1999. Moscow Apartment Bombings. The Second Chechen War.
Russia Is A Terrorist State: Part 1 (1990s)
1999. Moscow Apartment Bombings. The Second Chechen War.
"Consequences of the explosion of a residential building in Volgodonsk" by Yotub under CC0 1.0
The Second Chechen War was a conflict between Russian forces and Chechen separatists that lasted from 1999 to 2009. The Second Chechen War started in 1999 after a series of bombings in Russia, including an apartment complex in Moscow, which killed hundreds of people. Russia blamed Chechen rebels for the attacks and launched a military campaign against Chechnya. Chechen separatists, who had been fighting for independence from Russia since the early 1990s, fought back. Russia responded by sending troops into Chechnya, seeking to reestablish federal control over the region. The war was marked by brutal fighting, including widespread human rights abuses committed by Russian forces, as well as terrorist attacks and guerrilla warfare by Chechen rebels.
"Russian troops burying corpses in a trench in Chechnya during the Second Chechen War in February 2000" by Natalia Medvedeva under CC BY-SA 3.0
The conflict began in September 1999, a series of bombings in Russia killed 293 people and injured over 1,000 others. Some experts and politicians believed that the Russian government was behind the bombings, possibly as a pretext to justify the Second Chechen War. The theory was based on several factors, including the lack of a clear motive for the Chechen rebels to carry out the bombings, the timing of the attacks (just before the Russian parliamentary elections), and the discovery of a suspicious package in an apartment building in Ryazan, which the authorities later claimed was part of a training exercise.
The Russian government denied any involvement in the bombings, and no conclusive evidence has been presented to support the theory of state involvement. However, the suspicion remains a topic of debate and controversy in Russia and abroad. The Russian government blamed Chechen separatists for the attacks, which killed hundreds of people. The Russian military launched an invasion of Chechnya in response, seeking to crush the separatist movement and reestablish federal control over the region.
"GROZNY. Acting President Vladimir Putin arrived in Grozny on a SU-27 fighter jet on March 20, 2000" by Presidential Press and Information Office via www.kremlin.ru under CC BY 3.0 and CC BY 4.0
The war was marked by brutal fighting and human rights abuses committed by Russian forces, including widespread reports of torture, extrajudicial killings, and other atrocities. Chechen separatists also carried out terrorist attacks against Russian civilians and military targets, including suicide bombings.
The conflict drew international attention and condemnation, with many human rights groups criticizing both sides for their actions. Russian forces were accused of using torture, extrajudicial killings, and rape against Chechen civilians. Chechen rebels were accused of killing civilians and carrying out terrorist attacks.
The conflict was fueled by ethnic and religious tensions. Chechens are predominantly Muslim, while Russians are predominantly Orthodox Christian. Chechen separatists sought independence from Russia and believed that their Muslim culture was under threat from Russian dominance.
"RED SQUARE, MOSCOW. Speech during a parade devoted to the 55th anniversary of the USSR's victory in the Great Patriotic War" by Presidential Press and Information Office via www.kremlin.ru under CC BY 3.0 and CC BY 4.0
The war had a significant impact on Russian politics. Vladimir Putin, who became Prime Minister of Russia in 1999 and President in 2000, gained popularity for his hardline stance on Chechnya. The war also strengthened the power of the security services in Russia and led to the rise of authoritarianism.
Despite years of fighting and numerous attempts at peace negotiations, the conflict persisted for a decade before Russia declared victory and withdrew its forces in 2009. The war officially ended in 2009, but the conflict between Chechen separatists and Russian authorities continues to this day. The conflict has spilled over into neighboring regions, including Dagestan and Ingushetia. Chechen fighters have also been involved in conflicts in Syria and Ukraine. The conflict has left many Chechens displaced and traumatized and has caused significant damage to the region's infrastructure and economy.
