In Grozny, the water and sewerage systems were completely destroyed, and the ICRC hastily set about organizing the supply of the city drinking water. In the summer of 1995, about 750,000 liters of chlorinated water per day, to meet the needs of more than 100,000 residents, was delivered by tank trucks to 50 distribution points throughout Grozny. Over the next year, 1996, more than 230 million liters of drinking water were produced for the inhabitants of the North Caucasus.

In Grozny and other cities of Chechnya, free canteens were opened for the most vulnerable segments of the population, in which 7,000 people were provided with hot food daily. More than 70,000 schoolchildren in Chechnya received books and stationery from the ICRC.

During 1995-1996, the ICRC carried out a number of programs to help victims of the armed conflict. Its delegates visited about 700 people detained federal forces and Chechen fighters in 25 places of detention in Chechnya itself and neighboring regions, delivered more than 50,000 letters on Red Cross letterhead to recipients, which became the only opportunity for separated families to establish contact with each other, since all forms of communication were cut off. The ICRC provided medicines and medical supplies to 75 hospitals and medical institutions in Chechnya, North Ossetia, Ingushetia and Dagestan, participated in the rehabilitation and provision of medicines to hospitals in Grozny, Argun, Gudermes, Shali, Urus-Martan and Shatoi, provided regular assistance to nursing homes and orphanages shelters.

In the autumn of 1996, in the village of Novye Atagi, the ICRC equipped and opened a hospital for war victims. Over the three months of operation, the hospital received more than 320 people, 1,700 people received outpatient care, and almost six hundred surgical operations were performed. On December 17, 1996, an armed attack was made on the hospital in Novye Atagi, as a result of which six of its foreign employees were killed. After that, the ICRC was forced to recall foreign employees from Chechnya.

In April 1995, American humanitarian operations specialist Frederick Cuney, together with two Russian doctors working for the Russian Red Cross Society and a translator, organized humanitarian assistance in Chechnya. Kewney was trying to negotiate a truce when he went missing. There is reason to believe that Keene and his Russian associates were captured by Chechen fighters and shot on the orders of Rezvan Elbiev, one of Dzhokhar Dudayev's counterintelligence chiefs, because they were mistaken for Russian agents. There is a version that this was the result of a provocation by the Russian special services, which in this way dealt with Kewni at the hands of the Chechens.

Various women's movements ("Soldier's Mothers", "White Shawl", "Women of the Don" and others) worked with military personnel - participants in military operations, released prisoners of war, wounded, and other categories of victims during hostilities.

Results

The result of the war was the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements and the withdrawal of Russian troops. Chechnya has again become de facto independent, but de jure unrecognized by any country in the world (including Russia).

Destroyed houses and villages were not restored, the economy was exclusively criminal, however, it was criminal not only in Chechnya, so, according to the former deputy Konstantin Borovoy, kickbacks in the construction business under the contracts of the Ministry of Defense, during the First Chechen War, reached 80% from the amount of the contract. Due to ethnic cleansing and hostilities, almost the entire non-Chechen population left Chechnya (or was killed). The interwar crisis and the growth of Wahhabism began in the republic, which later led to the invasion of Dagestan, and then to the beginning of the Second Chechen War.

Losses

According to data released by the headquarters of the United Forces, the losses of Russian troops amounted to 4,103 people killed, 1,231 missing / deserted / captured, 19,794 wounded. According to the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers, the losses amounted to at least 14,000 people killed (documented cases of death according to the mothers of dead soldiers). However, it should be borne in mind that the data of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers include only the losses of conscript soldiers, without taking into account the losses of contract servicemen, special unit soldiers, etc. The losses of militants, according to the Russian side, amounted to 17,391 people. According to the chief of staff of the Chechen divisions (later President of the CRI) A. Maskhadov, the loss of the Chechen side amounted to about 3,000 people killed. According to the HRC "Memorial", the losses of militants did not exceed 2,700 people killed. The number of civilian casualties is not known for certain - according to the human rights organization Memorial, they amount to up to 50 thousand people killed. Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation A. Lebed estimated the losses of the civilian population of Chechnya at 80,000 dead.

Commanders

Commanders of the Joint Grouping of Federal Forces in the Chechen Republic

1. Mityukhin, Alexey Nikolaevich (December 1994)
2. Kvashnin, Anatoly Vasilyevich (December 1994 - February 1995)
3. Kulikov, Anatoly Sergeevich (February - July 1995)
4. Romanov, Anatoly Alexandrovich (July - October 1995)
5. Shkirko, Anatoly Afanasyevich (October - December 1995)
6. Tikhomirov, Vyacheslav Valentinovich (January - October 1996)
7. Pulikovsky, Konstantin Borisovich (acting July - August 1996)

In art

Movies

• "Cursed and Forgotten" (1997) - a feature film by Sergei Govorukhin.
• "60 Hours of the Maikop Brigade" (1995) - a documentary film by Mikhail Polunin about the "New Year's" assault on Grozny.
• Checkpoint (1998) is a feature film by Alexander Rogozhkin.
• Purgatory (1997) is a naturalistic feature film by Alexander Nevzorov.
• "Prisoner of the Caucasus" (1996) - a feature film by Sergei Bodrov.
• DDT in Chechnya (1996): part 1, part 2

Music

• "Dead city. Christmas" - a song about the "New Year's" assault on Grozny by Yuri Shevchuk.
• The first Chechen war is dedicated to the song by Yuri Shevchuk Boys were dying.
• The songs “Lube” are dedicated to the first Chechen war: “Father Kombat” (1995), “Soon demobilization” (1996), “Step march” (1996), “Cop” (1997).
• Timur Mutsuraev - Almost all of his work is devoted to the First Chechen War.
• Songs about the First Chechen War occupy a significant part of the work of the Chechen bard Imam Alimsultanov.
• The first Chechen war is dedicated to the song of the group Dead Dolphins - Dead City.
• Blue berets - " New Year”, “Reflections of an officer at the hotline telephone”, “Two turntables on Mozdok”.

