Title: 1994 - Chechen War

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About: The Russian military deployed into the breakaway republic of Chechnya, where a brutal fight for the capital Grozny began.

 

With the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Chechnya, like many of the other republics within the former Soviet Union, declared its independence. However, it's location within the Russian Federation meant that ambitions of sovereignty were not going to be tolerated for long by President Yeltsin, who  feared the secession of Chechnya would prompt a domino effect of independence movements. He also hoped to recover Chechnya’s valuable oil resources.

 

After ineffective attempts at funding Chechen opposition groups, a Russian invasion began on December 11, 1994.

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After the initial gains of the Russian army, Chechen rebels put up fierce resistance in Grozny, and thousands of Russian troops died and many more Chechen civilians were killed in almost two years of heavy fighting. The conflict was marked by atrocities on both sides.

 

In August 1996, Grozny was retaken by the Chechen rebels after a year of Russian occupation, and a cease-fire was declared.

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When the Russians withdrew, Chechnya was essentially independent. Retreating was a humiliation for Russia's military machine that less than a decade earlier had presented a seemingly formidable threat to the entire Western world. However, they would soon return in 1999, sparking the Second Chechen War. 

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Decade: 1990s

Year: 1994

Region: Europe

Country: Russia

Politics: Revolution

Conflict: Regional War

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Type: Historical Event

Impact: 4

Artist: Jaroslaw Marcinek

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Group: Genesis

Number: 94/100

Price: 0.4 ETH

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