Second Chechen War

• 1. The 1944 Deportation

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  In February 1944, the Soviet Union ordered the entire Chechen people to leave their homes. They were forced onto trains and sent to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan under false accusations of collaborating with Nazi Germany. The journey was brutal. Conditions inside the transport cars were so harsh that many died before they even arrived at their destination. Estimates suggest between one-quarter and one-third of the deported population perished within the first four years of resettlement. One report by Lavrenti Beria to Joseph Stalin indicated that 150,000 out of 478,479 Ingush and Chechen deportees had died in just those initial years. This event created a deep historical grievance that would fuel resistance for decades. In 1992, separatist leaders built a memorial dedicated to these victims. The pro-Russian government later demolished this memorial. Tombstones from the site were found planted on Akhmad Kadyrov Square next to granite steles honoring losses of local pro-Russian power.

• 2. Dagestan Invasion And Border Closures

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  On the 7th of August 1999, Shamil Basayev led two groups of up to 2,000 fighters into the neighboring Republic of Dagestan. These forces included Chechens, Dagestanis, and Arab mujahideen. They aimed to establish an Islamic state in the region. Russian troops responded with heavy force. By mid-September 1999, the militants were routed from the villages they had captured and retreated back into Chechnya. Russia reported several hundred militants killed and approximately 900 servicemen wounded. Before this incursion settled, a series of bombings took place in Russia. On the 4th of September 1999, 62 people died in an apartment building housing families of Russian soldiers. Over the next two weeks, bombs targeted three other buildings and a mall. More than 350 people died in total. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin quickly blamed these attacks on Chechen militants despite no evidence linking them to the separatists. He ordered a massive bombing campaign against Chechnya. In late May 1999, Russia announced it was closing the border between Russia and Chechnya. Border guards were ordered to shoot suspects on sight.

• 3. The Siege Of Grozny

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  Russian forces began their assault on the capital city of Grozny in early December 1999. The battle ended when the army seized the city on the 2nd of February 2000. Official figures stated at least 134 federal troops died during the fighting. Separatist forces also suffered heavy losses including top commanders. The siege devastated the capital like no other European city since World War II. By 2003, the United Nations called Grozny the most destroyed city on Earth. An ultimatum urged Chechens to leave or be destroyed without mercy. Around 300 people died while trying to escape in October 1999 and were buried in a mass grave. Banned thermobaric weapons were used to ignite the air of civilians hiding in basements. Reports indicated chemical weapons were also deployed. On the 21st of October 1999, a Russian Scud missile strike on the central marketplace killed more than 140 people. Eight days later, aircraft attacked a large convoy of refugees heading into Ingushetia killing at least 25 civilians. The bombing included banned Buratino fuel-air bombs that ignited the air around those seeking shelter.

• 4. Systematic Human Rights Abuses

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  Human rights organizations documented widespread abuses committed by Russian federal forces throughout the conflict. Amnesty International reported that Chechen civilians were purposely targeted in apparent disregard for humanitarian law. Thousands of forced disappearances occurred between 1999 and 2008. Western groups estimate about 5,000 people went missing during this period. Mass graves containing hundreds of corpses have been uncovered since the start of the war. As of June 2008, there were 57 registered locations of mass graves in Chechnya alone. One incident known as the Novye Aldi massacre involved summary executions of dozens of people. Victims ranged from one-year-old babies to 82-year-old women. Soldiers shot victims in cold blood with automatic fire at close range. They removed gold teeth from corpses and looted their belongings. Arson was used to destroy evidence of these killings. In another case, soldiers gang-raped several women before strangling them to death. The European Court of Human Rights found Russia guilty of violating the right to life and prohibiting torture concerning civilians who died or disappeared at the hands of federal troops.

• 5. Radicalization And The Caucasus Emirate

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  The separatist movement shifted from secular nationalism toward global Islamist jihadism over time. Leaders like Shamil Basayev and Doku Umarov began speaking out about expelling Russia from the entire North Caucasus region. This area is an impoverished mountainous zone inhabited mostly by Muslim non-Russian ethnic groups. By April 2006, top commander Doku Umarov stated they no longer planned negotiations. He declared that attacks should be expected anywhere in Russia. The goal became the creation of an Islamist North Caucasian Emirate rather than Western-style democracy. This trend resulted in the October 2007 declaration of the Caucasus Emirate by Doku Umarov. He urged for a global Jihad and created a political schism between moderates and radical Islamists. Some commanders like Anzor Astemirov denounced the idea of global Jihad but continued fighting for independence. The struggle garnered support from Muslim sympathizers worldwide. Many fighters had links with international Islamist separatist groups. Reports indicated volunteers traveled to Chechnya after attending training camps in Afghanistan or Pakistan.

• 6. Demographic Catastrophe And Environmental Ruin

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  Over 60,000 combatants and non-combatants were killed during the Second Chechen War. Civilian casualty estimates vary widely. A report by Al Jazeera estimated the total death toll from both wars to be around 300,000 including civilians and combatants. According to Memorial human rights group, up to 25,000 civilians died or disappeared since 1999. About 25,000 children lost one or both parents between 1994 and 2008. One child in ten is born with some kind of anomaly requiring treatment. The infant mortality rate stood at 17 per 1,000 which was the highest in Russia as of 2008. Environmental agencies warned that Chechnya faced ecological disaster due to war damage. Oil spills and pollution from sewers rendered water polluted to a depth of 250 meters. Chemical and radioactive pollution resulted from bombardment of chemical facilities. Approximately 60,000 housing units were damaged or destroyed. Land mines contaminated agricultural land. In 2004, Chechnya became the most land mine-affected region worldwide. UNICEF recorded 2,340 civilian casualties from land mines and unexploded ordnance between 1999 and 2003.