Books

• "Prisoner of the Caucasus" (1994) - story (story) by Vladimir Makanin
• "Chechen Blues" (1998) - a novel by Alexander Prokhanov.
• May Day (2000) - a story by Albert Zaripov. The story of the assault on the village of Pervomaiskoye in the Republic of Dagestan in January 1996.
• "Pathologies" (novel) (2004) - a novel by Zakhar Prilepin.
• I was in this war (2001) - a novel by Vyacheslav Mironov. The plot of the novel is built around the storming of Grozny federal troops in the winter of 1994/95.

November 26–27, 1994- shelling and an unsuccessful attempt to storm Grozny by anti-Dudaev opposition detachments, among which Russian contract soldiers, conscripts and armored vehicles are found.

WITH October 1994 2009, the movement of railway transport on the territory of the Chechen Republic was stopped. For 8 months of 1994, 120 armed attacks were committed, 1156 wagons and 527 containers were looted. December 1994 - the beginning of the first war, during which the Russian Federation is trying to restore control over the territory of Chechnya. By 1996, a pro-Russian government was created, headed by Doku Zavgaev.

IN April 1996 Dzhokhar Dudayev was destroyed by a Russian missile. However, in August 1996, separatist forces captured Grozny and Gudermes, and agreements were signed with them. Federal troops are withdrawn from the territory of Ichkeria and de facto independence is restored. In 1997, Aslan Maskhadov, a former colonel in the Soviet army, was elected president of Ichkeria. Conflicts begin between the field commanders-separatists.

December 1, 1994- Russian planes began to bomb Grozny. Russian deputies agree on the release of prisoners.

December 8- The Duma adopts a resolution on a political settlement in Chechnya, and the president issues a decree on "suppressing the activities of illegal armed groups" with instructions to the government "to use all available means." The government adopts a resolution "On ensuring state security ... on the territory of the Chechen Republic."

December 11, 1994 Federal troops and units of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs entered the territory of Chechnya. The "first Chechen campaign" began.

On the pages of newspapers flashed the names of the villages familiar from the books of the classics - Assinovskaya, Shelkovskaya, Shali, Shatoy, Vedeno, Urus-Martan, Bamut ...

December - a "military operation" is underway, missile and bomb strikes are carried out, since December 21 A. Kvashnin has been in command of the federal grouping.

January 27, 1995- a presidential decree "on the re-establishment of constitutional authorities in Chechnya" is signed, and filtration camps are set up.

1st of February- They decided to bring D. Dudayev to criminal responsibility, they announced an "All-Russian wanted list." Blocked communication between Chechnya and Ingushetia.

February 13- negotiations between the military, the exchange of prisoners. Around Grozny - Dudayev's units.

February-May- Fights continue. In April, the OSCE Europe Assistance Group begins its work in Grozny.

April 27- B. Yeltsin announces a moratorium on hostilities until May 12. (Holidays.) On May 12, the war resumes.

June 14 Sh. Basayev's detachment seizes 1,500 hostages in the Russian city of Budenovsk and consolidates in the mountains. hospital. Terms of release - the beginning of negotiations on the withdrawal of troops.

June 18 V.Chernomyrdin calls Basayev, the federal troops have been ordered to suspend all military operations.

27–30 second round.

July 30 an agreement was signed on a block of military issues - not related to a political settlement. On the Chechen side, the agreement was signed by the beginning. Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Chechnya Aslan Maskhadov. By this time, Russian troops control the flat part of Chechnya and the main mountainous regions.

6 September- celebration of the four years of independence of Chechnya. Anti-Russian rallies throughout the center of Grozny. The commander of the Russian group, General A. Romanov, was blown up by a land mine. Negotiations are practically stopped.

Nov. 1- The Supreme Council of Chechnya confirms D. Zavgaev as the chairman of the government and decides to hold elections in the "liberated territory."

WITH December 18 fighting resumed. For half a year of negotiations, Russia legitimized the puppet government, and Dudayev's units prepared for new battles.

January 4, 1996- The new head of the OSCE mission, Tim Guldimann, is arriving in Chechnya. A. Maskhadov ordered to stop the terror in the rear of the federal group.

January 9 S. Raduev's detachment seizes 1,500 hostages in Kizlyar and leaves, having dug in after shelling in the village. May Day.

16th 29 seconded power engineers are kidnapped.

February 2- At the remnants of the presidential palace in Grozny, a multi-day rally begins.

April 21, 1996- the death of the first president of CRI Dudayev. And about. Yandarbiev became president.

March 14th federal troops blockaded with, Samashki. Until 20, his “cleansing” continued.

On the night of 21 to 22 April in the area with Gekhi-Chu killed Chechen President D. Dudayev. His place was taken by Vice-President Z. Yandarbiev.

On May 4, B. Gantemirov was arrested at the Sheremetyevo airport "for embezzlement of federal budgetary funds."

May 17- The Duma adopted a resolution on amnesty for persons participating in the armed conflict in Chechnya.

May 27- Z. Yandarbiev flew to Moscow and met with B. Yeltsin. Boris Yeltsin flew to Chechnya on the 28th and congratulated the servicemen on their victory.

June 18 A. Lebed was appointed Secretary of the Security Council. Maskhadov urged field commanders to refrain from attacks until the end of the presidential elections.

June 8, 1996 Yusup Elmurzaev, head of the administration of the Urus-Martan district of the Chechen Republic, was killed. The murder was associated with Yandarbiev's call for the murder of "traitors collaborating with Zavgaev's puppet regime and the occupation authorities."

