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Chechnya is a breakaway Republic in Russian North Caucasia seeking independence from Russia.
- Capital: Grozny
- Population: 1.3 million
- Area: 19.3 thousand square km
History
From 1830 to 1859, Russian forces moved into Chechnya to secure Russia's borders with the Ottoman Empire. Chechnya was incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1859.
During World War II, the Soviet government accused the Chechens of cooperating with the Nazi invaders. On orders from Josef Stalin, the entire population of the republic was exiled to Kazakhstan. The Chechens were allowed to return only in 1957, four years after Stalin's death in 1953.
Recent History
On October 27, 1991, Dzhokhar Dudayev was elected president of Chechnya. He declared independence on November 1, 1991.
Since Chechnya declared independence in 1991, Russia has attempted to re-take the country twice:
First Chechen War: 1994-1996
In this war, Russian forces overran Grozny in November 1995. The Russian military was seen as incompetent. A majority of Russia's air power was expended over Chechnya. However, the Chechens conducted successful guerrilla operations from the mountainous terrain. Russian President Boris Yeltsin declared a unilateral cease-fire in April 1995.
In June, 1995, Chechen guerrillas occupied a hospital in southern Russian town of Budyonnovsk, taking over 1,000 hostages. Russian forces attempted to storm the hospital twice and failed. The Chechens were allowed to leave after freeing their hostages.
This, and televised accounts of executions and the demoralization of the Russian army, led to a Russian withdrawal and the beginning of negotiations on March 21, 1996.
President Dudayev was killed in a rocket attack on April 21, 1996.
Negotations on Chechen independence were tabled in August, 1996.
Second Chechen War: 1999-Present
On September 9, 1999, Chechens were blamed for the bombing of an apartment complex in Moscow, in which many people were killed. President Vladimir Putin ordered forces back into Chechen territory. Currently, most of Chechnya is occupied by the Russian military.
Chechen forces have retreated into Kerigo Gorge in Georgia. Russia accuses the Georgian government of willingly harboring terrorists and demands that Georgia move against the Chechens. Several of the Chechens have been detained by Georgian authorities, but Russia claims that these are empty gestures, and has repeatedly warned Georgia that if real measures are not taken soon to control the Chechen rebels, it will invade and control them itself. Many analysts believe that Russia is waiting for the United States to invade Iraq first, so that it can label the Chechens as terrorists, and justify an invasion of Georgia on the same grounds as the United States claim in Iraq.
The House of Culture Incident
On October 23, 2002, a group of Chechen guerrillas seized the House of Culture for the State Ball-Bearing Plant Number 1 in Moscow, taking over 700 theatergoers and performers hostage. They indicated that the hostages would be killed if Russian forces did not immediately withdraw from Chechnya, and that the building would be blown up if authorities attempted to enter the building. Russian commandos pumped sleeping gas into the building several days later, entered the building, and shot the unconscious terrorists. The gas, which the Russian government refused to identify to doctors, also killed at least 115 of the hostages. The incident triggered a shift in Russian policy towards Chechnya, with Russian President Vladimir Putin indicating the beginnings of a new, hard line approach and a United States style war on terrorism.
See related article.
Politics
Chechnya is a republic. The president, Aslan Maskhadov, was elected in an internationally monitored election in 1997. However, President Maskhadov has been unable to influence a number of warlords who retain effective control over Chechen territory. Russia refuses to recognize the Chechen government. Most other countries avoid official recognition of Chechen independence, in order to avoid jeopardizing their diplomatic relationships with Russia.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister is Akhmed Zakayev, appointed by President Maskhadov shortly after the 1997 election. Zakayev was involved in negotiations with Russian representatives before and after the September 1999 Russian offensive. He was involved in organizing an October 2002 World Chechen Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, which brought together Chechens and Russian human rights activists. Zakayev was detained by Danish authorities upon the request of Russian authorities. The Russians are requesting his extradition, though Danish jurists usually do not extradite persons when they face the death penalty.
Geography
Demographics
- Religion: Sunni Muslim since the 16th to the 18th century.
- Chechen and Russian are used.
- The Chechen language is member of the Caucasian languages group.