In what year was the terrorist attack in Budennovsk?

Terrorism is the greatest evil that has already claimed thousands of lives. Our country with this phenomenon in its most terrible and massive manifestations had to face in the 90s of last century. Until now, millions of Russians have fresh memories of events in and around Chechnya, such as the terrorist attack in the Budennovsk hospital.

Prehistory

At the end of 1994, the Russian army began operations to disarm bandit formations operating in Chechnya. In response to these actions, the militants established a grouping led by Basayev, and also purchased explosives and firearms.

The aim was to conduct a series of attacks on organizations and local residents. Specific Russian cities were chosen for the attacks. The grouping was divided into small detachments, each of which received its task.

The militants, using as an instrument of pressure on the federal authorities to seize a large number of hostages, wanted in this way to achieve independence of the Chechen Republic and its complete separation from Russia. As one of the main targets for the attack, the city of Budennovsk was chosen. The terrorist act (photos taken from the scene, see below) was carefully prepared, and all the actions of the militants are well thought out.

Assault on the ROVD

On June 14, 1995, long before dawn, more than 160 militants on three KamAZ trucks set out for Budennovsk. They were accompanied by a car VAZ-2106, repainted and converted to a police car. The group of bandits was led by Basayev himself.

When the column passed Budennovsk, the last Kamaz stopped at the crossroads of Stavropol and International streets, not far from the police building. After shooting two traffic policemen, the bandits moved to the Budennovskoye ROVD. Other terrorist machines arrived there. They opened fire on the building from automatic weapons and from grenade launchers, and then entered it and began firing along the corridors and through the doors of the offices. As a result, several policemen, a lawyer and a local resident were killed. Two ATS officers were injured. The battle lasted about a quarter of an hour, and then the militants returned to their cars, taking several employees of the passport and visa department, a buffet and visitors of the district department from among civilians as hostages.

Attack on the administration building

At the time when the first information about the events that later became known as the "terrorist attack in Budyonnovsk" arrived in Moscow, Basayev's group had already seized the city. Having dispersed through the streets, the militants moved to the square at the intersection of Pushkinskaya and Oktyabrskaya streets, where the city hall was located. Most of the bandits broke into it and seized the officials and visitors who were there hostage. The rest of the terrorists attacked the fire department, the Children's Creativity House, as well as the encashment buildings, Promstroibank, Sberbank, medical schools and other organizations located near the city administration. Moving along the streets of Budennovsk with a VAZ-2106 car camouflaged for a car of the State Automobile Inspection, the bandits fired violently at administrative buildings, transport, private households and random passers-by.

Thus, at 13:30, in the area of crossing Lenin and Krasnaya streets with bursts of a Kalashnikov machine gun and a machine gun, the terrorists killed two policemen and wounded another ATS officer.

Hospital Capture

By 15 o'clock the bandits carrying out the terrorist attack in Budyonnovsk had already captured 600 hostages. They were placed around an automotive tank with fuel, threatening to blow it up in the event of any attempt to release the captives.

Having built the hostages in a column, the militants moved towards the city hospital. At that time in it there were 1100 people - patients, as well as doctors and employees from among the staff.

On the way to the column, militants killed those who tried to resist. A total of 100 people died.

Having seized the hospital, the terrorists mined the cellars under the premises where the hostages were housed, as well as the oxygen station.

In order to stop all attempts at disobedience, the militants selected 6 men from among those whom they held by force, and arranged an exemplary execution in the courtyard of the medical institution.

The terrorist act in Budyonnovsk: the situation by the evening of June 15, 1995

As a result of the actions of the Basayev gang in the city, water and gas supply was disrupted, telephone communication ceased, streets were emptied, food and industrial enterprises, schools, administrative institutions and kindergartens suspended their work.

The youngest and most adult patients of the hospital were most severely affected. They could not provide the necessary medical care. As a result, even several deaths and births of dead children were recorded in pregnant women at that time in the hospital.

The demands put forward by Shamil Basayev

As already mentioned, the terrorist attack in Budyonnovsk was aimed at putting pressure on the federal authorities of the Russian Federation. The main demands put forward by Basayev were the cessation of hostilities in the territory of Chechnya and the beginning of negotiations with D. Dudayev. Most likely, he believed that he was doing a good deed for his people, but the methods he had chosen could not and can not justify.