July 11 and 12 in Moscow there were two explosions in trolleybuses. More than 30 people died. In Chechnya, hostilities resumed with renewed vigor.

August 6, 1996- the beginning of the assault on Grozny by separatist formations (see Operation "Jihad"). At the same time, they blockade the cities of Gudermes and Argun.

August 31, 1996- the Khasavyurt agreements "On urgent actions to end hostilities in Grozny and on the territory of the Chechen Republic" are concluded. On the part of Russia, in fact, a unilateral cessation of the war took place with the subsequent withdrawal of troops from the territory of Chechnya.

August 11–17 the troops of U. Avturkhanov and R. Labazanov unsuccessfully try to take Grozny. In August-September, battles go on in Chechnya with varying success.

August 30 in with. Khasav-Yurt Lebed and Maskhadov signed an agreement on the principles of the settlement. Decided to sign a political agreement before December 2001.

From 6 to 22 August in Grozny, 294 people were killed, 182 were missing, 1407 were injured.

Autumn 1996- Zelimkhan Yandarbiev's decree replaced secular courts with Sharia courts.

September October- Russian helicopters destroy Chechen aircraft at the Severny airfield.

October 13–16- Fights for Grozny. The opposition is defeated. The General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces was ordered to develop a plan for a special operation in Chechnya.

November- Russia forms parts of the opposition, recruits "volunteers". Armored personnel carriers, helicopters, 40 tanks with Russian crews were handed over.

November 26–27- Russian troops and opposition units storm Grozny and suffer a complete defeat. Defense Minister P. Grachev denies the participation of the Russian army in the assault.

29th of November- B. Yeltsin announces an ultimatum - to stop resistance and lay down arms. The Security Council of the Russian Federation decides on a military operation against Chechnya. November 30 Boris Yeltsin issues a secret decree "on measures to restore law and order in Chechnya" - war.

December 3, 1996- The withdrawal of all federal troops from the territory of Chechnya has been completed. The Russians (including prisoners) are left to the mercy of the bandits. The militants of A. Maskhadov, units of field commanders, individual gangs received full control over the territory of Chechnya. At the same time, they formally remain part of Russia, retaining the legal and illegal opportunity to act arbitrarily on its territory and hide, if necessary, in their enclave.

January 26, 1997- Maskhadov was elected president of the CRI, having received about 59.1% of the votes (about 228 thousand people) who took part in the vote. Representatives of the anti-Dudaev coalition did not take part in the elections, which were held under the control of illegal armed groups. The elections themselves contradicted the legislation of the Russian Federation. According to Zh. Gakaev, these elections can hardly be called free and democratic: about 500,000 refugees from the republic did not take part in them.

March 12, 1997 State. The Duma adopts a resolution "On announcing an amnesty for persons who have committed socially dangerous acts in connection with the armed conflict in the Chechen Republic," or, more simply, an amnesty for militants. All criminal cases are terminated (except against "persons recognized as especially dangerous recidivists", foreign citizens and those who have committed acts provided for by as many as 17 articles of the Criminal Code of Russia

May 12, 1997- President of the Russian Federation Boris N. Yeltsin and President of the CRI A.Maskhadov signed the Treaty on Peace and Principles of Relations between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. ["Chechnya. White paper. Documents and testimonies. "Izvestia", 07.02.95]] and the Agreement on Basic Economic Relations between Moscow and Grozny. According to the text of this document, the parties agreed to "forever renounce the use and threat of use of force in resolving any disputed issues" and "to build our relations in accordance with the generally recognized principles and norms of international law". American lawyer Professor Boyle regards this as Russia's recognition of the independence of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria de facto. He is based on the fact that the term "Chechen Republic of Ichkeria" was officially used in the text of the agreement, that the agreement contained references to international law as the basis of bilateral relations and was entirely drawn up in the form of interstate treaties; this point of view is disputed by other American lawyers, who point out that references to international law are also contained in treaties between the Russian Federation and subjects of the federation (for example, Tatarstan), while that the treaty was not ratified by parliament, a procedure that is mandatory for international treaties, but optional for treaties within the federation.

As the historian Dzhabrail Gakaev points out, "The State of Ichkeria did not take place both in terms of international legal recognition (de jure), and in terms of constructing institutions of public power, protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens" [ Culture of Chechnya: history and modern problems / Ed. ed. Kh. V. Turkaev; Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology. - M.: Nauka, 2002. - 382 s - ISB No. 5-02-008832-3]. Political scientist V. Maksimenko believes that this agreement was a step towards the territorial disintegration of Russia and was one of the reasons for the terrorist attack on Dubrovka. In his opinion, one should not equate "a criminal offense - the organization of an armed rebellion with the aim of tearing away part of its territory from Russia - to a political movement for national self-determination." [ Maksimenko V. War and Peace in Chechnya] // Russian Federation today. - No. 3. - 2003.]

Two years later, the second Chechen campaign began.

IN September 1999 Prime Minister Vladimir Putin uttered the famous phrase: "If necessary, we will soak them in the toilet!" And it began.

1998 - Pause. Criminalization of Chechnya. Interwar Crisis in Chechnya and in Russia.

February 3, 1999 Maskhadov issued a decree on the introduction of Sharia rule in the republic "in full". He instructed the parliament and the muftiate to develop a draft Sharia Constitution within a month (subsequently it was developed on the basis of the Islamic legislation of Iran and Pakistan).

February 7- opposition field commanders began the formation of a parallel Shura (council) headed by Basayev.