Written in part in collaboration with ChatGPT on March 22, 2023
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Putin Is A War Criminal
Russia Is A Terrorist State:
Part 1 (1990s)
Part 2 (2000s)
Part 3 (2011 - 2016)
Part 4 (2016 - 2019)
Part 5 (2020 - 2021)
Part 6 (2022+)
Sources for 1999. Moscow Apartment Bombings. The Second Chechen War:
NEW COMBAT IN CHECHNYA DRAWS IRE AND DESPAIR - The Washington Post July 19, 1996
17 Dead, 115 Injured in Another Russian Blast - The Washington Post September 16, 1999
Fourth Explosion Rocks Russia - The Washington Post September 17, 1999
ANOTHER BOMBING KILLS 18 IN RUSSIA - The New York Times September 17, 1999
Explosives found in Ryazan, Russia apartment complex - CNN September 23, 1999
Russian bomb scare turns out to be anti-terror drill - CNN September 24, 1999
Russia's bombs: Who is to blame? - BBC News September 30, 1999
CHECHNYA: GROZNY: FIGHTING INTENSIFIES OVER A HILL (2) - AP News October 27, 1999
Russians Hit Red Cross Convoy - The Washington Post October 31, 1999
Chechnya: Pipeline Still Plays Significant Role - RFERL December 9, 1999
U.S. Role in Chechnya - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace December 10, 1999
China Backs Russia on Chechen War - Los Angeles Times December 11, 1999
'Barbaric' war grinds on in Chechnya - The Guardian January 2, 2000
War Crimes In Chechnya and the Response of the West - Human Rights Watch February 29, 2000
Russia’s Ruinous Chechen War - Foreign Affairs March 1, 2000
Take care Tony, that man has blood on his hands - The Guardian March 11, 2000
Miscalculations Paved Path to Chechen War - The Washington Post March 20, 2000
Russian Mafia Blamed For Bombings - CBS News September 4, 2000
War Has No Rules for Russian Forces Fighting in Chechnya - Los Angeles Times September 17, 2000
Russian Says Kremlin Faked 'Terror Attacks' - The New York Times February 1, 2002
Why Putin Boils Over: Chechnya Is His Personal War - The New York Times November 13, 2002
Russia: Ethnic Chechens Face Increased Discrimination - Human Rights Watch February 24, 2003
Chechen conflict now rages beyond expectations - NBC News September 2, 2004
Dispatches from a savage war - The Guardian October 14, 2004
Chechnya: Ten Years After -- The Logic Behind The First Chechen War - RFERL December 10, 2004
Official: Chechen wars killed 300,000 - Al Jazeera June 26, 2005
Russia: Chechen Official Puts War Death Toll At 160,000 - RFERL August 16, 2005
JUSTICE FOR CHECHNYA - Human Rights Watch July 2007
Russia Ends Operations in Chechnya - The New York Times April 16, 2009
Chechnya and Russia: timeline - The Guardian April 16, 2009
Russia Claims Victory in Chechnya - SPIEGEL International April 17, 2009
Russia ends decadelong Chechen operation - NBC News April 17, 2009
Russia's Chechnya Pullout: Compromise Over Victory - TIME April 20, 2009
Russian terror attacks timeline - The Guardian March 29, 2010
Chechen Terrorism (Russia, Chechnya, Separatist) - Council on Foreign Relations April 8, 2010
The second Chechen war: a Grozny teenager's diary - The Guardian September 30, 2011
Some Basic Facts About Chechnya - The Atlantic April 19, 2013
Chechens loyal to Russia fight alongside east Ukraine rebels - Reuters December 10, 2014
Chechnya, Russia and 20 years of conflict - Al Jazeera December 11, 2014
'The Chechen wars murdered Russian democracy in its cradle' - The Guardian December 12, 2014
Chechnya | republic, Russia - Britannica July 6, 2015
Foiled Attack or Failed Exercise? A Look at Ryazan 1999 - Wilson Center January 6, 2016
Why would Putin have had a former KGB operative murdered? - The Washington Post January 21, 2016
Chechnya profile - Timeline - BBC News January 17, 2018
How the 1999 Russian apartment bombings led to Putin's rise to power - Insider March 22, 2018
Key Players in the Chechen Conflict - The New York Times May 14, 2019
Russia still lives in the shadow of the Chechen war - DW September 30, 2019
'Welcome To Hell, Part II': The Second Chechen War - RFERL October 1, 2019
The War That Continues to Shape Russia, 25 Years Later - The New York Times December 10, 2019
Chronology of Russia's War With Chechnya - The New York Times May 24, 2021
What Putin's destruction of Grozny in 1999 means for Ukraine now - WBUR March 2, 2022
Russia's wars in Chechnya offer a grim warning of what could be in Ukraine - NPR March 12, 2022