In 1858, Chechnya was seized by Russia after decades of resistance and the failure of those aiming to establish an Islamic state. Afterwards, the Chechen autonomous region was established and became known as the Chechen-Ingush Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The infamous Joseph Stalin deported the entire Chechen and Ingush populations to Siberia and Central Asia in 1944, resulting in many thousands dying.
After the restoration of the republic by the Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev, the Soviet Union collapsed. The communist leader of the republic was overthrown, and Dzhokhar Dudayev was elected president and declared Chechnya independent from Russia in 1991. The Chechens also adopted a constitution that defined Chechnya as an independent state government by a president and parliament. This enraged the Russians, and in 1994, Russian troops entered Chechnya in hopes to stop the independence movement.
An estimated 100,000 people were killed in the war that took place after the invasion. In June of 1995, Chechen rebels held hundreds of hostages in a Budennovsk hospital and killed more than 100 people. President Dudayev was killed in a Russian missile attack in 1996. The Chechens then launched a major counteroffensive, where 5,000 troops invaded Grozny, occupied by Russian forces. The Russians agreed to ceasefire, and Yeltsin ordered the troops to withdraw from Chechnya.
Terrorism, including a series of bombings in Moscow, erupted again, and after Islamic militants invaded Dagestan, Russian forces invaded Chechnya, captured Grozny, and forced the rebels to move to the mountains. The UN called for investigations of alleged human rights abuses by Russian troops and by Chechen rebels, and President Putin appointed a new Chechen prime minister. Chechens voted in a referendum that approved a new constitution making Chechnya a separatist republic inside of Russia.
According to BBC News, "Parliamentary elections in November 2005 saw the pro-Kremlin United Russia party win over half the seats. Separatist rebels dismissed the election as a charade but President Putin said that the legal process of restoring constitutional order had been completed" ("Timeline: Chechnya" 1). Since then, the shattered republic is beginning to be reconstructed, but "sporadic attacks by separatists continue, however, including a triple suicide bombing in Grozny that killed six people in August 2011" ("Chechnya Profile" 2).
After the restoration of the republic by the Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev, the Soviet Union collapsed. The communist leader of the republic was overthrown, and Dzhokhar Dudayev was elected president and declared Chechnya independent from Russia in 1991. The Chechens also adopted a constitution that defined Chechnya as an independent state government by a president and parliament. This enraged the Russians, and in 1994, Russian troops entered Chechnya in hopes to stop the independence movement.
An estimated 100,000 people were killed in the war that took place after the invasion. In June of 1995, Chechen rebels held hundreds of hostages in a Budennovsk hospital and killed more than 100 people. President Dudayev was killed in a Russian missile attack in 1996. The Chechens then launched a major counteroffensive, where 5,000 troops invaded Grozny, occupied by Russian forces. The Russians agreed to ceasefire, and Yeltsin ordered the troops to withdraw from Chechnya.
Terrorism, including a series of bombings in Moscow, erupted again, and after Islamic militants invaded Dagestan, Russian forces invaded Chechnya, captured Grozny, and forced the rebels to move to the mountains. The UN called for investigations of alleged human rights abuses by Russian troops and by Chechen rebels, and President Putin appointed a new Chechen prime minister. Chechens voted in a referendum that approved a new constitution making Chechnya a separatist republic inside of Russia.
According to BBC News, "Parliamentary elections in November 2005 saw the pro-Kremlin United Russia party win over half the seats. Separatist rebels dismissed the election as a charade but President Putin said that the legal process of restoring constitutional order had been completed" ("Timeline: Chechnya" 1). Since then, the shattered republic is beginning to be reconstructed, but "sporadic attacks by separatists continue, however, including a triple suicide bombing in Grozny that killed six people in August 2011" ("Chechnya Profile" 2).
Who: Chechen civilians, Chechen rebels, Russian troops
What: Chechen war against Russia ignites terrorism and human rights abuses, resulting in hundreds of thousands people killed.
Where: Chechnya, Dagestan, Grozny, throughout Russia
When: 1991, when Chechnya declared its independence, to 2009, when Russian counterterrorism operation ended
Why: Chechens wanted independence from Russia
What: Chechen war against Russia ignites terrorism and human rights abuses, resulting in hundreds of thousands people killed.
Where: Chechnya, Dagestan, Grozny, throughout Russia
When: 1991, when Chechnya declared its independence, to 2009, when Russian counterterrorism operation ended
Why: Chechens wanted independence from Russia