IN 1999 (to 2001), after the raid of militants Basayev and Khattab on Dagestan, the second Chechen war begins. Previously, separatists in the border area have repeatedly committed terrorist attacks, kidnapped civilians and journalists for ransom, stole cattle, and committed other crimes. The federal forces regained control over most of Chechnya, and the former leader of the militants, the separatist Akhmat, Hadji Kadyrov, was appointed its head.

IN 2004 after the death of Akhmat Kadyrov as a result of a terrorist act, railway police general Allu Alkhanov became the new president of the Chechen Republic.

IN 2007 - after the resignation of Alkhanov, Ramzan Kadyrov, the son of Akhmat Kadyrov, became the president of Chechnya.

The first Chechen war 1994-1996: briefly about the causes, events and results. The Chechen wars claimed many lives.

But what caused the conflict in the first place? What happened in those years in the restless southern regions?

Causes of the Chechen conflict

After the collapse of the USSR, General Dudayev came to power in Chechnya. In his hands were large stocks of weapons and property of the Soviet state.

The main goal of the general was to create independent republic Ichkeria. The means that were used to achieve this goal were not entirely loyal.

The regime established by Dudayev was declared illegal by the federal authorities. Therefore, they considered it their duty to intervene. The struggle for spheres of influence became the main cause of the conflict.

Other reasons coming from the main:

• Chechnya's desire to secede from Russia;
• Dudayev's desire to create a separate Islamic state;
• dissatisfaction of the Chechens with the invasion of Russian troops;
• the source of income for the new government was the slave trade, drug trafficking and oil from the Russian pipeline passing through Chechnya.

The government sought to regain power over the Caucasus and regain lost control.

Chronicle of the first Chechen war

The first Chechen campaign began on December 11, 1994. It lasted almost 2 years.

It was a confrontation between federal troops and the forces of an unrecognized state.

1. December 11, 1994 - the entry of Russian troops. The Russian army advanced from 3 sides. One of the groupings approached the settlements not far from Grozny the very next day.
2. December 31, 1994 - assault on Grozny. The fighting began a few hours before the New Year. But at first luck was not on the side of the Russians. The first assault failed. There were many reasons: the poor preparedness of the Russian army, lack of coordination, lack of coordination, the presence of old maps and photographs of the city. But attempts to take the city continued. Grozny came under full Russian control only on March 6th.
3. Events from April 1995 to 1996 After the capture of Grozny, it was gradually possible to establish control over most of the flat territories. In mid-June 1995, a decision was made to postpone hostilities. However, it has been violated many times. At the end of 1995, elections were held in Chechnya, which were won by a protege from Moscow. In 1996 the Chechens attempted to attack Grozny. All attacks were repelled.
4. April 21, 1996 - death of separatist leader Dudayev.
5. On June 1, 1996, a truce was declared. According to the terms, exchanges of prisoners were to take place, the disarmament of the militants and the withdrawal of Russian troops. But no one wanted to give in, and the fighting began again.
6. August 1996 - the Chechen operation "Jihad", during which the Chechens took Grozny and other significant cities. The Russian authorities decide on the conclusion of a truce and the withdrawal of troops. The first Chechen war ended on August 31, 1996.

Consequences of the first Chechen campaign

Brief results of the war:

1. Following the results of the first Chechen war, Chechnya remained independent, but no one still recognized it as a separate state.
2. Many cities and settlements were destroyed.
3. A significant place began to take the receipt of income by criminal means.
4. Almost all civilians left their homes.

There was also an increase in Wahhabism.

Table "Losses in the Chechen war"

The exact number of casualties in the first Chechen war cannot be named. Opinions, assumptions and calculations are different.

Approximate losses of the parties look like this:

In the column "Federal Forces" the first figure is the calculations immediately after the war, the second is the data contained in the book on the wars of the 20th century, published in 2001.

Heroes of Russia in the Chechen war

According to official figures, 175 soldiers who fought in Chechnya received the title of Hero of Russia.

Most military personnel who participated in the hostilities received the title posthumously.

The most famous heroes of the first Russian-Chechen war and their exploits:

1. Victor Ponomarev. During the fighting in Grozny, he covered the sergeant with himself, which saved his life.
2. Igor Akhpashev. In Grozny, he neutralized the main firing points of the Chechen cutthroats on a tank. Then he was surrounded. The militants blew up the tank, but Akhpashev fought in the burning car to the last. Then there was a detonation and the hero died.
3. Andrey Dneprovskiy. In the spring of 1995, the Dneprovsky unit defeated the Chechen fighters who were on the heights in the fortification. Andrei Dneprovsky was the only one who died in the ensuing battle. All other soldiers of this unit survived all the horrors of the war and returned home.

Federal troops did not achieve the goals set in the first war. This was one of the reasons for the second Chechen war.

War veterans believe that the first war could have been avoided. Opinions about which side unleashed the war differ. Is it true that there was a possibility of a peaceful settlement of the situation? Here the assumptions are also different.

Many wars are written in the history of Russia. Most of them were liberation, some began on our territory, and ended far beyond its borders. But there is nothing worse than such wars, which were started as a result of the illiterate actions of the country's leadership and led to horrific results because the authorities solved their own problems, not paying attention to people.

One of those sad pages Russian history- Chechen War. It wasn't a confrontation different peoples. There were no absolute rightists in this war. And the most surprising thing is that this war still cannot be considered completed.

Prerequisites for the start of the war in Chechnya

It is hardly possible to talk about these military campaigns briefly. The era of perestroika, so pathetically announced by Mikhail Gorbachev, marked the collapse of a vast country consisting of 15 republics. However, the main difficulty for Russia also lay in the fact that, left without satellites, it faced internal unrest that had a nationalist character. The Caucasus turned out to be especially problematic in this respect.