Since the press did not arrive at the appointed time, the terrorists, as they had promised earlier, shot one of the hostages, and in a few hours five more.

By 20:00 on June 15, the journalists were still taken to the hospital. After the press conference, Shamil Basayev dismissed them all.

Events June 16

At about 16:00 Moscow time, a statement was sent by the RF Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin on the radio, according to which an immediate ceasefire was guaranteed on the territory of the Chechen Republic. On the same day, a delegation flew to Grozny and began negotiations on establishing peace, as Basayev demanded.

Storm on June 17

Although more than 20 years have passed since the events described, the disputes about the degree of blame not only of those who committed the terrorist attack in Budyonnovsk, but also of Russian authorities and representatives of law enforcement agencies that led the operation for the release of hostages have not subsided. In particular, there is an opinion that many victims could have been avoided had it not been for the unsuccessful attempt to storm the hospital building by the special forces of the FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation early in the morning of June 17.

As a result of the assault, the commander of the special group Alfa, Major V. Solovov, died. The only thing that was achieved was the release of a part of the hostages, which were kept in the relatively poorly guarded by terrorists trauma and neurology departments.

Making sure that the hospital will not be cleared of the militants, the heads of the special operation sent to the Basayev the negotiators, among whom Anatoly Kashpirovsky entered.

Negotiations on June 18

The terrorist act in Budennovsk (1995) entered its final stage after Viktor Chernomyrdin personally contacted Basayev early in the morning . He made concessions on all points, so by noon the terrorists released the first group of hostages.

At 19:00, Basayev demanded that six buses be fitted to the hospital building, where he, along with his people, was going to return to Chechnya under cover of the hostages.

June 19-20

At 5:15 am, Basayev's demand was fulfilled. In addition to the three Ikarus buses, a refrigerator with food was brought to the building where the terrorists and hostages were located. Four hours later, Basayev presented the negotiators with a list of journalists who were invited to a press conference. The group consisting of representatives of the press included correspondents of CBB and BBC, "World TV news", ORT, NTV, Rossiyskaya Gazeta and Der Spiegel magazine.

At 11:30 the Basayevites suggested that these journalists accompany them during their return to Chechnya on a voluntary basis. Twenty people agreed. They were joined by three people's deputies of the Russian Federation and several representatives of the local and regional administration. In addition, the terrorists seated 123 hostages-men on buses. At 17:00 the convoy under the leadership of Basayev left Budennovsk.

On June 20, it reached the territory of Chechnya. The terrorists kept their word and released all the hostages. Then they disappeared, breaking up into several groups.

Subsequently it became known that the buses provided to terrorists were mined by radio-controlled mines. It was intended to bring them into effect if the militants release the hostages on the road in Chechnya.

The terrorist attack in Budyonnovsk: consequences

The tragedy that occurred on June 14-19, 1995, shook Russia. June 22 was declared a day of mourning for the dead, the number of which at that time still continued to clarify.

The act of terrorism caused the resignation of the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, the Minister for Nationalities N. Egorov, the head of the FSB S. Stepashin, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs V. Erin and the Governor of the Stavropol Territory E. Kuznetsov.

According to various sources, the terrorist attack in Budyonnovsk (briefly the chronology of events is presented above) claimed the lives of 129 to 147 civilians, three special forces, eighteen policemen, and five hospital employees. 415 people were injured. 198 vehicles were injured (burned and damaged), terrorists set fire to the House of Children's Creativity, great damage was inflicted to the buildings of the city hospital, the Internal Affairs Directorate, and the city administration. 107 private households were also harmed. The total damage in monetary terms exceeded 95 billion undenominated rubles.

After the events described, the State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted the Law on Combating Terrorism. According to this document, regardless of the circumstances, local and federal authorities, as well as any other state bodies are prohibited from meeting the demands of bandits. At the same time, it remains controversial to say that if this law were adopted earlier, it would be possible to avoid such a terrible crime as the terrorist attack in Budyonnovsk. When there was a hostage-taking on Dubrovka, its organizers already understood that they would not be able to leave alive. Nevertheless, this did not stop them.

Now you know, in what year there was an attack in Budennovsk and who committed it. One can only hope that this will never happen again and that changes in the political, social or social life of mankind will occur on the basis of its evolution, and not because of political blackmail and massacres of innocent civilians.