Chechnya Conflicts (1991 - 2009)

The First Chechen War (1995 - 1997)
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, relations between the Federal Russian government with the over 100 ethnic groups deteriorated as demands for autonomy became a major political issue. In March 1992, a federation treaty was drafted and by 1994 the treaty was signed between 87 of the 88 federal jurisdictions and central government, with Chechnya being the exception. The conflict erupted in 1991 following the death of the head of the Communist Party in Grozny when a faction of the USSR’s dissolved military stormed Party Headquarters. Russian forces failed to re-take Grozny and in 1993 the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria announced its independence. Violence and discrimination preceded economic stagnation as non-Chechnens fled the region, and eventually an undeclared civil war broke out as the Chechen opposition attempted a counter-coup against the Chechen ruler Dzhokhar Dudayev. Following the dissolution of the Chechen Parliament in June 1993, a state of emergency was declared, and in December that year an other coup was attempted by the opposition. Issues of sovereignty spurred an assault by Russian troops in December 1994, marking the start of the first Chechen War wherein Russian troops faced four years of insurgency until a ceasefire was unilaterally declared in 1996. A peace treaty was signed in 1997 and Russian forces withdrew.


The Second Chechen War (1999 - 2004)
The inter-war period was marked by economic desolation, corruption and crime. Political polarization was rife, and religious extremism flourished. In August 1999, the Islamic International Brigade led by Shamil Basayev invaded the Russian Republic of Dagestan seeking to found an Islamic State, thereby sparking the Second Chechen War. In response, the Russian Federation began a bombing campaign against the Chechen government and eventually re-took Grozny. An insurgency began following the fall of the Chechen government and separatist attacks spurred an increasingly harsh response from the Kremlin. By 2006, the main separatist leaders had been killed, and the republic has been run by the pro-Russian government led by Ramzan Kadyrov since 2007.