Back in 1990, the National Congress was created. This organization was headed by Dzhokhar Dudayev, a former Major General of Aviation in the Soviet Army. The Congress set as its main goal - secession from the USSR, in the future it was supposed to create the Chechen Republic, independent of any state.

In the summer of 1991, a situation of dual power developed in Chechnya, since both the leadership of the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic itself and the leadership of the so-called Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, proclaimed by Dudayev, acted.

Such a state of affairs could not exist for a long time, and the same Dzhokhar and his supporters in September seized the republican television center, the Supreme Council and the Radio House. This was the beginning of the revolution. The situation was extremely shaky, and its development was facilitated by the official collapse of the country, carried out by Yeltsin. After the news that the Soviet Union no longer existed, Dudayev's supporters announced that Chechnya was seceding from Russia.

The separatists seized power - under their influence, parliamentary and presidential elections were held in the republic on October 27, as a result of which power was completely in the hands of the ex-general Dudayev. A few days later, on November 7, Boris Yeltsin signed a decree stating that a state of emergency was being introduced in the Chechen-Ingush Republic. In fact, this document became one of the reasons for the start of the bloody Chechen wars.

At that time, there were quite a lot of ammunition and weapons in the republic. Some of these stocks have already been seized by the separatists. Instead of blocking the situation, the leadership of the Russian Federation allowed it to get out of control even more - in 1992, the head of the Ministry of Defense, Grachev, handed over half of all these stocks to the militants. The authorities explained this decision by the fact that it was no longer possible to withdraw weapons from the republic at that time.

However, during this period there was still an opportunity to stop the conflict. An opposition was created that opposed the power of Dudayev. However, after it became clear that these small detachments could not resist the militant formations, the war was practically on.

Yeltsin and his political supporters could no longer do anything, and from 1991 to 1994 it was actually a republic independent of Russia. Here were formed their own authorities, had its own state symbols. In 1994, when Russian troops were brought into the territory of the republic, a full-scale war began. Even after the resistance of Dudayev's militants was suppressed, the problem was not finally resolved.

Speaking about the war in Chechnya, it should be borne in mind that the illiterate leadership, first of the USSR, and then Russia, was to blame for its unleashing, first of all. It was the weakening of the internal political situation in the country that led to the loosening of the border regions and the strengthening of nationalist elements.

As for the essence of the Chechen war, here there is a conflict of interests and the inability to govern a vast territory on the part of first Gorbachev and then Yeltsin. In the future, this tangled knot had to be untied by people who came to power at the very end of the 20th century.

First Chechen War 1994-1996

Historians, writers and filmmakers are still trying to assess the scale of the horrors of the Chechen war. No one denies that it caused enormous damage not only to the republic itself, but to the whole of Russia. However, it should be borne in mind that the two campaigns were quite different in nature.

During the Yeltsin era, when the first Chechen campaign of 1994-1996 was unleashed, Russian troops could not act in a sufficiently coordinated and free manner. The country's leadership solved its problems, moreover, according to some reports, many profited from this war - there were deliveries of weapons to the territory of the republic from the Russian Federation, and the militants often earned money by demanding large ransoms for hostages.

At the same time, the main task of the Second Chechen War of 1999-2009 was the suppression of gangs and the establishment of constitutional order. It is clear that if the goals of both campaigns were different, then the course of action differed significantly.

On December 1, 1994, air strikes were carried out on airfields located in Khankala and Kalinovskaya. And already on December 11, Russian units were introduced into the territory of the republic. This fact marked the beginning of the First Campaign. The entrance was carried out immediately from three directions - through Mozdok, through Ingushetia and through Dagestan.

By the way, at that time Eduard Vorobyov led the Ground Forces, but he immediately resigned, considering it unreasonable to lead the operation, since the troops were completely unprepared for full-scale military operations.

At first, Russian troops advanced quite successfully. The entire northern territory was occupied by them quickly and without much loss. From December 1994 to March 1995, the Russian Armed Forces stormed Grozny. The city was built up quite densely, and Russian units were simply stuck in skirmishes and attempts to take the capital.

The Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Grachev expected to take the city very quickly and therefore spared no human and technical resources. According to researchers, over 1,500 people died or went missing near Grozny Russian soldiers and many civilians of the republic. Armored vehicles also suffered serious damage - almost 150 units were out of order.

Nevertheless, after two months of fierce fighting, federal troops still took Grozny. Participants in the hostilities subsequently recalled that the city was destroyed almost to the ground, this is also confirmed by numerous photographs and video documents.

During the assault, not only armored vehicles were used, but also aviation and artillery. There were bloody battles on almost every street. The militants during the operation in Grozny lost more than 7,000 people and, under the leadership of Shamil Basayev, on March 6 were forced to finally leave the city, which came under the control of the Russian Armed Forces.

However, the war, which brought death to thousands of not only armed, but also civilians, did not end there. The fighting continued first on the plains (from March to April), and then in the mountainous regions of the republic (from May to June 1995). Argun, Shali, Gudermes were taken successively.

The militants responded with terrorist acts carried out in Budyonnovsk and Kizlyar. After varying successes on both sides, a decision was made to negotiate. And as a result, on August 31, 1996, they were concluded. According to them, the federal troops were leaving Chechnya, the infrastructure of the republic was to be restored, and the question of an independent status was postponed.

Second Chechen campaign 1999-2009

If the country's authorities hoped that by reaching an agreement with the militants, they would solve the problem and the battles of the Chechen war were a thing of the past, then everything turned out to be wrong. For several years of a dubious truce, gangs have only accumulated strength. In addition, more and more Islamists from Arab countries penetrated the territory of the republic.

As a result, on August 7, 1999, the militants of Khattab and Basayev invaded Dagestan. Their calculation was based on the fact that the Russian government at that time looked very weak. Yeltsin practically did not lead the country, the Russian economy was in deep decline. The militants hoped that they would take their side, but they put up serious resistance to gangster groups.

