The Second War in Chechnya

The official name of the second Chechen war is a counter-terrorist operation. The war in Chechnya captured the border regions of the North Caucasus and the territory of Chechnya. The beginning of this war is considered to be September 30, 1999. On that day, Russian troops were brought into Chechnya. Active activities in this territory continued until 2000, and then the conflict went into a passive phase, which is not over to this day. The regime of the counter-terrorist operation was abolished in 2009.

After the Russian troops were withdrawn from Chechnya in 1996, peace and tranquility did not come on these lands. Bandits are rich, kidnapping people for ransom, as well as cashing in on oil theft, the production of narcotic drugs, counterfeiting, terrorist attacks and armed attacks. In Chechnya, mass training of Muslim terrorists was launched. Arab mercenaries in every possible way destabilized the situation in the regions neighboring with Chechnya, and disseminated the ideas of separatism.

March 1999 was marked by the kidnapping by terrorists of the ambassador of the Interior Ministry Gennady Shpigun. Measures to combat criminal groups were strengthened, the best specialists in the fight against ethnic crime were sent to the north of the Caucasus. Chechnya found itself in an economic blockade, the financial flow from Russia practically dried up. These measures have complicated the lives of bandits. It was becoming increasingly difficult to transfer drugs and weapons across the border. By the summer of 1999, the border was a militarized zone. The war in Chechnya became obvious.

Soon an attempt was made to seize the outpost of troops on the border of Chechnya and Dagestan. In response, Russian helicopter pilots hit rockets on the positions of terrorists of Khattab. Then a decision was announced on major warning strikes. Chechen militants were preparing to attack Dagestan. They chose mountainous areas as their target, on the basis of considerations that there are fewer federal forces on this territory, and it will not be possible to quickly transfer forces because of the inaccessibility of the area. From the Kadar district of Dagestan, militants expected to strike at the federal troops from the rear.

Researchers note that the war in Chechnya was beneficial to a large number of people. First, Islamic extremists who sought to spread their ideas worldwide, and secondly to the financial kings of the Persian Gulf.

August 7 militants massively invaded Dagestan. The operation was led by Shamil Basayev and the Arab mercenary Khattab. The bandits expected that the residents of Dagestan would go over to their side, but they made a mistake. The population gave self-sacrificing resistance to invading fighters. The Ichkerian leadership, together with the Russian authorities, decided to conduct a federal operation against the Islamists who had infiltrated Dagestan. Maskhadov condemned the attack, but did not take any real measures.

The fighting lasted about a month. As a result of competent actions militants retreated to the territory of Chechnya. During this period in a number of Russian cities there were terrible tragedies: terrorist acts - explosions of apartment houses.

Having weighed Maskhadov's inability to take control of the situation in Chechnya, the Russian leadership decided to conduct a military operation aimed at the complete destruction of terrorists. September 23 began a massive bombardment of Grozny. The second war in Chechnya began.

Russian troops are working successfully, breaking the resistance of militants. Terrorists were cunningly enticed into mine fields, raids were conducted along the lines. The leadership made a bet on attracting the elite to their side. So, Ahmat Kadyrov, a former separatist, became the head of Chechnya and the chief mufti. The war in Chechnya forced the militants to look at the detachments of non-Chechen origin. By 2005, such large field commanders as Maskhadov and Khattab were destroyed. As a result, the intensity of the activity of bandit formations has significantly decreased. The war in Chechnya, whose losses are great for Russia, still causes controversy and controversy. Many condemn the actions of the authorities, someone - supports. Nevertheless, in the years that followed, not a single major terrorist attack occurred in Russia. The second war in Chechnya significantly weakened the militants.