The unwillingness to let the Islamists into their territory and the help of the federal troops forced the Islamists to retreat. True, it took a month for this - the militants were knocked out only in September 1999. At that time, Aslan Maskhadov was in charge of Chechnya, and, unfortunately, he was not capable of exercising full control over the republic.

It was at this time, angry that they failed to break Dagestan, Islamist groups began to carry out terrorist acts on the territory of Russia. Terrible terrorist acts were committed in Volgodonsk, Moscow and Buynaksk, which claimed dozens of lives. Therefore, among those killed in the Chechen war, it is necessary to include those civilians who did not think that it would come to their families.

In September 1999, Yeltsin signed a decree "On Measures to Increase the Efficiency of Counter-Terrorist Operations in the North Caucasus Region of the Russian Federation". And on December 31, he announced his resignation from the presidency.

As a result of the presidential elections, power in the country passed to a new leader - Vladimir Putin, whose tactical abilities the militants did not take into account. But at that time, Russian troops were already on the territory of Chechnya, they again bombed Grozny and acted much more competently. The experience of the previous campaign was taken into account.

December 1999 is another of the painful and terrible pages of the war. The Argun Gorge, otherwise called the “Wolf Gates”, is one of the largest Caucasian gorges in terms of length. Here, the landing and border troops carried out the Argun special operation, the purpose of which was to recapture a section of the Russian-Georgian border from Khattab's troops, and also to deprive the militants of the way to supply weapons from the Pankisi Gorge. The operation was completed in February 2000.

Many also remember the feat of the 6th company of the 104th parachute regiment of the Pskov Airborne Division. These fighters became real heroes of the Chechen war. They withstood a terrible battle at the 776th height, when they, in the amount of only 90 people, managed to hold back over 2,000 militants during the day. Most of the paratroopers died, and the militants themselves lost almost a quarter of their composition.

Despite such cases, the second war, unlike the first, can be called sluggish. Perhaps that is why it lasted longer - during the years of these battles, a lot of things happened. The new Russian authorities decided to act differently. They refused to conduct active hostilities conducted by the federal troops. It was decided to use the internal split in Chechnya itself. So, Mufti Akhmat Kadyrov went over to the side of the federals, and situations were increasingly observed when ordinary militants laid down their arms.

Putin, realizing that such a war could go on indefinitely, decided to use internal political hesitation and persuade the authorities to cooperate. Now we can already say that he succeeded. The fact that on May 9, 2004, the Islamists carried out a terrorist attack in Grozny, aimed at intimidating the population, also played a role. The explosion thundered at the Dynamo stadium during a concert dedicated to the Victory Day. More than 50 people were wounded, and Akhmat Kadyrov died from his wounds.

This odious act of terrorism brought quite different results. The population of the republic was finally disappointed in the militants and rallied around legitimate authority. A young man was appointed in place of his father, who understood the futility of Islamist resistance. Thus, the situation began to change for the better. If the militants relied on attracting foreign mercenaries from abroad, then the Kremlin decided to use national interests. The inhabitants of Chechnya were very tired of the war, so they voluntarily went over to the side of the pro-Russian forces.

The counter-terrorist operation regime introduced by Yeltsin on September 23, 1999 was canceled by President Dmitry Medvedev in 2009. Thus, the campaign was officially ended, since it was called not a war, but a CTO. However, is it possible to consider that the veterans of the Chechen war can sleep peacefully, if local battles still take place and terrorist acts are carried out from time to time?

Results and consequences for the history of Russia

It is unlikely that anyone today can specifically answer the question of how many people died in the Chechen war. The problem is that any calculations will only be approximate. During the escalation of the conflict before the First Campaign, many people of Slavic origin were repressed or forced to leave the republic. During the years of the First Campaign, many fighters from both sides died, and these losses also cannot be accurately calculated.

If military losses can still be more or less calculated, then no one has been involved in clarifying the losses on the part of the civilian population, except perhaps human rights activists. Thus, according to the current official data, the 1st war claimed the following number of lives:

• Russian soldiers - 14,000 people;
• militants - 3,800 people;
• civilian population - from 30,000 to 40,000 people.

If we talk about the Second Campaign, then the results of the death toll are as follows:

• federal troops - about 3,000 people;
• militants - from 13,000 to 15,000 people;
• civilian population - 1000 people.

It should be borne in mind that these figures vary greatly depending on which organizations provide them. For example, when discussing the results of the second Chechen war, official Russian sources speak of a thousand dead among the civilian population. At the same time, Amnesty International (a non-governmental organization of international level) gives completely different figures - about 25,000 people. The difference in these data, as you can see, is huge.

The result of the war can be called not only impressive numbers of losses among the dead, wounded, missing people. It is also a ruined republic - after all, many cities, primarily Grozny, were subjected to artillery shelling and bombing. The entire infrastructure was practically destroyed in them, so Russia had to rebuild the capital of the republic from scratch.

As a result, today Grozny is one of the most beautiful and modern. Other settlements of the republic were also rebuilt.

Anyone who is interested in this information can find out what happened on the territory between 1994 and 2009. There are many films about the Chechen war, books and various materials in the Internet.

However, those who were forced to leave the republic, lost their relatives, their health - these people are unlikely to want to immerse themselves in what they have already experienced. The country was able to withstand this most difficult period of its history, and once again proved what is more important for them - dubious calls for independence or unity with Russia.

The history of the Chechen war has not yet been fully studied. Researchers will look for documents on losses among the military and civilians for a long time, double-check the statistical data. But today we can say: the weakening of the leaders and the desire for disunity always lead to terrible consequences. Only the strengthening of state power and the unity of people can end any confrontation so that the country can again live in peace.

The first Chechen war lasted exactly one year and nine months. The war began on December 1, 1994, with the bombing of all three Chechen air bases - Kalinovskaya, Khankala and Grozny-Severny, which destroyed the entire Chechen aviation, which included several "corn" and a couple of antediluvian Czechoslovak fighters. The war ended on August 31, 1996 with the signing of the Khasavyurt agreements, after which the federals left Chechnya.

Military losses are depressing: 4,100 Russian servicemen were killed and 1,200 were missing. 15,000 militants were killed, although Aslan Maskhadov, who led the military operations, claimed that the militants lost 2,700 people. According to Memorial's human rights activists, 30,000 civilians in Chechnya were killed.

There were no winners in this war. The federals were unable to take control of the territory of the republic, and the separatists did not receive a real independent state. Both sides lost.

Unrecognized state and prerequisites for war

The only Chechen the whole country knew before the start of the war was Dzhokhar Dudayev. The commander of a bomber division, a combat pilot, at the age of 45 he became a major general of aviation, at 47 he left the army and went into politics. He moved to Grozny, quickly advanced to leadership positions, and already in 1991 became president. True, the president is only the unrecognized Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. But the President! He was known to have a tough temper and determination. During the riots in Grozny, Dudayev and his supporters threw Vitaly Kutsenko, Chairman of the Grozny City Council, out of the window. He crashed, he was taken to the hospital, where the Dudaevites finished him off. Kutsenko died, and Dudayev became a national leader.

Now it is somehow forgotten, but Dudayev's criminal reputation was known back in that period in 1993. Let me remind you how much noise the “Chechen advice notes” have made at the federal level. After all, it was a real disaster for the national payment system. Fraudsters stole 4 trillion rubles from the Central Bank of Russia through shell companies and Grozny banks. That's a trillion! I will say for comparison that the budget of Russia in that very 93rd year was 10 trillion rubles. That is, almost half of the national budget was stolen from Chechen advice. Half of the annual salary of doctors, teachers, military personnel, officials, miners, half of all government revenues. Huge damage! Subsequently, Dudayev recalled how money was brought to Grozny by trucks.

It was with such marketers, democrats and supporters of national self-determination that Russia had to fight in 1994.

The beginning of the conflict

When did the first Chechen war start? December 11, 1994. So out of habit, many historians and publicists believe. They think that the first Chechen war of 1994-1996 began on the day when Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on the need to restore constitutional order in Chechnya. They forget that ten days earlier there had been an air strike on airfields in Chechnya. They forget about the burned-out cornfields, after which no one in Chechnya or in the Russian armed forces doubted that a war was going on.

But the ground operation really began on December 11. On this day, the so-called "Joint Group of Forces" (OGV), which then consisted of three parts, began to move:

• western;
• northwestern;
• eastern.

The Western group entered Chechnya from North Ossetia and Ingushetia. Northwestern - from the Mozdok region of North Ossetia. Eastern - from Dagestan.

All three groups moved straight to Grozny.

The OGV was supposed to clear the city from the separatists, and then destroy the bases of the militants: first, in the northern, flat part of the republic; then in the southern, mountainous part of it.

IN short time The OGV was supposed to clear the entire territory of the republic from Dudayev's formations.

On the outskirts of Grozny, on December 12, the North-Western grouping reached the first and got involved in the battle near the village of Dolinsky. In this battle, the militants used the Grad multiple launch rocket system, and that day they did not allow Russian troops to pass to Grozny.

Gradually, two other groups moved in. By the end of December, the army approached the capital from three sides:

• from the west;
• from North;
• from the east.

The assault was scheduled for December 31st. On New Year's Eve. And the eve of the birthday of Pavel Grachev - the then Minister of Defense. I will not say that they wanted to guess the victory for the holiday, but such an opinion is widespread.

Assault on Grozny

The assault has begun. The assault groups immediately ran into difficulties. The fact is that the commanders made two serious mistakes:

• Firstly. They did not complete the encirclement of Grozny. The problem was that Dudayev's formations actively used the gap in the open ring of encirclement. In the south, in the mountains, militant bases were located. From the south, the militants brought ammunition and weapons. The wounded were evacuated to the south. Reinforcements were coming in from the south;
• Secondly. We decided to massively use tanks. 250 combat vehicles entered Grozny. Moreover, without proper intelligence support and without infantry support. Tanks were helpless in the narrow streets of urban development. The tanks were on fire. The 131st separate Maykop motorized rifle brigade was surrounded, and 85 people were killed.

Parts of the Western and Eastern groups were unable to penetrate deep into the city and retreated. Only part of the North-Eastern group under the command of General Lev Rokhlin entrenched themselves in the city and took up defense. Some units were surrounded and suffered losses. Street fighting broke out in various districts of Grozny.

The command quickly learned the lessons of what had happened. The commanders changed tactics. Abandoned the massive use of armored vehicles. The battles were fought by small, mobile units of assault groups. Soldiers and officers quickly gained experience and improved their combat skills. On January 9, the federals took the building of the oil institute, and the airport came under the control of the OGV. By January 19, the militants left the presidential palace and organized defense on Minutka Square. At the end of January, the federals controlled 30% of the territory of Grozny. At that moment, the federal grouping was increased to 70 thousand people, it was headed by Anatoly Kulikov.

The next important change occurred on February 3rd. To blockade the city from the south, the command formed the "South" grouping. Already on February 9, it blocked the Rostov-Baku highway. The blockade is closed.

Half the city was reduced to rubble, but the victory was won. On March 6, the last militant left Grozny under pressure from the OGV. It was Shamil Basayev.

Major fighting in 1995

By April 1995, federal forces had established control over almost the entire flat part of the republic. Argun, Shali and Gudermes were taken under control relatively easily. The settlement of Bamut remained outside the zone of control. Fighting there continued intermittently until the end of the year, and even into the next 1996.

Quite a public outcry was received by the operation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Samashki. The propaganda campaign against Russia, professionally conducted by Dudayev's Chechen-press agency, seriously influenced world public opinion about Russia and its actions in Chechnya. Many still believe that the casualties among the civilian population in Samashki were prohibitive. There are unverified rumors about thousands of deaths, while the human rights organization Memorial, for example, believes that the number of civilians killed during the cleansing of Samashki is measured in dozens.

What is true here, and what is exaggeration - now it is no longer possible to make out. One thing is certain: war is a cruel and unjust business. Especially when civilians are dying.

Advancement in the mountainous regions was more difficult for the federal forces than a campaign across the plains. The reason was that the troops often got bogged down in the defense of the militants, there were even such unpleasant incidents as, for example, the capture of 40 paratroopers of the Aksai special forces. In June, the federals took control of the district centers of Vedeno, Shatoi and Nozhai-Yurt.

The most socially significant and resonant episode of the first Chechen war of 1995 was the episode associated with the release of events outside of Chechnya. The main negative character of the episode was Shamil Basayev. At the head of a gang of 195 people, he made a raid on trucks in the Stavropol Territory. The militants entered the Russian city of Budyonnovsk, opened fire in the center of the city, broke into the building of the city department of internal affairs, shot several policemen and civilians.

The terrorists took about 2,000 hostages and herded them into the building complex of the city hospital. Basayev demanded to withdraw troops from Chechnya and start negotiations with Dudayev with the participation of the UN. The Russian authorities decided to storm the hospital. Unfortunately, there was a leak of information, and the bandits had time to prepare. The assault was not unexpected, and failed. The special forces captured a number of auxiliary buildings, but did not break into the main building. On the same day they made a second attempt to storm, and she also failed.

In short, the situation began to become critical, and the Russian authorities were forced to enter into negotiations. The then Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin was on the telephone line. The whole country was watching the TV report intently, when Chernomyrdin spoke into the phone: "Shamil Basayev, Shamil Basayev, I am listening to your demands." As a result of the negotiations, Basayev received a vehicle and left for Chechnya. There he released the 120 remaining hostages. In total, 143 people died during the events, 46 of them were security officials.

Combat clashes of varying intensity took place in the republic until the end of the year. On October 6, militants made an attempt on the life of the commander of the United Forces, General Anatoly Romanov. In Grozny, on Minutka Square, in a tunnel under the railway, the Dudayevites detonated a bomb. The helmet and body armor saved the life of General Romanov, who was passing through the tunnel at that moment. From the wound he received, the general fell into a coma, and subsequently became a deep invalid. After this incident, “retaliation strikes” were delivered to the militant bases, which, however, did not lead to a serious change in the balance of power in the confrontation.

Fighting in 1996

The new year began with another episode of hostage-taking. And again outside of Chechnya. The story is like this. On January 9, 250 militants made a bandit raid on the Dagestan city of Kizlyar. First, they attacked a Russian helicopter base, where they destroyed 2 incapacitated MI-8 helicopters. Then they seized the Kizlyar hospital and the maternity hospital. From the neighboring buildings, the militants drove up to three thousand citizens.

The bandits locked people on the second floor, mined it, and barricaded themselves on the first floor, and put forward demands: the withdrawal of troops from the Caucasus, the provision of buses and a corridor to Grozny. Negotiations with the militants were conducted by the authorities of Dagestan. Representatives of the command of the federal forces did not participate in these negotiations. On January 10, the Chechens were provided with buses, and the militants with a group of hostages began to move towards Chechnya. They were going to cross the border near the village of Pervomaiskoye, but did not reach it. The federal security forces, who were not going to put up with the fact that the hostages would be taken to Chechnya, opened warning fire, and the column had to stop. Unfortunately, as a result of insufficiently organized actions, there was confusion. This allowed the militants to disarm a checkpoint of 40 Novosibirsk policemen and capture the village of Pervomaiskoye.

The militants fortified themselves in Pervomaisky. The confrontation continued for several days. On the 15th, after the Chechens shot six captured policemen and two negotiators - Dagestan elders, the security forces launched an assault.

The assault failed. The confrontation continued. On the night of January 19, the Chechens broke through the encirclement and left for Chechnya. They took with them the captured policemen, who were later released.

During the raid, 78 people were killed.

Fighting in Chechnya continued throughout the winter. In March, the militants tried to retake Grozny, but the attempt ended in failure. In April, a bloody clash took place near the village of Yaryshmardy.

A new turn in the development of events was introduced by the liquidation of Chechen President Dzhokhar Dudayev by federal forces. Dudayev often used the satellite phone of the Inmarsat system. On April 21, from an aircraft equipped with a radar station, the Russian military located Dudayev. 2 SU-25 attack aircraft were raised into the sky. They fired two air-to-ground missiles along the bearing. One of them was right on target. Dudaev died.

Contrary to the expectations of the federals, the elimination of Dudayev did not lead to decisive changes in the course of hostilities. But the situation in Russia has changed. The election campaign for the presidential elections was approaching. Boris Yeltsin was keenly interested in freezing the conflict. Negotiations were underway until July, and the activity of both the Chechens and the federals has noticeably decreased.

After Yeltsin was elected president, hostilities intensified again.

The final battle chord of the first Chechen war sounded in August 1996. The separatists again attacked Grozny. The divisions of General Pulikovsky had a numerical superiority, but they could not hold Grozny. At the same time, the militants captured Gudermes and Argun.

Russia was forced to enter into negotiations.